“Germany. Winter’s Tale” Heine in brief summary


The action of the poem takes place in the autumn-winter of 1843

The lyrical hero of the poet leaves cheerful Paris and his beloved wife in order to make a short trip to his native Germany, which he missed very much and visit an old sick mother who had not seen for thirteen years.

He entered his native land with a gloomy November, and sometimes he involuntarily shed a tear. He heard his native German speech. A little girl with a harp sang a melancholy song about a mournful earthly life and heavenly bliss. The poet also suggests to start a new joyful song about paradise on earth, which will soon come, because at all bread and sweet green peas and love will suffice. He sings this joyful song because his veins have been given the life-giving juice of his native land.

The baby continued to sing a heartfelt song in a false voice, and in the meantime, customs officers were digging in the suitcases of the poet, searching for forbidden literature there. But in vain. All forbidden

literature he prefers to carry in his brain. Will arrive – then write. Outwitted customs officers.

The first city he visited was Aachen, where in the ancient cathedral the remains of Charlemagne lie. In the streets of this city spleen and spleen reign. The poet met the Prussian military and found that in thirteen years they had not changed at all – stupid and dummy mannequins. At the post office he saw a familiar coat of arms with a hated eagle. For some reason, he does not like the eagle.

Late in the evening the poet reached Cologne. There he ate an omelette with ham. I drank it with Rainbow. After that I went to wander around the night Cologne. He believes that this is a city of infamous saints, priests who were rotted in dungeons and burned on the bonfires the color of the German nation. But the case was saved by Luther, who did not allow the completion of the disgusting Cologne Cathedral, but instead introduced German Protestantism. And then the poet had a talk with the Rhine.

After that, he returned home and fell asleep like a child in the cradle. In France, he often dreamed

of sleeping in Germany, because only native German beds are so soft, cozy, fluffy. They are equally good to dream and sleep. He believes that the Germans, unlike the greedy French, Russian and English, are characterized by dreaminess and naivety.

The next morning the hero left Cologne for Hagen. The poet did not get into the coach, and therefore had to use the mail coach. In Hagen arrived about three hours, and the poet immediately began to eat. He ate a fresh salad, chestnuts in cabbage leaves with gravy, cod in oil, smoked herring, eggs, fat cottage cheese, sausage to fat, thrushes, goose and pig.

But when he left Gagen, the poet was immediately hungry. Then the nimble Westphalian girl brought him a cup of steaming punch. He remembered the Westphalian feasts, his youth and how often he was at the end of the feast under the table, where he spent the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, the carriage drove into the Teutoburg Forest, where the Herman prince Herman in 9 BC. e. dealt with the Romans. And if he had not done so, Latin customs would have been planted in Germany. Munich would have had their vestals, the Swabians would be called quirits, and Birkh-Pfeifer, a fashionable actress, would drink turpentine, like the noble Romans, who from this had a very pleasant smell of urine. The poet is very happy that Herman defeated the Romans and all this did not happen.

In the forest, the carriage broke. The postman hurried to the village for help, and the poet remained alone in the night, and he was surrounded by wolves. They howled. In the morning the carriage was repaired, and she croaked farther. At dusk came to Minden – a formidable fortress. There the poet felt very uncomfortable. Corporal did interrogation to him, and inside the fortress the poet thought he was in prison. In the hotel, even a piece of his dinner in his throat did not help. So he went to bed hungry. All night he was haunted by nightmares. The next morning he relieved with relief from the fortress and went on to a further road.

In the afternoon he arrived in Hanover, had lunch and went to see the sights. The city was very clean and sleek. There is a palace there. In it lives the king. In the evenings, he prepares a clyster for his elderly dog.

At dusk, the poet arrived in Hamburg. Came to his home. He opened his mother’s door and shone with happiness. She began to feed her son fish, goose and oranges and ask him delicate questions about his wife, France and politics. The poet responded evasively to everything.

A year before, Hamburg had experienced a great fire and was now rebuilt. There were not many streets in it. There was no home, in which, in particular, the poet kissed the girl for the first time. There was no printing house, in which he printed his first works. There was no town hall, no senate, no stock exchange, but the bank survived. And many people also died.

The poet went with the publisher Campe to the cellar of Lorentz, to taste the excellent oysters and drink the Rhine vine. Campe is very good, in the opinion of the poet, publisher, because a rare publisher treats its author with oysters and Rheinwein. In the cellar the poet got drunk and went for a walk along the streets. There he saw a beautiful woman with a red nose. She greeted him, and he asked her who she was and why he knew him. She replied that she was Gammonia, the goddess-patroness of the city of Hamburg. But he did not believe her and followed her into her attic. There they had a pleasant conversation for a long time, the goddess cooked tea with rum for the poet. He, having lifted the goddess skirt and laying her hand on her loins, vowed to be humble both in word and in print. The goddess was flushed and carried a complete nonsense, like the fact that the censor Hoffmann will soon cut off the poet of the genitals. And then she hugged him.

About further events of that night the poet prefers to talk with the reader in private conversation.

Thank God, the old prudes rot and gradually die. There is a growing generation of new people with a free mind and soul. The poet believes that the youth will understand him, because his heart is immeasurably in love and without blemish, like a flame.


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“Germany. Winter’s Tale” Heine in brief summary