Of the town’s foundation, old chronicles tell us how the outwanderers, on reaching the large and fertile plain where it now stands, drove two swords crosswise into the ground, and thereon took their oath to be true and faithful subjects of the monarch4 who had called{26} them hither, and with their best heart’s-blood to defend the land which had given them shelter. The two swords on which this oath was registered were carefully preserved, and sent, one to Broos and the other to Draas—two towns marking the extremities5 of the Saxonland—there to be treasured up forever. But in consequence of evil times which came over the land, and of the war and bloodshed which devastated6 it, one of these swords—that of Broos—got lost. But we are told that the other is still to be seen in the church of Draas. It is of man’s length, from which it is argued that these Saxon immigrants were well-grown and vigorous men.
Who this Herman was who gave his name to the city can only be conjectured—probably one of the leaders of the little band, for, as we see by the names of some of the surrounding villages, each has been called after some old German, whose identity has not transpired7, as Neppendorf from Eppo, Hammersdorf from Humbert, etc.
Some old chronicles, indeed, tell us that when the Hungarian King Stephen I. was married to Gisela, sister of the German King Henry II., there came in her suite8 a poor Baron9 Herman, along with his family, from Nuremberg to Transylvania, and he it was who founded the settlement which later developed into the present town of Hermanstadt. It is said that the first settlement was formed in 1202; likewise that the said Herman lived to the age of a hundred and twenty-five, and was the progenitor11 of a renowned12 and powerful race.
Another legend accounts for the foundation of Hermanstadt with the old well-worn tale which has done duty for so many other cities, of a shepherd who, when allowed to take as much land as he could compass with a buffalo’s hide, cut up the skin into narrow strips, and so contrived13 to secure a handsome property. This particular sharp-witted peasant was, by profession, a keeper of swine; and there is a fountain in the lower town which still goes by the name of the funtine porcolor, or swineherd’s well.
With all these conflicting statements staring one in the face, there did not seem to be (so far as I could learn) any very authentic14 reason for supposing Hermanstadt to have been founded precisely in 1184; but everybody had apparently15 made up their minds that such was the case, so the date was to be commemorated16 by a costumed procession, extensive preparations for which kept the quiet little town in a state of fermentation for many weeks beforehand.
{27}
All the tradesmen of the place seemed to have suddenly gone mad, and could hardly be induced to attend to the every-day wants of commonplace mortals whose ancestors had not the prestige of a seven-centuried expatriation. If I went to order a pair of walking-boots, I was disdainfully informed that I could not hope for them that week, as all hands were employed in fashioning high-peaked leather boots of yellow pig-skin for Herman and his retainers. If I looked in at the glove-maker’s I fared no better, for he had lost all interest in pale kids or gants de suède; and the solitary17 pair of Sarah Bernhardt gloves, hitherto the pride of his show-window, had been ruthlessly cast aside to make way for ponderous18 gauntlets of heroic dimensions. The tailors would have nothing to do with vulgar coat or trousers, but had soared unanimously to the loftier regions of jerkins and galligaskins; even the tinsmith had lost his mental equilibrium19, apparently laboring20 under the delusion21 that he was an ancient armorer who could not possibly demean himself by mending a simple modern pudding-mould.
We unfortunate strangers, bootless, gloveless, coatless, and puddingless as we were in those days, had a very hard time of it indeed while this national fever was at its height, and keenly felt the terrible disadvantage of not having been born as ancient Saxons. At last, however, the preparations were complete, and forgetting our privations, we were fain to acknowledge the sight to be one of the most curious and exceptional we had ever witnessed. The old-fashioned streets made a fitting background for this medi?val pageant22, in which peasants and burghers, on foot and on horseback; groups of maidens24, quaintly25 attired26, plying27 the distaff as they went along; German matrons, with jewelled head-dresses and cunningly wrought28 golden girdles; gayly ornamented29 chariots, bearing the fruits of the field or the trophies30 of the chase, passed us in solemn procession; while on a sylvan10 stage erected31 in the depths of the old oak forest a simple but moving drama set forth32 the words and actions of the forefathers33 of those very actors—the German colonists who, seven hundred years previously34, had come hither to seek a home in the wild Hungarian forests.
The costumes and procession had been arranged by native artists, and, as a work of art, no doubt many parts of the performance were open to criticism. Some of our fashionable painters would assuredly have turned sick and faint at sight of the unfortunate combinations{28} of coloring which frequently marred35 the effect of otherwise correctly arranged costumes. Whoever has lived in large towns must have seen such things better done, over and over again; but what gave this festival a unique stamp of originality36, not to be attained37 by any amount of mere38 artistic39 arrangement, was the feeling which penetrated40 the whole scene and animated41 each single actor.
MOUNTED PEASANTS, FROM THE HISTORICAL PROCESSION.
