At Dresden, Bayard visited the picture-gallery, for the purpose of seeing Raphael’s Madonna and Child, known as the Madonna di San Sisto. His description of that painting, so unfortunately abridged2 in his book, was one of the finest examples of art criticism to be found in print. His appreciation3 of painting and sculpture was remarkable4, indeed, for one who never made them a professional study, and whose rude sketches5 in pencil in his note books, contained nearly all of his undertakings6 as an amateur. His soul seemed cast in the proper mould for that kind of work, but his hand was never trained to materialize the pictures that filled the galleries of his imagination. He had all those finer sensibilities and acute instincts which fitted him for art in poetry or stone, and he saw in paintings and statuary, beauties or defects which thousands of colder but more studious critics failed to notice.
[86]
He spoke8 of that Madonna at Dresden, as a painting that moved his whole nature in admiration9. He enjoyed it. He feasted on it. He read it as one follows an exciting romance. He felt the power of the picture as Raphael felt it, and seemed to appreciate it even more keenly than the artist. How much satisfaction and delight he found in the enormous collections of art in the Old World, cannot be told or understood by any one whose natural genius leads them not in such a direction. His mental appetite for such things grew so keen, as he went on from city to city and gallery to gallery, that he much preferred to leave his meals untasted, than pass a great painting without study. Like the true artist, his mind took in the grand ideals, and his respect and admiration for the divine handiwork in producing man and beast, caused him often to wince10 under the suggestive and degrading obtrusiveness11 of fig-leaves and rude drapery in sculpture. The human form in all its heavenly beauty and godlike majesty12, as reproduced in marble by the great artists, was too sacred and pure to him, to be marred13 by the suggestions of sin. No man or woman will ever become an artist, in its highest, noblest sense, until their love for beauty, simplicity14, and purity, lifts them above the impressions that are born of ignorance, vulgarity, and sin. Bayard, in after years, thus beautifully wrote of sculpture:—
“In clay the statue stood complete,
As beautiful a form, and fair,
[87]
As ever walked a Roman street
Or breathed the blue Athenian air:
The perfect limbs, divinely bare,
Their old, heroic freedom kept,
And in the features, fine and rare,
O’er common men it towered, a god,
For while its feet the highway trod,
Its lifted brow was crowned with flame
And purified from touch of blame:
Yet wholly human was the face,
And over them who saw it came
The knowledge of their own disgrace.
It stood, regardless of the crowd,
And simply showed what men might be:
Its solemn beauty disavowed
The curse of lost humanity.
The life, travels, and literary career of Bayard Taylor
Whereunto others bend the knee,
And only what was noble saw.”
The blameless spirit of a lofty aim
Unsex the splendid loins, or shrink the frame
From life’s pure honesty, as shrinks a thief,
While stands a hero ignorant of blame!
“Each part expressed its nicely measured share,
In the mysterious being of the whole:
But made her habitation everywhere
Within the bounds of flesh; and Art might steal,
As once, of old, her purest triumphs there.”
[88]
This appreciation of the inner feelings of the sculptor24 and painter, is the more astonishing, because of the unusual disadvantages under which he first studied the works of the ancient masters. Aching limbs, bruised25 feet, and an empty stomach are not usually aids to the critic in forming a judgment26 of the symmetry or grace of any work of art. But his enthusiastic recitals27 of his visits to the celebrated28 paintings, show no less rapture29 when he saw them in fatigue30 and hunger, than when he looked upon them in rest and bodily satiety31. Thus, most naturally, he became the companion and intimate friend of a large number of the European artists, and was sought and highly esteemed32 by all the American painters and sculptors33 whom he met in Europe. He understood them. He sympathized with their enthusiasm and sacrifices; while a great, cold world went by them without a comforting word or a smile of recognition.
Dresden was like a door to his higher art life, and its collection of paintings is worthy34 of such a place. There were, besides the Sistine Madonna, the “Ascension,” by Raphael Mengs, the “Notte,” by Correggio, and galleries of master-pieces by Titian, Da Vinci, Veronese, Del Sarto, Rubens, Vandyck, Lorraine and Teniers; with sculpture in marble, ivory, bronze and jewels, from Michael Angelo and his cotemporaries. Being the widest and most diversified35 collection in Germany, it was eagerly sought by Bayard, and more reluctantly left behind. More grand than the[89] battle of Napoleon before its gates, and more lasting36 in their effects, were the historic works of art which Dresden is so proud to possess.
