Norway) (1834) winch mercilessly laid bare all the incompleteness
that was extolled as national culture. This pronounced esthetic
telt himself at home only in the intellectual life that was flourish-
«kg- 1T\ „ eUmark The Strug° le between the two chieftains and
their followers culminated at last in a regular hand-to-hand
j ■ B newly-opened theatre, during the performance of a
drama of Wergeland’s (1838).
. , W“ gelr d, WaS n°W 30 yearS of aSe’ 811(1 by bis political
intrepidity had closed the way to his appointment as clergyman.
In spite of his republicanism, however, he had always been enthusiastic
about King Carl Johan. The king was appreciative of this
and offered him as compensation for advancement denied, a small
pension. The poet accepted on condition that in return he might
edit a periodical.) «For arbeidsklassen» (For the Working-classes).
This step cost him the friendship of a number of misapprehending
fellow-partisans; but he cheerfully continued his poetic labours
After marrying, and, not long after, being appointed keeper of the
public records - in addition to all his other occupations, he also
busied.himself with historical investigations, principally as to the
origin of the constitution the command of form that he had
gradually acquired, came out in full perfection.
A prodigal fancy, soaring thought, and warmth of feeling
clothed m marvellously melodious verse, endows the brilliant lyric
that ceaselessly flows from his pen, with a bewitching power that
is only found m the most highly gifted genius. He mastered all
the varieties of tone, the sublime hymn, the tempestuous dithyramb
the ringing song of liberty, the languishing love-song, the smiling
idyl, the bold sea-song, and the simple nursery song. And out of
this profusion of floral splendours, there arise the stately growths
of his greater poems, such as, «Jan van Huysum’s blomsterstykke»
JanvonHuysum’s Flower-picture), «Svalen» (The Swallow), «Joden»
(The Jew), «Jodinden» (The Jewess), «Den engelske kids» (The
English Pilot). The excited unrest of the youth had worked itself
out into manly intensity and triumphant clearness.
But a chest-complaint now threw the strong man upon a bed
of sickness, from which he -was never again to rise. He lay there
for a year;, but instead of bemoaning his fate, he had his writing-
board brought to him; he was filled with such an abundance of
beautiful visions that he felt he dared not lose an hour. So
splendidly did his brain work, that from his bed he sometimes kept
two printingpresses at work. As a farewell to life which was now
passing away ere the cold breath of age had chilled his mind, he
wrote down his recollections in the form of short, fresh, fragrant
sketches. «Hasselnodder» (Hazel Nuts) was thè name he gave to
the little volume. He managed further to go through the great
epic poem of his youth, and in transfigured form, he committed to
posterity this ardent confession of faith — «Mennesket» (Man). A few
more seraphic farewell hymns, and at the age of thirty-seven the
poet closed his eyes, surrounded by a sorrowing nation.
Wergeland’s poetry had quite thrown contemporary literature
into the shade. In addition to Welhaven’s well-formed, but still
not self-dependent lyric, the' only writings that deserve mention
are M a u r i t z H a n s e n ' s romantic novels. The newly-awakened
national spirit, however, which had been incarnated in the great
lyrical genius, was already in full activity in every direction in
the generation that acquired its stamp from the year 1814. The
painter, J o h . 0 . D a h l , and O l e B u l l , the violonist, had already
caused Norway’s name to be heard far over the world. Gifted
politicians now set enthusiastically to work to give form to the
newly-created political life. I t was here that the peasant, U e l a n d ,
and S c h w e ig a a r d , the political economist and lawyer, met, each
of them being chieftain in his own camp in the same generation
(they both died in 1870). But historical investigation, and the
study of the literature and language of the mediaeval period of
splendour, were of course most deeply inspired by the national
regeneration. As early as 1839, a capital translation of Snorre’s
Toyal sagas was published, translated by the politician, J a k o b A a l l ,
who also gave to the nation a classic account, of the emancipation
period in his «Erindringer» (Recollections) (1845). The scientific
treatment of the sources of the saga-period’s history, was taken
up by two young philologists, R u d o l p h K e y s e r and P. A. M u n c h ,
.afterwards aided by their pupils, C a r l U n g e r ,- the philologist,
and C h r . L a n g e , the historian. Simultaneously with this revival
of interest in the linguistic relics of the middle ages, the popular
language descended from these was discovered to science by the
.autodidact peasant, I v a r A a s e n . Munch and Unger’s Old Norwegian
grammar was published in 1847, Aasen’s grammar and
dictionary of dialects in 1848 and 1850 respectively.
The time was now ripe for the proper utilisation of the
hitherto hidden treasures of national poetry. Their discovery is