1. II 25. Lessing depicted Nathan as a man of refined taste; he tbere- fore describes him as a man who was in 'harmony with everything beantifnl.' Cp. 1. 520, m.
1. II 26. UngewisB is here nsed in the sense of ' donbtfnlly.'
1. II 30, etc. DasB selbst der Beste, etc. Althongh Sittah was shrewd enongh to see that the Dervish pnrposely refrained from meting ont his fnll praise to Nathan, as he nsed to do formerly, the snspicion still rises in her mind that the latter may, after all, be an ' apprehen- sive, niggardly ' trader, on the common supposition, that ' nobody can escape the national character of his own people' — which, as Sittah seems to think, was with the Jews ' distmst and avarice.'
L II 34. Sei dem, etc., be it as it may. Cp. 1. 1345, n* Vierter Auftritt.
1. II 49. It is a charaaeristic feature in Nathan, which is particnlarly bionght ont in his endeavonr to tranquillize Recha, that he never loses 248 NATHAN DER WEISE. Ql. 1154-1218.
bis somewhat phUosophic calmness of mind. An soon as he knew of the Templar's retnm to Jerasalem, he was snre of meeting him.
1. II 54. Doppelt. Now more usual: verdoppelt.
Sioh unbekümmert, etc., 'wonld be indifferent as to whom she owed her life? * — The expression Sich unbekümmert lassen, for ' to be indifferent (about anything)/ is not usnal now.
I. 1162. After wissen, the indicative mood is more usnaL 1. II 71. The rather nnnsnal constmction Das ein, etc., for das ist ein, etc., is here nsed for metrical reasons.
1. II 79. The qnestion was gilt's P might here be rendered by some snch phrases as * I Warrant yon,' or ' yon will see,* which are, of conrse, mach weaker than the original, bnt on the other band a literal transl. like * what will yon wager?' would here be less appropriate stilL Cp. the Mte to 1. 56 on the exclamation gelt.
1. 1181, etc. Cp. on the yerb machen, here nsed in the sense of 'to hasten away,' L 496, n. Mehr (in 1. 1182) is nsed in the sense of ' farther.* L 1188. So kann, etc., i.e. then he conld not help seeing them.
Fünfter Auftritt.
1. 1191. Sich scheuen, 'to shrink from,* is more generally nsed with a direct object, or with the prep. vor and the dat, than with the genitive.
1. 1 19a. The expression rauhe Tugend, ' mgged virtne,* has also been nsed by Lessing in bis 'Emilia Galotti/ (Act II, Sc. 5).
1. II 94. Soll is here to be rendered by * should.* 1. II 96. The adj. drall, here 'sturdy ' or 'firm,* is derived from the yerb drillen (Cp. £. to drill), in the sense of moving round, or of making anything *firm * by twisting it round.
1. II 99. Man hat steh, says Boxberger, den Juden durchaus nicht unterwürfige sondern nur bedächtig herantretend zu denken, 1. 1202. Verzieht, stay^ is here quite in its proper place, and there is no occasion to change it into verzeiht.
1. 1204. Den, etc., whom'you have for ever laid nnder Obligation.
1. 12 15. The prep. ohne formerly govemed the dat. case; hence the form ohnedem for the now more current ohnedas, or ohnedies.
1. 12 18, etc. In the phrase in die Schanze schlagen, 'torisk,'the term Schanze corresponds to the French chance, i.e. ' risk,' * hazard.' Cp. Wilhelm Teil, 1. 1435, ff, and also the use of ' chance ' in * and leaps into the future chance ' (Tennyson's In Memoriam^ cxiy.).
L 1 220, etc. The sacred duty of hurrying to the rescue of any man. in danger is grand, whilst the ntter disregard of the haman being in a Jewish person is cUwminable; still the tum (die Wendung), i. e. the complexion, which the Templar piits on his deed is qnite intelligible; for, in Order not to make his noble action appear too magnanimoos, he takes refiige behind a horrible sentiment, etc.
1. 1224, etc. Nathan, who yeams to reqnite the service which the Templar had rendered to him, is anxions to know what kind of iribute (Opfer) mbdest greatness would less disdain than admiration.
1. 1232, etc. The meaning of Nathan*s qnesüon becomes dear throngh the first Version, which ran thns: So brauche wenigstens, was das Beste an ihm ist, seinen Beichthum.
1* 1335. Verreden is here nsed for verschwören, to forswear.
1. 1238. Weder Stich etc., 'will bear neither stitching nor patching.' Fetzen is now more nsual, thongh less correct than Fetze.
1. 1243. Im Stande is here nsed for in gutem Stande.
