Part 25 (2/2)
[Footnote 2: A prize offered by King Hygelak for the victor in the match.]
THERESE DAHN'S PARAPHRASE
Walhall. Germanische Gotter- und Heldensagen. Fur Alt und Jung am deutschen Herd erzahlt von Felix Dahn und Therese Dahn, geb. Freiin von Droste-Hulshoff. Mit neunundfunfzig Bildertafeln, Textbildern, Kopfleisten und Schlussstucken nach Federzeichnungen von Johannes Gehrts. Kreuznach, Verlag von R. Voigtlander, 1883.
Seventh Edition, 1885.
Eleventh Edition, 1891.
Twelfth Edition (Leipzig), 1898.
8vo, _Beowulf_ (by Therese Dahn[1]), pp. 361-405, with two ill.u.s.trations.
A Paraphrase in German Prose for General Readers.
_Therese Dahn._
Therese Dahn, born Freiin von Droste-Hulshoff, was born in 1845, and married Felix Dahn in 1873. With him she published in 1873 at Leipzig a volume of poems (_Gedichte_). For certain of her verses in this volume she received high praise. She has since continued creative work. She resides at Breslau, where Felix Dahn is professor in the University.
Of the stories in the present volume she wrote, beside _Beowulf_, _Die Wolsungen_, _Kudrun_, the story of Konig Wilkinus, &c., _Wieland der Schmied_, _Walther und Hildgund_, and the stories from the _Dietrich_ saga and the _Nibelungen_ saga.
_Nature of the Paraphrase._
The following parts of the story are omitted entirely: the account of the first King Beowulf in the Prolog; the Sigemund episode, Hrothgar's Discourse; the Thrytho episode; the Freawaru episode; Beowulf's account of his Fight with Grendel as told to King Hygelac; the Battle of Ravenswood.
Other changes in the story are as follows: the sorrows of the Danes as told in the Prolog are attributed to the reign of King Heremod; in a separate Kapitel (III) are gathered the Sorrows of King Hrethel, the account of Ongentheow, the Fall of Hygelac, and the Death of Heardred.
The Fight at Finnsburg is added and an original beginning provided for it.
Obscure words, phrases, and lines are omitted; and explanatory words are inserted from time to time.
_Indebtedness to Simrock._
The translation was evidently made with Simrock's translation[2] in hand; possibly it may have been made directly from that version.
Evidence of the dependence upon Simrock may be found at every step. The forms of the proper names invented by Simrock are repeated here (e.g., Aeskhere, Hadkynn, Ochthere). His renderings of the unique words in the poem (sometimes in a slightly simplified form) are used in the paraphrase. Often the original word used by Simrock is added in parentheses (cf., e.g., Simrock, p. 72.6 with Dahn, p. 382, and p. 73.44 with Dahn, p. 383). Further evidence may be found by comparing the extracts given in this work.
EXTRACT.
_Hunferd_, des Konigs erster Sanger, hub da ein Streitlied an; ihm war Beowulfs Ankunft leid: denn er liebte es nicht, da.s.s ein ihn anderer an Ruhm ubertreffe.
'Bist du der Beowulf, der einst im Wettkampf mit _Breka_ durch die See schwamm? Wo ihr tollkuhn in vermessenem Mut euer Leben in den tiefen Wa.s.sern wagtet? Weder Freund noch Feind konnten euch abhalten. Da rudertet ihr in den Sund, ma.s.set die Meeresstra.s.sen, schlugt die Wa.s.ser mit den Handen, uber die Tiefen gleitend. Die winterkalte See sturmte und brauste: sieben Nachte schwammt ihr im Wa.s.ser. Breka besiegte dich: er hatte mehr Kraft. Die Hochflut warf ihn am nachsten Morgen ans Land, von we er in seine Heimat eilte, in das Land der _Brondinge_, wo er uber Burg und Volk gebietet.' --Page 370.
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