Delphi Collected Works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe \(Illustrated\) pdfdrive com

The Visitation.

“In  this  way  a  few  years  passed,”  continued  the  narrator.  “I  very  soon

understood the advantages of the craft; and my body, developed through work,

was  capable  of  undertaking  anything  required  for  the  purpose.  In  addition,  I

discharged  the  former  duties  which  I  rendered  to  my  good  mother,  or  rather  to

the sick and needy. I went with my beast through the mountain, distributed the

load punctually, and from grocers and merchants I took back with me what we

lacked  up  here.  My  master  was  satisfied  with  me,  and  so  were  my  parents.

Already  I  had  on  my  wanderings  the  pleasure  of  seeing  many  a  house  which  I

had helped to erect, which I had decorated. For it was especially this last — the

notching  of  the  beams,  the  carving  of  certain  simple  forms,  the  branding  of

ornamental  figures,  the  red-coloring  of  certain  cavities,  by  which  a  wooden

mountain-house  offers  such  a  cheerful  aspect,  —  all  such  performances  were

entrusted  to  me  especially,  because  I  showed  myself  best  in  the  matter,  always

bearing in mind as I did the throne of Herod and its adornments.

“Among  the  help-worthy  persons  of  whom  my  mother  took  particular  care,

the first place was especially awarded to young wives in expectation of childbed,

as I by degrees could well observe, although in such cases it was usual to keep

the messages a secret so far as I was concerned. In such cases I never had any

direct  commission,  but  everything  went  through  the  medium  of  a  good  woman

who  lived  at  no  great  distance  down  the  valley,  and  who  was  called  Frau

Elizabeth.  My  mother,  herself  experienced  in  the  art  which  rescues  for  life  so

many  at  the  very  entrance  into  life,  was  on  unalterably  good  terms  with  Frau

Elizabeth,  and  I  often  had  to  hear  on  all  sides  that  many  of  our  robust

mountaineers  had  to  thank  both  these  women  for  their  existence.  The  mystery

with  which  Elizabeth  every  time  received  me,  her  reserved  answers  to  my

puzzling questions, which I myself did not understand, awoke in me a particular

reverence  for  her  and  her  house,  which  was  in  the  highest  degree  clean,  and

seemed to me to represent a kind of little sanctuary.

“In the meanwhile, in consequence of my knowledge and skill in my trade, I

had  acquired  a  certain  amount  of  influence  in  the  family.  As  my  father,  in  his

quality  of  cooper,  had  provided  for  the  cellar,  so  did  I  now  care  for  house  and

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home, and mended many injured portions of the ancient building. I particularly

succeeded in restoring to domestic use certain dilapidated out-houses and coach-

houses;  and  scarcely  was  this  done,  than  I  set  about  clearing  and  cleansing  my

beloved  chapel.  In  a  few  days  it  had  been  put  in  order,  almost  as  you  see  it;

whereupon  I  set  about  restoring,  in  uniformity  with  the  whole,  the  missing  or

injured parts of the panel-work. And you might perhaps take these folding-doors

of the entrance to be rather old, but they are my own work. I have spent several

years  in  carving  them  in  hours  of  leisure,  after  I  had  in  the  first  place  neatly

joined  them  into  a  whole  by  the  aid  of  strong  planks  of  oak.  Whatever  of  the

pictures  had  not  up  to  that  time  been  injured  or  obliterated,  has  also  been

preserved up to now; and I assisted the glazier at a new building on the condition

that he restored the colored windows.

“If  those  pictures  and  thoughts  on  the  life  of  the  saint  had  occupied  my

imagination, so it all became only more deeply impressed upon me when I was

able to consider the spot as once more a sanctuary, and while away the time in it,

particularly  in  the  summer,  and  meditate  at  leisure  upon  whatever  I  saw  or

imagined. I felt within me an irresistible inclination to imitate the saint; and, as

similar circumstances cannot easily be called forth, I determined at least to begin

to resemble him from below, as in fact I had already begun to do long ago by the

use  of  the  beast  of  burden.  The  little  creature  of  which  I  had  availed  myself

hitherto  would  not  suffice  me  any  longer.  I  found  for  myself  a  much  finer

animal,  and  was  careful  to  get  a  well-constructed  saddle,  which  was  equally

convenient  for  riding  or  for  carrying  goods.  A  pair  of  new  baskets  were

procured,  and  a  net  with  colored  ribbons,  tassels,  and  knots,  mingled  with

chinking metal tags, adorned the neck of the long-eared creature, which was now

soon able to vie with its prototype on the wall. It occurred to no one to mock me,

when  in  this  array  I  passed  along  the  mountain;  for  people  willingly  allow

benevolence a marvellous outward aspect.

“In  the  meantime  the  war,  or  rather  its  consequences,  had  approached  our

district,  whilst  on  several  occasions  dangerous  bands  of  runaway  rascals

collected together, and here and there perpetrated many a violent deed and much

mischief. By a good system of country militia, patrols, and continuous vigilance,

the  evil  was  certainly  very  soon  quelled;  yet  people  too  soon  fell  into

carelessness  again,  and,  before  they  had  become  aware  of  it,  fresh  mischiefs

broke out.

