My heart still smiles and throbs.... Come see within my
crystal halls
My maids and knights together dance, my squires right glad
at play.
There's rustling of their silken trains, the clink of golden
spurs,
My merry dwarfs their cymbals clash, their lutes and trumpets
sound,
But thee my foam-white arms shall clasp, as once they clasped
the King,
When with my hands I stopped his ears against the clarion's
call.
* * * * * *
I was in the middle of an ancient history lesson with my pupil when the Grand Duke came in. He beckoned to us to sit down and told me not to stop.
I had been speaking to Duke Joachim of Alexander's successors, from the fighting of the Epigones in the streets of Babylon to the victory of Cyropedeon, which established the dynasties of the Lagides and Seleucides after the downfall of Lysimachus. I had been trying to bring before the eyes of my young German prince the grand and tragic figures of Eumenes, chief of the Argyraspides, Polysperschon, Antipates, Antigone Gonates, and Demetrius Poliorcetes. He listened attentively, taking notes with a docility which I should have preferred less abject....
The Grand Duke had sat down, and was also listening. Hypnotized by his grave, intellectual face, it was really to Frederick-Augustus, not the dull-witted Joachim, that my words were addressed. He was my audience as I closed with an attempt to show how the crumbling empires of the Epigones were to facilitate the victory of centralizing Rome.
As at this point I began to show signs of embarrassment, Frederick-Augustus broke in, with a smile:
"Don't let my presence embarrass you if you want to establish a parallel between Rome and Prussia."
It was obviously difficult for me to emphasize, in front of him, the dependence of the princes of the German Confederation on the King of Prussia. I did so, however, and he approved.