Louis, being a lover of the old school, resorted to verse as an expression of his sentiments towards his new favourite. The editor of the Times, years after, described His Majesty as something of a poet, in a small way. How very small that way was the following effusions will show. They were translated by Mr. Francis, afterwards editor of the Morning Post and other journals. Unfortunately, or fortunately, they convey no idea of the odd contortions of language characteristic of the original.
“To the Absent Lolita
“The world hates and persecutes
That heart which gave itself to me:
But however much they may try to estrange us,
My heart will cling the more fondly to thine.
“The more they hate, the more thou art beloved;
And more and more is given to thee.
I shall never be torn from thee.
“Against others they have no hate;
It is against thee alone they are enraged;
In thee everything is a crime;
Thy words alone, as deeds, they would punish.
“But the heart’s goodness shows itself—
Thou hast a highly elevated mind;
Yet the little who deem themselves great
Would cast thee off as a pariah.
“For evermore I belong to thee;
For evermore thou belongest to me:
What delight! that like the wave
Renews itself out of its eternal spring.
“By thee my life becomes ennobled,
Which without thee was solitary and empty;
Thy love is the nutriment of my heart,
If it had it not, it would die.
“And though thou mightest by all be forsaken,
I will never abandon thee;
For ever will I preserve for thee
Constancy and true German faith.”
The next verses relate to the Countess of Landsfeld, in her character as a Liberal martyr.
“From thee, beloved one, time and distance separate me,
But however distant thou might’st be,
I should ever call thee my own,
Thou eternally bright star of my life.
“The wild steed, if you try to daunt him.
Prances, the bolder only, on and on:
The ties of love will tie us so much closer,
If the world attempt to tear thee from me.
“And every persecution thou endurest
Becomes a new link in the chain
Which, because thou art struggling for truth,
Thou hast, for the rest of my life, cast around me.
“Whether near or far off, thou art mine,
And the love which with its lustre glorifies
Is ever renewed and will last for ever.
For evermore our faith will prove itself true.”
LOUIS I. KING OF BAVARIA.
The following lines are a sonnet in the original, addressed to:—
“Lolita and Louis
“Men strive with restless zeal to separate us;
Constantly and gloomily they plan thy destruction;
In vain, however, are always their endeavours,
Because they know themselves alone, not us.
Our love will bloom but the brighter for it all—
What gives us bliss cannot be divorced from us—
Those endless flames which burn with sparkling light,
And pervade our existence with enrapturing fire.
Two rocks are we, against which constantly are breaking
The adversaries’ craft, the enemies’ open rage;
But, scorpion-like, themselves, they pierce with deadly sting—
The sanctuary is guarded by trust and faith;
Thy enemies’ cruelty will be revenged on themselves—
Love will compensate for all that we have suffered.