1. 1245. Und das bekam er, etc. This ntterance wonld seem to indicate that the Templar begins to relent in remembrance of his deed, which has been so visibly recalled to his mind by the sight of the ' ngly spot,* and which has made a deeper impression on him than he would at once confess.
1. 1248. Zeugnisz reden, to bear testimony.
1. 1249. Ihn refers here, of course, to Flecken in the nezt line. The interpretation that the pronoun refers to Mann and Mund, and that Nathan, deterred by the stem look of the Templar, corrects himself and adds: Den Flecken, is much too far- fetched.
1. 1252. Er hat, etc., 'more drops than these have fallen on it,* i. e. his cloak had been exposed to rough and stonny weather.
Kl 255. Mädchen Stands here for Tochter. Was damit P 'what for?'
1. 1257. To 'dasp the knees* of anyone in thanking, is an Oriental custom.
1. 1259. It is a sign of the Templar*s incipient respect for Nathan, that he ceases to address him by the general name of Jude — nsed as an opprobrions designation — and calls him by his propep name.
Ihr setzt, etc., i. e. Nathan ezpresses himself well and pointedly.
1. 1262. The clause stellt und, etc. might best be rendered into English by the somewhat corresponding phrase, ' simulate and dissimu- late (as much as you like).'
1. 1263. Auch hier, etc., i. e. Nathan has found out the noble cha- racter of the Templar, not only in his magnanimous action, ' but also ' in his subsequent behaviour.
250 NATHAN DER WEISS. [U. 1368-1293.
1. 1268. Floht ilire FVüfang, i.e. the Templar fled from tempting Recha; from exposing her to temptation.
1. 1270. The Templar indirectly allades here to the degeneracy of the members of bis order.
1. 1274. Tragen is nsed in German for emengen in speaking of the prodnce of the earth, such as trees, herbs, etc.
1. 1277. According to the Templar there is still a great difference among men, and there are to be fonnd among one nalion more good men than in another.
1. 1278. The idiomatic phrase Xs ist mit einer Sache nioht weit her, for ' a thing is of little importance/ or ' insignificant/ probably owes its origin to the fact that things Coming from a distance are considered of importance, whilst those things which are to be fomid near at band — or which do not come from afar— «are looked npon as of little valne, or as insignificant L 1279, etc. Nathan acknowledges that some men are greater than others, bnt, requiring mnch room, they are placed far asunder, for if set too closely together like trees, they would only cmsh each other*s boughs. The ' middling good,* i. e. those of average capacity, who are to be fonnd everywhere in abundance, shonld, however^ live in harmony together.
It will be observed that the simile which likens man to a prodact of natnre, namely, to a tree, is kept np thronghont the present passage.
L 1284. The alliterative expressions Enorr and Knubben denote properly the same thing, viz, the gnarled or knotty part of a tree, and may be rendered respectively by ' gnarl ' and 'knot.' Themeaningof the present saying is, that men of average capacity shonld not consider themselves snperior to each other, and the 'small top' (of a tree) must not presumptnonsly pretend that it alone has not spmng from the gronnd.
The more nsual, thongh less correct, form for Enorr, or Knorre, is now Knorren. It is allied to the English 'gnarl* or *knarl * and the archaic * knor.' The original form for Knubben (which is Low Ger- man) was Knuppen, and this form was originally used by Lessing in the present instance. Knubben is evidently allied to the English * knob * or ' knop.' Cp. the A.S. cneap.
1. 1286. Entsohossen for entsprossen is of veiy unnsoal occnrrence.
1. 1288. Das diese, et&, which first practised that Mnvidions dis- crimination among men '; i. e. the people who first slighted those of their fellow-creatnres who did not belong to their own nation.
1. X293. The refl. verb sioh entbrechen is used in connection with negatives, in the sense of 'to abstain; 'to refrain from.* The prep.
wegen occnrring in the preceding line also refers to seines Btolses occnrring in the present one.
L 1397. Wann hat, etc. The Speaker designates as ' pions rage* the fanatic belief' to own the better God* and the desire 'to obtmde (or * force...upon') this better God on the whole world;* which was (partly at least) the object of the Crusades.
Lewing repeats here in a Condensed form, what he has expressed more fnlly in two different parts of his works. In one passage (L.-M. X. 18) he charges the old Hebrews ' with having eagerly sought to impart their religion to other peoples, for which fanaticism they were censnred by Christ and ridicnled by Horace,* and he adds that this zeal was later transmitted to the Christian nations. In his Dramaturgie (L.-M. yii. 33) he says * that the cmsades were the most inhnman persecntions of which Christian snperstition was ever gnilty/ and he further designates them as 'a fatal rage/ which depopnlated believing Enrope, in order to devastate nnbelieving Asia.