THE DANUBE AT LINTZ.
From Dresden, Bayard walked to Prague, leaving behind him, as he then thought forever, the cheerful, hospitable37, kind-hearted people, with whose kin7 he afterwards became so intimately and advantageously connected. In Prague, he ascended38 the heights where the Bohemian kings and Amazon queens used to reside, heard the solemn mass in one of Europe’s most solemn Cathedrals, visited the bridge under which the Saint Johannes floated with the miraculous39 stars about his corpse40, lost himself in the bedlam41 of Jewish clothing-shops, and then, staff in hand, hastened on over the monotonous42 plains, and through the highways almost fenced with wretchedly painted shrines43, to the Paris of the west, Vienna.
There again were rare, treasures of art on which he might study, and in study, increase in that dignity and expansion of soul which only such contemplation can give. He was delighted to hear the composer Strauss, and his orchestra, and amusingly describes the queer antics of that nervous little musician. He gazed with awe44 at the stained banners of the Crusaders, and, with uncovered head, listened to the grand chants in St. Stephen’s Cathedral; but his pathetic mention of his visit to the tomb of Beethoven is the most characteristic.
There was a most lovable trait in Bayard’s character,[90] which became even more prominent in his after years of travel, which deserves mention in this connection. He never railed upon the dead, nor ridiculed45 the religious belief or acts of devotion of any people, however ignorant or heathenish. He often mentioned, with emotion, the efforts of the darkened human mind to find its Creator and Ruler. He treated with sincerest respect every act of devotion performed in his presence, whether by Protestant, Catholic, or Mahomedan. There was that in his nature, and his early Quaker education, that not only kept him in the paths of morality and on the side of virtue46, but through all his writings there runs a thread of faith in God, which cannot be better expressed than by quoting one of his own sweet hymns47.
“In the peace of hearts at rest,
In the child at mother’s breast,
In the lives that now surround us,
In the deaths that sorely wound us,
Though we may not understand,
After leaving Vienna, he went, by the way of Enns to Lintz, which is situated49 in one of the most picturesque50 landscapes of the Danube. The city is surrounded by towers unconnected by walls and has a very romantic history. Bayard in his letters speaks of the rural scenes about Lintz in terms of the highest admiration. It was in these Austrian landscapes that[91] he composed that poem entitled “The Wayside Dream,” and in which we find the following descriptive lines:
“The deep and lordly Danube
I see the white-walled hamlets
Amid his vineyards glow,
And southward, through the ether, shine
The Styrian hills of snow.
“O’er many a league of landscape
The wooing winds come freighted
With messages of June,
And down among the corn and flowers
“The meadow-lark is singing,
As if it still were morn;
Within the dark pine-forest
The hunter winds his horn,
And the cuckoo’s shy, complaining note
From Lintz, over hills and by meadows, among the merry farmers and their light-hearted children, they walked on, through Salzburg and Hohenlinden, to Munich, where another magnificent display of paintings, sculpture, palaces, parks, and historic localities, rewarded him for his long walk and limited supply of food. He had so little money that he was compelled to live on twenty cents a day. There he found the great works of Thorwaldsen, Cornelius,[92] and Schwanthaler, and copies in marble of almost every celebrated piece of antique sculpture. There were the gorgeous palaces of kings and dukes, the beautifully wrought55 halls and churches, with the spacious56 avenues and charming parks. No city in the world contains such rich decorations, such unique and profuse57 ornamentation, or such harmony of design and arrangement, as is shown in the palace halls and public edifices58 of Munich. How a visit to them sweetens everything else in after life, and how the memory of them ever lightens the burden of care! What American could walk those pavements and floors and not yearn59 for the power to give to his own country something to match those marvellous structures! Bayard must have felt that impulse in common with others; but, unlike many others, he kept his promise, which was to awaken60 a love in every American heart for art in its grand and stable forms; and many are the promptings and rebukes61 which we, as a people, have received from his pen as writer, and from his lips as a lecturer.