It is difficult to conceive, as it is impossible to describe, the deep and peculiar3 impression caused by this display of patriotism42 on the part of Germans who have never seen their father-land—Rhinelanders who are not likely ever to behold43 the blue rushing waters of the Rhine. Until now we had always been taught that Germany was inhabited by Germans, France by Frenchmen, and England by Englishmen; but here we have such a complex medley44 of nationalities as wellnigh to upset all our school-room teaching. Listening to the words of the German drama, we can easily fancy ourselves at Cologne{29} or Nuremberg, were it not for the dark faces of Roumanian peasants pushing forward to look at the unwonted scene, and for the Hungarian uniforms of the gendarmes45 who are pushing them back.
More primitive46 but not less interesting than the historical procession just described is the way in which the arrival of these German immigrants is still yearly commemorated in the village of Nadesch. There, on a particular day of the year, all the lads dress up as pilgrims, in long woollen garments, rope girdles, and with massive staves in their hands. Thus attired, they assemble round the flag; a venerable old man takes the lead, beating the drum; and, singing psalms47, they go in procession down the street, now and then entering some particularly spacious48 court-yard, where a dance is executed and refreshments49 partaken of. A visit to the pastor50 is also de rigueur, and the procession only breaks up at evenfall, after having traversed the whole village from end to end. When questioned as to the signification of this custom, the people answer, “Thus came our fathers, free people like ourselves, from Saxonia into this land, behind the flag and drum, and with staves in their hands. And because we have not ourselves invented this custom, neither did our ancestors invent it, but have transmitted it to us from generation to generation, so do we, too, desire to hand it down to our children and grandchildren.”
How these Germans came to settle so many hundred miles away from their own country has also formed the subject of numerous tales, none prettier nor more suggestive than their identification with the lost children of Hameln—a well-known German legend, rendered familiar to English readers through Browning’s poem.
“It was in the year 1284” (so runs the tale) “that, in the little town of Hameln, in Westphalia, a strange individual made his appearance. He wore a coat of cloth of many colors, and announced himself as a rat-catcher, engaging to rid the town of all rats and mice for a certain sum of money. The bargain being struck, the rat-catcher drew out of his pocket a small pipe, and began whistling; whereupon from every barn, stable, cellar, and garret there issued forth a prodigious51 number of rats and mice, collecting in swarms52 round the stranger, all intent upon his music.
“All the vermin of the place being thus assembled, the piper, still playing, proceeded to the banks of the river Weser, and rolling up his breeches above the knee, he waded53 into the water, blindly followed by{30} rats and mice, which were speedily drowned in the rushing current.
“But the burghers of Hameln, seeing themselves thus easily delivered from their plague, repented54 the heavy sum of money they had promised, putting off the payment, under various excuses, whenever the stranger claimed the reward of his labors55.
“At last the piper grew angry and went away, cursing the town which had behaved so dishonorably; but he was seen to haunt the neighborhood, dressed as a huntsman, with high-peaked scarlet56 cap; and at daybreak on the 26th of June, feast of St. John, the shrill57 note of his pipe was again heard in the streets of Hameln.
“This time neither rats nor mice responded to the summons, for all vermin had perished in the waters of the Weser; but the little children came running out of the houses, struggling out of their parents’ arms, and could not be withheld58 from following the sinister59 piper. In this way he led the infantine procession to the foot of a neighboring hill, into which he disappeared along with the children he had beguiled60. Among these was the half-grown-up daughter of the burgomaster of Hameln, a maiden23 of wondrous61 grace and beauty.
“A nurse-maid who, with a little one in her arms, had been irresistibly62 compelled to join the procession, found strength enough at the last moment to tear herself away, and, reaching the town in breathless haste, brought the sad news to the bereaved63 parents. Also one little boy, who had run out in his shirt, feeling cold, went back to fetch his jacket, and was likewise saved from his comrades’ fate; for by the time he regained64 the hill-side the opening had closed up, leaving no trace of the mysterious piper nor of the hundred and thirty children who had followed him.”
Nor were they ever found again by the heart-broken parents; but popular tradition has averred65 the Germans who about that time made their appearance in Transylvania to be no other than the lost children of Hameln, who, having performed their long journey by subterranean66 passages, reissued to the light of day through the opening of a cavern67 known as the Almescher H?hle, in the north-east of Transylvania.
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1
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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6
devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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sylvan
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| adj.森林的 | |
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progenitor
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| n.祖先，先驱 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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13
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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14
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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15
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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commemorated
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| v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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18
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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pageant
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| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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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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quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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plying
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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31
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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40
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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41
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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42
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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43
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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medley
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| n.混合 | |
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45
gendarmes
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| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
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46
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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47
psalms
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| n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的) | |
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48
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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49
refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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50
pastor
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| n.牧师，牧人 | |
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51
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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52
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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53
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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58
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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61
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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62
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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63
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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64
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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65
averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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