L 1301. Idiomatic nsage freqnently reqnires the dative in German where the possessive case is employed in English, hence: Wem hier, wem jetBt, etc. i. e. he from whose eyes the scales do not fall at this place (in the East) and at the present moment (i. e. dnring the Crusades), etc. The inference is omitted by the Speaker, who feels that he has been carried away by his impetnosity.
1. 1316, etc. The antithesis between Nathan*s remark and the gnbseqnent one by the Templar can be well bronght ont in English by rendering das Qemeine, Üt. by 'that which is common/ and das Seltene (1. 131 7), by 'that which is nncommon.'
The verb verkennen, ' to mistake;* ' to misconstme; * ' to misjudge/ has no exact eqnivalent in English. In German the negative of kennen is expressed by the prep. ver, which denotes the opposite of the simple verb. Cp. the French ' m^connattre.'
1. 1319. Sind, etc. See on the Omission of the pers. pron. in German, 1.390, 1»., and compare the same nsage formerly observed in English.
1. 1321. Feme is here nsed in the sense of * prospect.'
1. 1334. Cp. for Daja Int. note to Act. i. Sc. i.
1. 1325. The warm interest which the Templar entertains for Recha, and which he had only suppressed in his harsh contempt for the Jewish race, is here again, and more pointedly, indicated by his exclamation Unserer Beoha, etc., and by his anxiety whether any mishap had befallen her.
25» NATHAN DER WEISE. [lU 132 9- 1369.
Seclister Auftritt.
1. 1339. The dread in which Daya stood of Saladin is emphatically indicated by the treble repetition of the word Sultan, 1. 1331, etc. Nathan gives here anocher proof of his usnal eqnanimity and composnre.
1. 1337. CKestrenger may here be rendered by 'gallant' or •noble.* The epithet gestreng (lit. severe) was formerly used as a title in addressing persons of distinction. Cp. the English ' dread sovereign,' etc.
Siebenter Auftritt.
1. 1345. 'Wenn anders, etc., if it bereally so.
The conj. anders is freqnently added in conditional sentences to wen^n, as a kind of limitation, without denying the reality of an action, and may then be rendered by or * if...really,* * provided.* Cp. the similar use of ' modo ' in Latin.
In the idiomatic phrase dem ist so, which denotes ' such is the case,* or 'it is a fact,* dem seems to be the dative of the demonstr. pron. das, as it always has the accent.
1. 1346. Sparung was formerly used, as is still the case with its literal English equivalent ' sparing,' for Schonung.
1. 1347, ^c. Intransitive verbs may also be used in German with an accusative case, when they are derived from the same root as the noun to which they refer, as here: Das lieben, das ich lebe. Cp. the use of the * cognate accusative ' in several other languages.
1. 1349. "^^6 expressions doppelt, dreifach are here simply used by way of gradation, to show the higher degree of the value wbüch Nathan now sets on his life.
1. 1351. Ein Seil, etc., has thrown around me a cord. It should be remembered that Nathan was at first disihclined to come to the as- sistance of Saladin.
1. 135a. The adv. kaum is here repeated in order to express em- phatically the impatience of the Speaker.
1« 1365, etc. Noch bin, still ^xist. The Templar knows that he is still alive by the will of the Sultan, but he is anxious to know his future destination, i. e. according to whose will he is to live.
1. 1368. Nicht anders denotes here 'true'; or 'it is even so.'
1. 1369. Fallen is used in German to express the aCcidental utterance of words, like the English: to drop; to be dropped.
11. X374-I437] NOTES. ACT II, SC. 7-9. 253 Auf Jmd. kommen, to * rccur,' or ' to advert to anyone.'
1. 1374. The hesitation of the Templar to mention bis real name will find its explanation fiirther on.
1. 1378. The expression faulen, 'to rot,' in speaking of one*s de- ceased relatives, is rather crude; but it is qnite in accordance with the blrnit character of the Templar.
1. 1380, etc. The refl. form schärft sioh Euer, etc. Stands here for sharft Ihr Euern Blick (Euer Auge), etc., do you look more and more fixedly at me. The pleonastic expression je mehr und mehr bas also been employed by Schiller and other great writers.
1. 1386. Unsre Kundschaft machen, i. e. mature onr acqnaintance. Kundschaft for Bekanntschaft is now rather obsolete.
1. 1392. "Werfen corresponds here exactly to the English ' to toss.'
1. 1399. The words ja, ja 1 are omitted in some editions.
Achter Auftritt.
Nwa. drückt's, etc., now your hearts are oppressed with anxiety.