From Munich, the route chosen by Bayard lay through Augsburg, Ulm, and Wurtemberg, and when he entered the latter country, at Esslingen, he said the very atmosphere was permeated62 with poetry. He was delighted with the green vales, lofty hills, lovely vineyards, waving forests, and feudal63 ruins. He was grateful to the kind people, and was made happy by their universal cheerfulness and good-nature. It was[93] the home of Schiller! There the first nine years of the poet’s life were spent, and scarce a nook is there about the interesting old cities which that boy did not explore. It was toward Wurtemberg, as his childhood’s home, Schiller exhibited the greatest regard; alas64, it was there, too, in Stuttgart, that the tyrannical Duke imprisoned65 him for publishing his first play. There, too, the patriotic66 Uhland sat in the halls of legislation, and wrote those poems which fired the hearts of his countrymen to a brave defence of fatherland.
Bayard’s happy stay in Esslingen, and his word-pictures of its attractions, show the progress which he had already made in his love for that German poetry, of which he was to become so popular an expounder67. He praises the river Neckar and its flowery banks, he lauds68 the people, he portrays69 the landscapes in the brightest colors which poetry may lend to prose. Bright day! one he never recalled without exclamations70 of pleasure!
After such interest as he exhibited in the country of Schiller, it is no surprise, the next day after leaving Esslingen, to find him in Stuttgart, looking up into the pensive71 face of Thorwaldsen’s colossal72 statue of Schiller. So attracted and entranced was he by the interpretation73 of Schiller, made by the natives, the scenery, and the old home, that when beautiful Stuttgart opens its avenues, parks, cathedrals, palaces, and galleries to him, he forsakes74 and neglects them all for this huge but faithfully wrought counterfeit75 in stone of[94] the persecuted76 singer. To his naturally sentimental77 and sensitive character, the German poet was revealed in ideals more fascinating than any realities. He studied the face of his brother poet, praised his beauty, repeated a broken stanza78 of “William Tell,” and left the other attractions of Stuttgart unseen.
Passing the castle of Ludwigsburg, and skirting the village of Marbach, the birthplace of Schiller, a village then about the size of Kennett now, but obliged to push on for fear of starvation, he walked to Betigheim, and thence the next day to his first German home, Heidelberg.
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1
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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abridged
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| 削减的，删节的 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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4
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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undertakings
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| 企业( undertaking的名词复数 )； 保证； 殡仪业； 任务 | |
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7
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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8
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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9
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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10
wince
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| n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避 | |
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11
obtrusiveness
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12
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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13
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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14
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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15
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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16
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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17
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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18
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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19
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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20
evasion
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| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
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21
smite
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| v.重击；彻底击败；n.打；尝试；一点儿 | |
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22
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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23
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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24
sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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25
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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26
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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27
recitals
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| n.独唱会( recital的名词复数 )；独奏会；小型音乐会、舞蹈表演会等；一系列事件等的详述 | |
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28
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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29
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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30
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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31
satiety
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| n.饱和；(市场的)充分供应 | |
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32
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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33
sculptors
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| 雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座 | |
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34
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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35
diversified
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| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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36
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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37
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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38
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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40
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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41
bedlam
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| n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院 | |
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42
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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43
shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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44
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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45
ridiculed
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| v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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47
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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48
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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49
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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50
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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51
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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52
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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53
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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54
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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55
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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56
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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57
profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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58
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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59
yearn
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| v.想念；怀念；渴望 | |
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60
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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61
rebukes
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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62
permeated
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| 弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透 | |
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63
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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64
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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65
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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67
expounder
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| 陈述者，说明者 | |
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68
lauds
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| v.称赞，赞美( laud的第三人称单数 ) | |
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69
portrays
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| v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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70
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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71
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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72
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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73
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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74
forsakes
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| 放弃( forsake的第三人称单数 )； 弃绝； 抛弃； 摒弃 | |
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75
counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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76
persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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77
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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78
stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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