The Continuation of Simplicissimus E-Book

Johann Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

• Herausgeber: Dedalus
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Dedalus European Classiucs
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 210

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

The Continuation is Grimmelshausen's 'pilgrim's progress', the concluding chapter in one of the greatest and most acclaimed German novels. It combines fantastic episodes with a realistic narrative style. At the end of his original adventures his hero withdraws from the world to live as a hermit in the Black Forest. Now, after a vivid dream of the Devil and all his minions at work, he decides to become a pilgrim and visit the holy places, making his way, with various encounters, across Switzerland to Italy, where he takes passage on a ship to Egypt. Outside Cairo he is captured by Arab robbers who take him to the Red Sea, exhibiting him as a wild man from the desert. Rescued by European merchants, he embarks on a ship to return home via the Cape of Good Hope, but the ship is wrecked and, 50 years before Robinson Crusoe, he is marooned on a desert island.

Leseprobe

The Translator

For many years an academic with a special interest in Austrian literature and culture, Mike Mitchell has been a freelance literary translator since 1995.

He has published over eighty translations from German and French, including Gustav Meyrink’s five novels and The Dedalus Book of Austrian Fantasy. His translation of Rosendorfer’s Letters Back to Ancient China won the 1998 Schlegel-Tieck Translation Prize after he had been shortlisted in previous years for his translations of Stephanie by Herbert Rosendorfer and The Golem by Gustav Meyrink.

His translations have been shortlisted four times for The Oxford Weidenfeld Translation Prize: Simplicissimus by Johann Grimmelshausen in 1999, The Other Side by Alfred Kubin in 2000, The Bells of Bruges by Georges Rodenbach in 2008 and The Lairds of Cromarty by Jean-Pierre Ohl in 2013.

What is the life of man? Inconstancy its name,

When we think we’re settled, we must go on again.

O most fickle state! Thinking we’re at rest

All at once the Fall – comes us to molest,

Just as Death comes. Read what such changeful ways

Have done to me in this chronicle of my days,

From which it can be seen that uncertainty

Alone is certain, wherever we may be.

CONTENTS

Title

The Translator

Introduction

Chapter   1

Chapter   2

Chapter   3

Chapter   4

Chapter   5

Chapter   6

Chapter   7

Chapter   8

Chapter   9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Conclusion

Copyright

Introduction

Grimmelshausen was born in 1622 – six years before John Bunyan, with whom there are interesting similarities and differences. Both came from impoverished backgrounds – Grimmelshausen put the noble von back in his name once he had become well-known as a writer – and managed to get some basic schooling before they were drawn into the wars of the time at an early age: Grimmelshausen at twelve, Bunyan at sixteen, and both confessed to ‘all manner of vice and ungodliness’ in their youth. Bunyan is best known for works in the allegorical mode and Grimmelshausen, while he is most remembered for his realism, also wrote two moralising works, which are mentioned in the ‘Conclusion’, and the The Continuation of Simplicissimus is full of Christian piety, though Grimmelshausen is writing from a Catholic viewpoint, having gone over to the Imperial side during the wars.

In fact, the Continuation could be called Grimmelshausen’s ‘pilgrim’s progress’. At the end of Simplicissimus the hero withdraws from the world and goes to live as a hermit in the Black Forest. As in Bunyan’s allegory, Grimmelshausen’s Continuation also starts with a dream, though a dream of the hero not the author, which is allegorical: he dreams of Hell with the devil and all his minions, who are the personifications of the vices that lead men to Hell. After he wakes he resolves to abandon his solitary life and become a holy pilgrim and makes his way, with various adventures, to Italy, then to Egypt and, captured by Arab robbers, to the Red Sea. It is here that what is the most interesting part of the Continuation starts: having taken passage on a Portuguese merchant ship to return to Europe via Cape Horn, he is shipwrecked on a desert Island – almost sixty years before Robinson Crusoe. It is a fruitful island, a veritable paradise, and after the death of his companion, the ship’s carpenter, he resolves to stay there in his life of solitary piety, even when a Dutch ship, that has been driven off course, offers him a chance of returning home.