1. 1405. The expression mir will, for von mir will, wants of me, is put down as a Gallicism, viz. * me veut.* 1. 141 3. Bein Gewissen, etc. Nathan seems to think of the possi- bility of an nnion between Recha and the Templar.
1. 141 7. DasB Ihr doch, etc. Daya is offended — as persons gene- rally are when a well-fonnded suspicion is addressed to them — that Nathan should think it necessary to recommend her to be dlscreet and reserved.
ITeunter Auftritt.
1. 1433. The expression mit ansehn denotes here and, fnrther on, II. 1444, 1446, 'look quietly at.'
1* 1433) etc. Von Stund' anis eqnivalent to von dieser Stunde an, i. e. this very hour. Ihr habt es schon gehört, etc. Cp. 1. 450.
I. 1435. The gen. of "Weg is often nsed adverbially when referring to a verb, as here des Wegs, 'by that way.'
I. 1437. The expression ein Nackter is here used metonymically for * a lightly dressed man,' or ' a man in tatters.' The nsual dress of a Dervish consisted of ' tattered garments.' Cp. I. 447« etc.
254 NATHAN DER WEISE. [U. 1441-1473.
1. 1441. A Beutel, ' pnrse/ is nsed in the East as a general term for certain sums of money pnt in a leather bag. A * gold * purse was for- merly worth abont 4500/. and a * silver pnrse * 75/. nearly.
1. 1445. Bis auf die Zehen aushöhlen, is an idiomatic expression for 'to exhanst ' or ' to drain entirely.
1. 1447. Nathan was wealthy and charitable, bnt he practised bis bounty so prodently that he never exhansted bis treasures; the Dervish, is, therefore, relnctant to watch qnietly, how Saladin in bis extravagance goes on borrowing and borrowing from the ' nsoally never empty bams of wise charity (der weisen Milde etc.) ' Cp. 1.' 1066 etc.
1. 1449. The Speaker keeps up the comparison between Nathan's wealth and a * bam/ by designating those dependent on him as * poor home-bred little mice K* 1. 1453. £r Bathe, etc., is here nsed elliptically for er einem Bathe folgen.
1. 1456. DasB is in the present instance employed in the sense of als.
1. 1459. G-egeben is to be rendered here by * given np as lost '; the p.p. verloren being snpplied from the preceding clause.
1. 1461. Nooh lange nicht, etc., was very far from being lost.
1. 1463. Er durfte nur, etc., i.e. he had only to moye his king close to the pawn to avoid her check.
1. 1466. Denn so, etc. i.e. by moving the king, as stated above, the Castle gained room to move.
The chess term Boohe (to be pronounced as a German word), was formerly used instead of thenow current Thurm for J?ooM (*castle*). The word is derived from the Persian rukah (which is also the origin of the E. *Rook,' the Fr. *Roc,* etc.), denoting *a camel mounted by archers '; probably from the figure which the Rook first had.
1. 1469, etc. In Klumpen werfen is a less elegant expression than the usual über or auf den Haufen werfen, to upset anything.
1. 1472. The adv. wohl here makes the improbability expressed by schwerlich more emphatic Supply das before Heiszt in the next line.
1. 1473. Gleichwohl galt es,<'etc. i. e. still the stake was not a mere trifle (cp. 1. 804, etc.). The expression Nusz, or taube (hohle) Nusz, ' hollow nut,' is used in German to express anything worthless; a mere trifle.
^ According to some Commentators the simile of the ' poor home-bred little mice' refers in general to the poor and needy persons who were supported by Nathan.
tt. 1474-1506.] NOTES. ACT II, SC. 9. »55 1. 1474. The adverbs hin and her placed after a sabstantive, as in the present expression — Geld hin, Qeld her — denote the insignificance of anything, and may be rendered by ' neyer mind.* 1. 1480, etc. The Dervish feels the irony of Nathan*s remark and therefore ezplains to him why he related the occnirence in question.
Damit Ihr sehen könnt, etc., i.e. in order to enable Nathan to form' an eslimate of Saladin*s obstinacy.
1. 1484. Borgen is nsed both in the sense of 'to lend' and 'to borrow (from).* 1. i486. Borgen ist, etc. Goethe even says: Besser betteln als borgen.
1. 1490. Und brauche, etc. i.e. on the Ganges he will not be obliged to be the tool of either borrowers or lenders of money.
1. 1497. Plackerei is here nsed in the sense of ' annoyance '; 'trouble.'
1. 1498. Ich schaff* Buch, etc., TU find yon a Dervish>garb.