“There had long been quiet in our district, and I with my sumpter beast went

peacefully trudging along the accustomed paths, until, on a certain day, I came

across the newly-sown clearing in the wood, and on the edge of the sunk fence I

found  sitting,  or  rather  lying,  a  female  figure.  She  seemed  to  be  asleep  or  in  a

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swoon. I attended to her, and when she opened her beautiful eyes, and sat up, she

exclaimed passionately, ‘Where is he? Have you seen him?’

“ ‘Whom?’ I asked.

“She answered, ‘My husband!’

“Seeing  how  very  youthful  her  aspect  was,  this  answer  was  not  expected  by

me; still, I continued to assist her only the more readily, and to assure her of my

sympathy.  I  gathered  that  the  two  travellers  had  left  their  carriage  at  some

distance, on account of the difficult carriage-road, in order to turn into a shorter

footpath. Close by the spot they had been assailed by armed men: her husband,

whilst  fighting,  had  got  to  some  distance  off.  She  had  not  been  able  to  follow

him far, and had been lying on this spot she did not know how long. She begged

me imploringly to leave her and to hurry in search of her husband. She got upon

her feet, and the most beautiful, the loveliest form stood before me; yet I could

easily  see  that  she  was  in  a  condition  in  which  she  might  very  soon  need  the

assistance  of  my  mother  and  Frau  Elizabeth.  We  disputed  for  a  while,  for  I

wished first to take her to a place of safety; she wished first of all for news of her

husband.  She  would  not  go  far  herself  from  the  path  he  had  taken,  and  all  my

representations  would  perhaps  have  proved  fruitless,  if  a  troop  of  our  militia,

which had turned out upon the news of fresh outrages, had not just then arrived

through  the  forest.  They  were  informed  of  what  had  happened;  the  necessary

course was agreed upon, the place of meeting fixed, and thus the matter was so

far set straight. I quickly hid my basket in a neighboring cave, which had already

often served me as a storehouse, arranged my saddle into a comfortable seat, and

lifted, not without a peculiar emotion, the lovely burden upon my willing beast,

which  was  able  by  itself  to  find  the  familiar  paths  at  once,  and  gave  me  an

opportunity of walking along by her side.

“You may imagine, without my describing at length, in what a strange state of

mind I was. What I so long had sought for I had really found. I felt as if I were

dreaming,  and  then  again,  suddenly,  as  if  I  had  awoke  from  a  dream.  This

heavenly form, as I saw it hovering as it were in the air, and moving in front of

the green trees, came before me now like some dream, which was called forth in

my soul through those pictures in the chapel. Then, again, those pictures seemed

to me to have been only dreams, which now resolved themselves into a beautiful

reality. I questioned her on many things; she answered me gently and politely, as

beseems a person  of good standing,  in trouble.  She often begged  me, when we

reached some open height, to stand still, look round, and listen. She begged me

with  such  grace,  with  such  a  deeply-imploring  glance  from  beneath  her  long

black eyelashes,  that  I  had  to  do  whatever  was  but  possible:  I  actually  climbed

an isolated, tall, and branchless fir-tree. Never had this evidence of my dexterity

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been more welcome to me; never had I on holidays and at fair-times with greater

satisfaction fetched down ribbons and silk handkerchiefs from similar altitudes.

Yet this time I went, alas! without any prize; neither did I see or hear anything

from above. At last she herself called to me to come down, and beckoned to me

quite  urgently  with  her  hand;  nay,  when  at  length  in  sliding  down  I  let  go  my

hold  at  a  considerable  height  and  jumped  down,  she  gave  a  cry,  and  a  sweet

friendliness overspread her face, when she saw me uninjured before her.

“Why should I detain you long with the hundred attentions with which I tried

to  make  the  whole  way  pleasant  to  her,  in  order  to  distract  her  thoughts.  And

how too could I? — for this is just the peculiar quality of true attentiveness, that

for the moment it makes everything of nothing. To my own feeling, the flowers

which  I  plucked  for  her,  the  distant  landscapes  which  I  showed  her,  the

mountains,  forests,  which  I  named  to  her,  were  so  many  precious  treasures,

which I seemed to present to her in order to bring myself into relation with her,

as one will try to do by the aid of gifts.

“She  had  already  gained  me  for  my  whole  life,  when  we  arrived  at  our

destination  in  front  of  that  good  woman’s  door,  and  I  at  once  saw  a  painful

separation before me. Once more I cast a glance over her whole form, and when

my eyes had reached her feet, I stooped down, as if I had to do something to the

saddlegirth,  and  I  kissed  the  prettiest  shoe  that  I  had  ever  seen  in  my  life,  but

without  her  perceiving  it.  I  helped  her  down,  sprang  up  the  steps  and  shouted

into the house-door: ‘Frau Elizabeth, here is a visitor for you!’ The good woman

came  out,  and  I  looked  over  her  shoulders  towards  the  house,  when  the  lovely

being,  with  charming  sorrow  and  inward  consciousness  of  pain,  mounted  the

steps  and  then  affectionately  embraced  my  worthy  old  woman,  and  let  her

conduct her into the better room. They shut themselves within it, and I remained

standing by my ass before the door, like one who has unladen costly goods, and

has again become but a poor driver as before.