Simplicissimus, published in 1668, though dated 1669, was a great success and Grimmelshausen immediately followed it with a number of other books that are generally referred to as his ‘Simplician Writings’: The Continuation was added to the original as the ‘Sixth Book’; Courage, Tearaway and four other short works were published over the next few years.

The desert-island episode is presented as a report from the captain of the Dutch ship to the writer German Schleiffheim von Sulsfort of his meeting with the hermit, in which he also claims Simplicissimus gave him an account of his whole life, written by the hermit on palm leaves with ink made from lemon juice and the sap of fernambuco wood. The final ‘Conclusion’ after this is a note from H. I. C. V. G. (ie Hans Jacob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen) asserting that the book was found among the papers of Samuel Greifsnon vom Hirschfeld after his death and that he was the author of Simplicissimus but had used an anagram of his name on the title page: German Schleifheim von Sulsfort.

This is one final mystification from Grimmelshausen. He published his ‘Simplician writings’ under the pseudonym of ‘German Schleifheim von Sulsfort’ (Cornelissen’s misspelling of Schleiffheim is probably a misprint, or a further mystification). ‘Samuel Greifsnon vom Hirschfeld’ who is here presented as the ‘real author’ is not quite an anagram of ‘German Schleifheim von Sulsfort’ – there is a ‘d’ instead of a ‘t’, though they tend to be regarded as interchangeable, since in German final ‘d’ is pronounced as ‘t’. However, if you look at the last three words of Grimmelshausen’s name above, you will see that ‘German Schleifheim von Sulsfort’ is a perfect anagram.

Chapter 1

If anyone should imagine I am telling the story of my life in order to help people pass the time or, like clowns and buffoons, to make people laugh, then they are very much mistaken! Excessive laughter is something that disgusts me, and anyone who lets the precious, irrevocable hours slip by unused is wasting that divine gift that was given us to work for the salvation of our souls. Why should I encourage such vain foolishness and waste my time giving people entertaining advice to no purpose? As if I didn’t know that in so doing I would be participating in other people’s sins. I think myself somewhat too good for such a task, dear reader. So anyone who wants a fool for that should buy two, then he will always be able to make fun of one of them. I may occasionally put on a jester’s cap but that is only for the sake of those tender souls who cannot swallow wholesome pills unless they be mixed with plenty of sugar and coated. Not to mention that even the most earnest of men, when they have to read serious writings will tend to put one book down rather than another that brings an occasional smile to their lips.

I may perhaps also be accused of taking a too satirical approach, but I cannot be blamed for that because most people prefer the common vices to be dealt with and castigated in general rather than have their own failings given friendly correction. Thus at the moment Mr Everyman, to whom this my story is addressed, is unfortunately not so fond of the theological pen that I should use it. That is the kind of thing you can see in a huckster or a quack (who call themselves renowned doctors or oculists, claim to be able to cure hernias or the stone and even have parchments with seals attesting that) when they appear in the open market with their merry-andrew or jack-pudding, whose first cry and fantastic capers attract a greater crowd of listeners than the most enthusiastic divine ringing all the bells three times to offer his flock a fruitful, salutary sermon.

However that may be, I hereby publicly declare that it is not my fault if someone should be annoyed because I have decked out my Simplicissimus in the way people demand if you want to teach them something useful. If, however, this or that reader should be content with the husk and ignore the core concealed with in it, they will be happy with an entertaining story. But although that will be far from fulfilling the real intention of this narrative, I am now starting again from where I left off at the end of the Fifth Book.