The Arabic word * Delk' or *Dalk* (which latter form occnrs in some editions of this drama), denotes 'a dress made of scraps and patches/ snch as nsed to be wom by the Dervishes. Al-Hafi being anxions to qnalify Nathan as a member of his order, wants to eqnip him with a snitable garment ^.
1. 1502. Sowas, etc., snch things mnst not be considered; Tiz. they mnst be carried ont on the spur of the moment.
The refl. form is sometimes employed in German impersonally, in Order to express a Statement in general.
1. 1505. The expression nicht bu dürfen has here the force of 'in Order not to be permitted (to do anything).'
1. 1506. The alliterative idiomatic expression Enall und Fall, for * suddenly,' or * on the spnr of the moment,' corresponds, according to my opinion« exactly to the English phrase * bang and fall,* and probably owes its origin to the hunting field; viz. as soon as the report (bang ^ KhaU) is heard, the game falls {Fall), ^ Lessing himself says in a letterto his brother (dated April, 17 79): Delk welches im Arabischen der Name des Kittels eines Derwisch ist. (L. — M, xii. 636). The rendering ofthat term by * stafl*,' given in some translations is, therefore both erroneous and absurd. Still less comprehensible is the ex- planation that * Delk ' means here * a travelling carriage.' The only thing which the needy Dervish could oiTer to the wealthy Nathan was * a ragged and tattered dress,' which the latter surely did not possess.
The dat. of the pers. pron. ihm (ihr ihnen) was formerljr employed in a reflective sense where we now cnnently nse sich.
1. 1507. Andrer Sklav^als Sklave von Andern.
1. 1508. Wie's Such wohl, etc., cu 'well^ as ü seems to you, i.e. according ioyour notion of happiness.
Da in the next line is nsed in the sense of ' here.* 1. 15 10. Das Deine berichtigen, pnt yonr affairs in order; i.e. arrange his acconnts as treasnrer to the Snltan.
1. 151 1, etc. Der Bestand, etc., the clear amotint in my ehest.
L 151 3. Und meine Heohnung, etc., 'and for the correctness of my account you or Sittah will answer '; bürgen Stands here for bürgen für.
1. 151 5. Der wahre Bettler, etc., namely, the man who is withont any wants, and who is, conseqnently, not dependent npon others.
This celebrated saying is traced to some verses of the Persian poet Sädi, which are qnoted by Dr, Boxberger in the rendering of Graf, viz.: Unglücklich ist, wer auf dem Throne sitzt, Ein König, wer als Bettler nichts besitzt; Der Bettler, dem ein freier Geist beschieden, Ist besser als der Fürst, der nicht zufrieden, Cp. also Shakespeare*s 'Foor and content is rieh and rieh enongh. (Othello, iii, 3.)
DBITTEB AUFZUa. Erster Auftritt.
1. 15 19. The somewhat nnnsnal expression noch so bald is here nsed in the sense of ' very shortly '; * at any moment.'
1. 152 1. Ah nun corresponds here to the exclamation, Welll 1. 1534. Er wird doch, etc., i.e. the moment is snre to come.
1. 1525. The interj. O followed by the genitive is nsed to express annoyance or disappointment. (Cp. 1. 1680, ».) Verwünscht is the opposite of erwünscht, and denotes properly ' accursed/ or euphemis- tically, * provoking.* 1. 1527, etc. Nun has here the force of endlich. For the ommission of the anx. verb after gekommen see 1. 229, n.
In wenn denn nun (if...actnally), the conj. denn strengthens the adv. nun.
1. 1532. TT^as wird dann, etc. The wish of speaking to the Templar prevailed in Recha to snch an intense degree, tbat she thinks her heort * has nnleamt once for all to beat withont a rnling wish of wishes/ and she is, therefore, startled at the void which will be created in her heart when that predominant desire will have been üilfilled.
1. 1540. "Was diesen TT^unsch, etc., i.e. the circnmstance which canses that wish to be entertained by Daya.
1. 1547. The Position of Die Meinen (my kindred) after the relatiTe danse makes the qnestion of Recha more emphatic than if it preceded the relative clause.
The refl. verb sieh sperren denotes here ' to resist '; ' to oppose.' Cp. Minna von Bamhelm^ p. 93, L 4, if.
L 1548. Des Himmels IT^ege, etc., i.e. the ways of Heaven, or of Proyidenoe, remain immntable and are snre to lead men to their destination.
The Biblical reminiscenoe which has been pointed ont in this line (cp. Isa. Iv. 8) is based on a slight extemal similarity only.
