he inborn German taste for Nature, and for
hunting, and plant and animal life, to find artistic expression. It
was a too superficial knowledge of classic literature, and an
inclination to synthesis, and clever _a priori_ argument (a style
impressed upon his day by Hegel's method, and fortunately fast
disappearing), which led Gervinus to exalt the Middle Ages at the
expense of antiquity. It sounds like a weak concession when he says
elsewhere:

Joy in Nature, which is peculiar to modern times, in contrast to
antiquity, which is seen in the earliest mediaeval poems, and in
which, moreover, expiring antiquity came to meet the German--this
joy in Nature, in dwelling on plant and animal life, is the very
soul of this (animal) poetry. As in its plastic art, so in all
its poetry, antiquity only concerned itself with gods and heroes;
its glance was always turned upwards.

But, as a fact, no one has ever stood with feet more firmly planted
on this earth than the Greek, enjoying life and undeterred by much
scruple or concern as to the powers above; and centuries of
development passed before German literature equalled Greek in love of
Nature and expressive representation of her beauty.

To rank the two national epics of Germany, the _Nibelungenlied_ and
_Gudrun_, side by side with the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_ is to
exaggerate their value. And here, as ever, overstraining the
comparison is mischievous.

The _Nibelungenlied_ is undeniably charming with its laconic and yet
plastic descriptions, its vigorous heroes, and the tragic course of
their fate; so is _Gudrun_, that melodious poem of the North Sea. But
they never, either in composition, method of representation, or
descriptive epithets, reach the perfect art of the Greek epics. What
moral beauty and plastic force there is in Homer's comparisons and in
his descriptions of times and seasons! what a clear eye and warm
heart he has for Nature in all her moods! and what raw and scanty
beginnings of such things we have in the _Nibelungenlied_! It is true
Homer had not attained to the degree of sympathy which finds in
Nature a friend, a sharer of one's joys and sorrows; she is pictured
objectively in the form of epic comparisons; but how faithfully, and
with what range and variety!

There can scarcely be another epic in the world so poor in
descriptions of time and place as the _Nibelungenlied_; it cannot be
used to prove German feeling for Nature!

I