There the reader will have learnt that I had become a hermit once more and also why that happened; it is, therefore, now appropriate for me to relate what I then did. During the first few months, while it continued to be warm, things went very well. It took no great effort to suppress the urges of the flesh, to which I had been much addicted, for since I was no longer in thrall to Bacchus and Ceres, Venus too refused to come to me. But I was still far from perfect, a thousand temptations assailed me every hour and when I sought to recall my old wanton ways, in order to arouse a feeling of remorse, the pleasures of the flesh that I had enjoyed in this or that place immediately came to mind as well which was neither healthy nor served my spiritual progress. When I now recall the past and think things over, it is clear to me that idleness was my greatest enemy and freedom (because I had no priest to watch over and guide me) the reason why I did not continue in the life I had started out on.

I lived on a high mountain called the Mooskopf, in the Black Forest, covered all over in dark pinewoods. From there I had a beautiful view: to the east of the valley of Oppenau and its surroundings, to the south of the Kinzig valley and the county of Geroldseck where the high castle among the surrounding mountains looks like the king-pin in a set of skittles; to the west I could see Upper and Lower Alsace and to the north the low-lying margravate of Baden, down the River Rhine to where the city of Strasbourg, with its high cathedral tower, stands resplendent like a heart surrounded by its body. With such a view and sights to be seen I spent more time delighting in them than devoting myself to prayer, and my telescope, that I had not yet abandoned, certainly encouraged me in this. When I couldn’t use it because of the nocturnal darkness, I took the instrument I had invented to improve my hearing and used it to listen to a farmer’s dog barking several hours distance away or a wild animal moving close by. These were the foolish things with which I passed my time, gradually giving up work and prayer – the two things with which the old Egyptian hermits satisfied both their bodily and spiritual needs. At the beginning, when I was still new there, I went from house to house in the adjoining valleys seeking alms to support myself, not taking more than enough to supply my bare needs. In particular I spurned money, which greatly surprised the people in the vicinity; indeed, they even saw it as evidence of my sanctity. Once it became known where I lived, no forest-dweller would come into the woods without bringing me something to eat. They also praised my sanctity and unusual hermit’s way of life in other places, so that people living somewhat farther away would, either out of curiosity or devoutness, make the effort to come and see me, bringing their offerings. Thus I had no lack but an abundance of bread, butter, salt, cheese, ham, eggs and the like. But that did not make me any more pious; the longer it went on the more dilatory and worse I became, so that I could almost have been called a hypocrite or a holy rogue. But I didn’t give up thinking about virtue and vice, and wondering what I should do if I wanted to go to Heaven. But it was all disorganised, without honest advice and the firm resolution to pursue this with the seriousness my situation and its improvement demanded of me.

Chapter 2

We can read how, a long time ago, for the saintly members of the Christian church who were devoted to God the mortification of the flesh consisted mainly of praying, fasting and nightly vigils. However, I practised the first two very little and would also let myself straightway be overcome by the sweet torpor of sleep whenever I felt I was due to pay that debt to nature that we share with all animals. Once, when I was lazing in the shade of a pine tree, musing over idle thoughts as to whether greed or extravagance was the greatest or worst vice, I said: my idle thoughts! And I still say so today for, my dear friend, what concern was extravagance to me, who had nothing to be extravagant with? And what was greed to me since my very way of life, that I had chosen of my own free will, demanded that I should live in poverty and indigence? But oh, in my foolish way I was so determined to resolve that question that I couldn’t put these thoughts out of my mind and fell asleep over them.

Now it is generally the case that the things we are occupied with while we are awake, come to plague our dreams, and that was what happened to me then. For hardly had I closed my eyes than I saw Lucifer, the grand duke of Hell, in a horrendously deep gorge. He was sitting on his ruler’s throne, but bound with a chain, so that he couldn’t impose his will on the world, but the obsequious attentions of the many fiendish spirits surrounding him were enough to attest to his infernal power.