1. 1556. The yerb eignen is here and in the next line employed in the sense of ' to belong to/ or ' to be owned by.* Thns wem eignet Gott F may be rendered by ' to whom does God exclusively belong? ' or, more idiomatically, ' by whom is God owned f * 1. 1558. Mu82 kämpfen, etc., i.e. mnst let others fight, etc.
1. 1559. The more poetical expression for Erdkloss, ' clod of earth,* is ürdscholle. The word is here nsed figuratively for, * conntiy/ or rather * spot of earth.* I. 156a, etc. Was that er, etc., i.e. what (wrong) was done yon by him, that yon always pictnre to me, etc. The snpine mir...vorsuspie- geln has here the force of dass du mir vorspiegelst. — Recha, not nnderstanding the constantly recnrring allusions of Daya, cannot make ont the reason for the latter*s desire to see her transferred to Europe.
II. I564>77. Nathan had sown the seeds of pnre reason in the mind of Recha withont any admixtnre of those fantastic sentiments, which the latter first designates as MU-weeds,* and then— in order not to offend Daya — as * flowers '; which flowers may very well snit strenger nerves, like those of her friend, bnt with their bitter-sweet fragrance are far too overpowering for her. — Zuschlagen is here used in the sense of anschlagen, bekommen, to suit, It will be Seen that Recha answers Daya*s aignments point for point.
L 1589, etc. It was a comforting thonght to Recha — incnlcated in her mind by the teaching of Nathan — that a person may be deeply devoted to God withont having the right notion of the deity, i.e. that devotion to God does not depend npon onr notions adout God.
The expression wälmen denotes properly * to believe '; * to imagine«' S 258 NATHAN DER WEISE. [U. 1595-1641.
1. 1595. Sioli mit Jmd. einTerstehen denotes 'to come to äa agree- ment * or ' nnderstanding '; or simply * to agree with anyone.* 1. 1600. Ob auoher...i.e. whether theTemplar shares the opioioiis of Daya, or whether he thinks like Nathan and herseif.
1. 1601. The nenter es is freqnently üsed in German poetxy to denote an action m an indefinite manner which mnst, as a mle, be paraphräsed in English; as here, Kommt es nicht an, etc., Are there not foot-steps Coming to our door? or, Is there not some one Coming to om door?
Zweiter Auftritt.
1. 1604. tJnd docli, i.e. and still the undesirable act takes place.
1. 1610. The idiomatic expression mir nichts, dir nichts is nsed in German to express that something is done 'withont mach ado,' ' withont any ceremony,' and may here be rendered by • nnconcemedly,' or by the phrase ' withont let or hindrance/ 1. 1617. Recha indirectly repeats in her present speech (U. 1607-22) the words of the Templar regarding his deed. The energetic expression heransschmiss is, however, not so ' vnlgar ' as seems generally to be snpposed; it being not miüeqnently met with even in modern German poetry in the sense of * to eject.* 1. 1618. The term Suropa is here nsed in contradistinction to the Orient, where wine is prohibited to the Mnssulmans.
L 1619. Tempelherren, die müssen, etc. The demonstratiTe pro- nonn is often inserted in German — ^redundantly — after the snbject, in Order to bring ont the latter more emphatically. Cp. the somewhat similar nsage in Elizabethan English.
1. 1624. Meine Iiaune Dich, etc., my mood cansed me to address yon sharply.
1. 1627. Render Das hiess etc., adopting a Tennysonian phrase, tAat was taking revenge too deep. Cp. Mand, III, 5.
1. 1632, etc. On hearing that the Templar had been snffering grief, Recha immediately gives np her mocking tone and assnmes that of sym- pathetic pity.
The Templar may be said to have been * chary of his grief be- canse he kept it to himself and did not commmiicate it to those who woTÜd have sympathised with him, whilst he was ready to risk his life for a stranger.
1. 1641. Ich aber find* Such, etc. In the first sketch Recha asks the Templar, Nicht wahr, ihr seid nicht krank gewesen? — Nein, ihr seid nicht krank gewesen. Ihr sehet noch so wohl, so glühend aus, als da ihr mich aus dem Feuer trugt.
i U. 1644-1683.] NOTES. ACT III, SC. 2. 2$^ Desgleichen, etc., namely, she also panses, being lost in contem- platibn of the Templar in the same manner as he was lost in admiration of her.
Some editions have Anschauen for Anstaunen.
1. 1644. The archaic form jetxo oocors now in poetry only.
1. 1646. The infiected verb may be placed in German dependent clanses — for enphonic or rather rhythmical reasons — before the predi- cate, as here: nicht solltet sein gewesen for nicht gewesen sein solltet.
1. 1653. Denn wo er stand, etc. In these words we hear, of course, the enlightened teachings of Nathan.
