DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.62134#0195
NIEBELUNGEN HEROES.
187
short jerkins, bonncl round the loins with jewelled girdles,
from which depended daggers and hunting pouches, were
green as the summer woods, or russet and orange as the
woods of autumn; orange, or grey, or russet were their
hoods ; their tight hose were white, or grey, or scarlet ■, their
boots, of untanned leather or scarlet. On their backs
were slung huge horns, spoils of the Auer-Ochs, from
which to quaff mighty draughts of mead. In their hands
some bore long hunting spears, others quaint primeval
musical instruments, violins of marvellous slimness, with a
most small allowance of strings, and which made strange,
sweet, small music, tiny flutes and wondrously constructed
drums, all murmuring and muttering of long-departed
ages.
The processions descend and mingle with the crowd.
Suddenly the band of fools, who, I believe, by the way,
were all young painters, dash, whirling their clubs, and
leaping, and shouting, through the multitude, who part
before them, and thus a narrow circle round the room is
formed, and dancing commences. And marvellous were
the whirling couples who flew around the circle, and marvel-
lous the antics of these merry mad fools, who had consti-
tuted themselves masters of the ceremonies. Men of the
nineteenth century are they no longer, but the merriest of
Merry Andrews who have ever dwelt in Emperors’ palaces
or Barons’ halls. Mad, jocose, impertinent are they;
yet chivalrous withal. Behold a group of them leaping
upon each other’s shoulders, and climbing up towards the
enchanted pavilion to catch, in a tall goblet, the ruddy
wine falling from the bills of the magic swans. Behold,
a fool having caught his heel in a lady’s train, flings down
his club, flings down himself also before the lady’s feet,
and with an arch imploring gaze, and mock distress,
beseeches her pardon ! And look at that scarlet fellow
187
short jerkins, bonncl round the loins with jewelled girdles,
from which depended daggers and hunting pouches, were
green as the summer woods, or russet and orange as the
woods of autumn; orange, or grey, or russet were their
hoods ; their tight hose were white, or grey, or scarlet ■, their
boots, of untanned leather or scarlet. On their backs
were slung huge horns, spoils of the Auer-Ochs, from
which to quaff mighty draughts of mead. In their hands
some bore long hunting spears, others quaint primeval
musical instruments, violins of marvellous slimness, with a
most small allowance of strings, and which made strange,
sweet, small music, tiny flutes and wondrously constructed
drums, all murmuring and muttering of long-departed
ages.
The processions descend and mingle with the crowd.
Suddenly the band of fools, who, I believe, by the way,
were all young painters, dash, whirling their clubs, and
leaping, and shouting, through the multitude, who part
before them, and thus a narrow circle round the room is
formed, and dancing commences. And marvellous were
the whirling couples who flew around the circle, and marvel-
lous the antics of these merry mad fools, who had consti-
tuted themselves masters of the ceremonies. Men of the
nineteenth century are they no longer, but the merriest of
Merry Andrews who have ever dwelt in Emperors’ palaces
or Barons’ halls. Mad, jocose, impertinent are they;
yet chivalrous withal. Behold a group of them leaping
upon each other’s shoulders, and climbing up towards the
enchanted pavilion to catch, in a tall goblet, the ruddy
wine falling from the bills of the magic swans. Behold,
a fool having caught his heel in a lady’s train, flings down
his club, flings down himself also before the lady’s feet,
and with an arch imploring gaze, and mock distress,
beseeches her pardon ! And look at that scarlet fellow