While I was watching these courtiers, a swift messenger came flying through the air, knelt down before Lucifer and said, “O great Prince, the German peace that has been concluded has calmed almost the whole of Europe down. Everywhere the Gloria in excelsis Deo and the Te Deum laudamus ring out to the Heavens and all the people will now do their utmost to serve God under their vines or their fig trees.”

As soon as Lucifer heard this news he was at first horrified, for he very much begrudged mankind this happiness. But once he had recovered himself a little and worked out what damage this would do to the advantages his hellish empire had so far enjoyed, he fell into a terrible ill-humour and ground his teeth so horribly that the fearsome sound was to be heard far and wide, his eyes blazed with such anger and impatience that they sent out fiery, sulphurous flames like bolts of lightning, filling his whole residence. Not only the poor humans who had been condemned to Hell and the minor demons were horrified by this but even his most noble princes and privy councillors. Finally he rammed the rocks with his horns, making the whole of Hell quiver, and started to rant and rave so furiously that his entourage could only imagine he would either stop completely or go quite out of his mind. The result was that for a while no one dared to approach him, even less to say a single word to him.

Eventually the demon Belial was bold enough to say, “Mighty Prince, what is all this fuss for one of such incomparable majesty? What? Has the lord of lords forgotten himself? What are we to make of this unusual behaviour, that can be neither useful nor add to the renown of your glorious majesty?”

“O!” Lucifer replied, “O! O! We have all been asleep and through our own idleness allowed Lerna malorum, our favourite plant, that we made such an effort to establish on earth and the fruits of which we gathered with such great profit, has now been cleared out of the German lands and, unless we do something about it, will be eradicated from the whole of Europe. And yet not one of you all is taking that to heart. Is it not a disgrace that we are allowing the few days left to the world to pass in such slipshod fashion? You gawping sleepyheads, do you not realise that we should be reaping our richest harvest during these last days? That will make a fine mess of the end of the world if we are going to be like old dogs, moody and incapable of hunting; the beginning and continuation of the war brought us the bumper crop we hoped for straightaway, but what do we have to look forward to now that Mars, who usually has Lerna malorum following hard on his heels, has left Europe, apart from Poland?”

Once he had bellowed rather than said this, such was his malice and anger, he was about to fall into his former raving, but Belial held him back, saying, “We must not lose heart because of this, nor behave like weak men when they feel an unpleasant wind blowing. Don’t you remember, great Prince, that more of them fall through wine than by the sword? Will not a quiet peace, bringing lust on its back, be more harmful to mankind, especially the Christians, than war? Is it not well known that the virtues of the Bride of Christ never shine more brightly than in the midst of the greatest tribulations?”

“It is, however,” Lucifer replied, “my desire and my determination that men should spend their lives on earth in constant adversity and be in eternal torment after their death, but our negligence will eventually mean that they will enjoy well-being on earth and, what is more, eternal bliss afterwards.”

“Huh!” Belial replied. “We both know how I work with little rest and will make such an effort to fulfil your determination and desire that Lerna malorum will stay even longer in Europe – or I’ll give the lady something else to worry about. But Your Majesty must also remember that I can accomplish nothing if you grant the divine power to another.”

Chapter 3

The friendly chat between the two infernal spirits was so vehement and furious that it set off an uproar throughout Hell with the result that the whole infernal host immediately gathered round in order to hear what was to be done: Lucifer’s first child, Pride and her daughters, Greed with his brood, Wrath together with Envy and Hatred, Vindictiveness, Malevolence, Calumny and all their other relations, then Lust with his followers – Gluttony, Sloth and such – also Laziness, Perfidy, Wantonness, Duplicity, Forwardness that makes maidens attractive, Deceit and her charming little daughter Flattery, who was carrying a fox’s tail in place of a fan. In fact it was a bizarre procession and strange to see since each came in their own strange garb: some magnificently attired, others in beggars’ rags, and a third group, such as Shamelessness and the like, who were almost completely naked. Some were as fat and corpulent as Bacchus, others as yellow, pale and lean as a skinny old carthorse; yet others looked as lovely and charming as Venus while other groups were as surly as Saturn, as fierce as Mars, as sly and furtive as Mercury, as strong as Hercules, as erect and fast as Hippomenes or as limp and lame as Vulcan – all in all there was such a collection of different types and attire you could imagine it was the wild army the ancients told us so much about. And apart from the above-mentioned there were many more I could not recognise nor name, since some had come masked and disguised.