II. 1654-58. Ob's wahr, etc. This apparently childish qnestion of Recha is in all probability based, as Dr. Boxberger remarks, on a passage in Bremiing von Bnchenbach's * Orientalische Reysz ' (Strasz- burg, 161 a), from which Lessing had made several extracts. After having described how he had made the ascent of Mount Sinai on a side where there were Steps, the anthor states (eh. xxxvii. p. 193) that he descended on another side where there were no Steps, *for which reason,* he adds, * the descent was so much the more difficult and troublesome.* Recha's qnestion is evidently put with the intention to give to her conversalion with the Templar a lighter tum.
1. 1663. Iiächeln is used with the gen. case in higher diction only.
1. 1669-72. The Templar interprets the suppressed smile of Recha as being directed against his desire ' to read yet in her features what he hears so plainly and she teils him so audibly, and what she (at the same time) snppresses * — namely, her lofty mind and deep inteliigence ^.
1.1680. O mich, etc., say: alasl for my forgetfulness t the interj. O with the accusative is used in German to express — among other senti- ments — also that of annoyance or disappointment. Cp. 1. 1525, n.
1. i68a. Ganz gewiss has here the force of ' I am positive *; ' I am snre of it.* 1. 1683. Bed^ten by syncope for redeten. The first Edition had wir ja ab.
^ The above passage seems to have been generally misunderstood. That the Templar does not mean to say that Recha smiles because he wishes to read in her features her iuclination towards him, becomes evident firom the words, WU hat er so wahr gesagt: Kennt sie nur erst t L 1686. Jmd. entffegeiiselien corresponds to the English * to look for anj one '; ' to expect any one with certaintj.* Dasu in the next line, denotes ' besides.'
Dritter Auftritt.
1. 1694. Ankommen is here nsed in the sense of 'to befall.* Some Editions have kömmt instead of kommt, and ihm instead of ihn.
L 1709. Mir völlig, etc. Recha asserts that she is quite nnconscions of the canse of her calm allnded to by Daya« 1. 1717. Heiszer Hunger, or Heiazliunger» denotes liL 'ravenons hnnger,' and figoratively ' violent craving.'
Vierter Auftritt.
L 1734. The woids Schwester I Schwester I aie addressed to Sittah, in a tone of reproach.
I. 1736. Vorstehen is not nnireqnently nsed for bevorstehen.
1. 1738. Sich stellen is here nsed in the sense of sich verstellen. — besorgen lassen, raise apprehensions (in his mind); inspire fear.
L 1739. Jemand auf (or aufs) Qlatteis fuhren is a (ignrative ezpression for ' to lead any one on slippery gronnd '; ' to lay a trap for any one.'
Glatteis, surface icCy is formed instantaneonsly by the cold rain on falling on the gronnd, or when a sudden frost takes place after a thaw. Cp. the Fr. * verglas.* 1. 174a. Sittah had devised a plan — as will be seen fhrther on — to obtain money from wealthy Nathan. Cp. II. 1135-45.
L 1743* Lessing has taken the rather nnnsnal bnt expressive term abbangen, ' to extort by intimidation,' from familiär speech. Cp. his "Werke, L.-M. xi. a. 395, where he explains it by durch bangt machen einem etwas ablisten, abpressen, L 1747. Die rächt sich, etc. Cp. on the redundant nse of the de- monstrative prononn, 1. 1619, ».
I. 1748. The adverb gar strengthens here the conditional clanse,tJnd wenn, etc., i. e. and supposing.
1. 1751. The exclamation TVas hat es, etc., ' Why, theze will be no difficnlty then 1 * is put in some editions in the form of an interro- gation.
Iiiegt is here nsed in the sense of ' is laid (for).'
L 1759. Die ZTetse vorbei, etc., he winds himself past the nett.
11. I765-I795-1 NOTES. ACT IJI, SC. 3, 4. HÖl Die NetBe vorbei Stands here more rhythmically and more ex- pressively instead of the nsaal an den II'etBen vorbei. The same con- strnction is also used by Goethe.
1. 1765. 'Wie ein Jude, i.e. like other Jews.
1. 1769. Geck is here used synonymoasly with JSttar, and may be rendered by ' simpleton/ 1. 1770, etc. 19'ioht sohleolit denke, i.e. shonld not have a mean opinion of him; should not think him foolish.
Cp. for Trann, 1« 132, n.
L 1773, etc. "Was hätt', etc. The conditional mood is often nsed in German in ezclamationsy where the indicative is generally employed in Eoglish.
The form beschönigen is now more usual, thongh less correct, than bescbönen.
