The World's Great Masterpieces

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: FRIEDRICH GOTTLIEB KLOPSTOCK. Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, a German poet, born at Qued- linburg, Prussia, July 2, 1724; died at Hamburg, March 14, 1803. At an early age, he conceived the idea of writing an epic poem on the story of Henry the Fowler. He entered the University of Jena, where he studied until 1745, and his enthusiasm took a religious turn, and he chose The Messiah as the theme of his proposed epic. In 1746 he went to Leipsic, where a literary association had been gathered together, the aim of which was an entire renovation of the form and spirit of German poetry. The first three cantos of Klopstock's Messiah were published in the Literarische Zeitung in 1748, the last part as late as 1773. In 1750 the Danish Prime- Minister invited him to Copenhagen, offering him a pension of $300, so that he might be able to devote himself wholly to the composition of his epic. He was received at Copenhageu with marked distinction; became a favorite of the King, by whom he was employed in honorable official posts, ending in 1771 with that of Councilor of the Danish Legation at Hamburg. His funeral was celebrated with a pomp almost regal. Of Klopstock's works the more important are The Messiah, The Death of Adam, Solomon, and David. Ode To God. Thou Jehovah Art named, but I am dust of dust. Dust, yet eternal: for the immortal Soul Thou gaved'st me, gaved'st Thou for eternity; Breathed'st into her, to form thy maze, Sublime desires for peace and bliss, A thronging host! but one more beautiful Than all the rest, is as the Queen of all, Of Thee the last, divinest image, The fairest, most attractive ? Love ! Thou feelest it, though, as the Eternal One, It feel, rejoicing, the high angels whom Thou mad'st celestial ? Thy last image, The f...