Lucifer gave a very sharp speech to this huge gathering in which he rebuked each one individually and the band as a whole for their negligence and told them in no uncertain terms that it was because of their slackness that the Lerna malorum had had to leave Europe. At the same time he made Sloth step forward and, calling him a useless bastard who was ruining his followers, banished him from his infernal kingdom forever and ordered him to go and take up his abode somewhere on earth.

After that he earnestly encouraged the rest to make greater efforts than they had so far to surreptitiously establish themselves among mankind, at the same time uttering terrible threats of the punishments he would visit on those who showed the least sign of not carrying out their duties with the fervour he demanded. He then handed out new instructions and memoranda, promising substantial rewards to those who proved to be hardworking.

When it looked as if this gathering was about to end and the whole hierarchy of Hell would go back to their business, a tattered and very pale-faced fellow rode in on an old, mangy wolf. Both the man and his steed looked so starved, haggard, weary and emaciated, as if the two of them had spent a long time lying in a grave or the knacker’s yard. He was complaining about a stately lady who was boldly trotting along in front of him on a Neapolitan horse worth a hundred pistoles. Everything about her clothes and the horse’s caparison glittered with pearls and precious stones – the stirrups, the mountings, the buckles and rings; the curb bit and cheek piece were of pure gold and its horseshoes of the finest silver. She herself looked quite magnificent and determined, her face was like a rose in bloom, or at least looked as if she were half drunk, since she was so bright and lively in all her movements and gestures; all around her there was such a strong smell of powder, balsam, musk, ambergris and other perfumes that if it had been any other woman one would have thought she was sexually aroused. In short, everything about her was so sumptuous I would have taken her for a mighty queen if only she had been wearing a crown; and that she must be, for people said that she alone ruled over money, not money over her. Therefore at first I was surprised that the aforementioned miserable wretch on the wolf dared to speak out against her, but he was bolder than I had given him credit for.

Chapter 4

Then he forced his way through to Lucifer himself and said, “O mighty prince, there is hardly anyone on the whole of the earth whom I loathe more than this bitch, who appears to mankind in the pose of Liberality in order, with the aid of Pride, Gluttony and Lust, to bring me into disrepute and oppress me. She gets everywhere, like chaff in a manger, putting obstacles in my way as I go about my business and pulling down everything I’ve built up with my hard work to make your empire prosper. Is it not well-known throughout the infernal empire that men call me the root of all evil? But what joy or honour can I have in such a magnificent title if this young snotty-nosed wench is to be preferred to me? Must I – one of your most long-serving counsellors who has ever promoted your state and its infernal interests – must I, I say I! I! in my old age give way to this minx born, I assume, of Pride and Lust? No, no, a thousand times no! O mighty prince, would it become your dignity or correspond to your aim of tormenting mankind both here and there to grant that this fashion-mad little missy is right in her action against me? I must admit, however, that ‘right’ was a slip of the tongue, for me right and wrong are just the same. What I meant was that it would result in a reduction of your power if the industry, which I have put at your service so untiringly from time immemorial to the present day, were to be rewarded with such disdain; the repute and esteem I enjoy among mankind would be diminished and ultimately I would thus lose my place in their hearts and minds; I therefore beg that you order this ignorant young vagrant to give way to me as her elder, not to disrupt my undertakings and to allow me to continue to further your affairs of state exactly as I did previously, when no one in the whole world knew anything of her.”