1. 1776. The Position of the adyerbial expression In meiner, etc. before the inflected verb instead of after it, makes the former more emphatic.
1. 1777. The verb "wollen corresponds in similar clauses to the English 'must'; 'wants/ etc.
1. 1779. '^^^ clause Mag's doch, nur, mag*8 is elliptical, and denotes, fVtll Ut it bt so.
1. 1780. Und könnt* es, etc., i.e.; he would rather like to be able to do it worse than better.
I. 1783, etc. Sittah complains that men of the stamp of Saladm like to attribute their great achievements to their prowess only, and will not acknowledge that craft and cunning have had any share in their success. Still even the lion, though he may be ashamed of the Company of the foz, is not ashamed of the cunning which he practises in conjunction with the latter.
II. 1786-87. According to some commentators the simile contained in these lines is based on Aesop's well-known fable (i. ii). also worked out by Lessing (Fabeln. Buch ii. 7), of the Joint hunt of the lion with the ass. It seems, however, much more probable that it is a reminiscence of the now exploded belief that the jackal serves as a guide to the lion when in search of prey. It should be remembered that the jackal plays the same part in Eastem tales as the fox does with ns.
1. 1788, etc. Saladin, who attributes the practice of cunning to women chiefly, thinks that they wish to drag down men to their own level by inducing the latter also to have recourse to artiüces.
L 1794. Bestehen is here used in the sense of ' to come off welL' L 1795. Der Vorhang, ie. the curtain of the ante-chamber.
202 NATHAN DER WEISE. [0.1798-1342.
Pünfter Auftritt.
l. 1798. Die bleibe, etc., i.e. fear of Saladin shonld be the portion of bis enemies.
1. 1799. Sich nennen denotes both 'to be called' and 'to call oneself.' Hence vhen Saladin asks, Du nennst Dich Nathan? the latter answers in the afünnative; bnt on the qnestion Den weisen Nathan? he answers No! becanse the words Du nennst Dich might be interpreted to mean 'that he calls himself so.'
1. 1803. loh habe längst, etc. It seems that Saladin was right in saying that he knew the lesson imparted to bim by bis sister. Cp.
1. 181 1. loh höre Dich, etc. Nathan proves by bis remark, what be wanted to deny, namely, that he is a ' wise ' man. The Terb wider- sprechen freqnently occnrred in M. H. G. witb tbe acc case.
I. 1819. Trockene Vernunft is here nsed in tbe sense of 'sober leason,* or ' plain sense.'
1. 183 1. Sultan ich will, etc. Nathan's ^nversation witb Al-Hafi (cp. 1. 43a, etc.) had prepared bim for a direct demand on the part ol the Sultan to provide him with money, and he was quite ready to comply with bis reqnest (cp, 1. 1348, etc., and 1. 1866, etc.); bat, with bis osoal prudent reserve, he feigns not to be aware of Saladin's object, and waits for the lattcr to broach it himself.
L 1827. The verb schachern, whichis derired from the Hebrew, is applied to the petty dealings of Jewish pedlars, and also denotes in general ' to bargain ' in a mean and contemptnons sense. Here it is employed by Saladin as an indirect reproach to the ' listener.* 1. 1833. Getroffen, lit. 'met,* is here nsed in the sense of wahr- genommen, witnessed.
* 1. 1834. Auch darauf, etc., i.e. Saladin does not steer towards tbat aim in bis preamble with Nathan, bat bas qnite another object in view.
1. T837. Heischen is a more empbatic expression than begehren or fordern, and denotes ' to demand (imperatively).'
1. 1841. Hat dir, etc. The Saltan does not ask Nathan directly wbich religion and which fenets he considers the best, bat which have appeared to him the most plausible.
1. 184a. By tbe simple Statement that he is bom a Jew, Nathan wishes to evade all controversy on religioas topics.
II. i843r-i88i.] NOTES. ACT III, SC, 5, 6. »63 I. 1843. It ifl hardly to be assnmed, as has been explained by some commentatorSy that Saladin wished to make a chroDological Statement by sayiog, Der Christ ist swiaoben uns. These words are probably merely mtended to express that the Christians fonn the third party between the Jew and the Musnlman.
II. 1845-48. Ein Mann wie Du, etc., namely, a man endowed with great intellect will not passively adhere to the creed in which hechancea to have been bom, and if he does adhere to it» it is the resalt o£ his in- sight, his reasons, and his choice of what he deems better.
l. 1852. The words Die 'Wahl, die are in the accus, case. In English, however, the passive Toice will read better, yiz. the choice which has been determined, etc. Cp. for bestimmt, 1. 229, n.
1. 1855. The more nsnal expression is, Mü den Aiigen messen.