nur mit dem Ausdrucke 'schwarze Drähte' etwas maliciös auf die oft besungenen goldenen Haare der Lady Rich angespielt werden; denn die ursprüngliche Vergleichung der Haare mit Drähten betrifft nur goldenes Haar und kommt von den goldenen Drähten, womit Apollo seine Lyra bespannte - sein eigenes sonniges Haar.

Soweit Massey.

Es könnte auch sein, daß Shakespeare den in der poetischen Sprache gebrauchten Ausdruck wire für Haare selbst lächerlich fand und ihn hier verspotten wollte. Shakespeare hat nur im wahrscheinlich sehr früh geschriebenen 'King John' das Wort 'wiry'.

III. 4.

King Philip: Bind up those tresses . . . .

Where but by chance a silver drop hath fallen
Even to that drop ten thousand WIRY friends

Do glue themselves in sociable grief.

In der Lucretia sagt er:

wie Sidney:

'Her hair like GOLDEN THREADS play'd with her breath'

'Her hair fine THREADS of finest GOLD'

Dagegen hier einige Beispiele aus älterer Zeit:

In der Legende der 'Susanna' (ca. 1360 wahrscheinlich von Sir

In stead of yellow locks she did devise

With GOLDEN WIRE to wear her curled head,

Wiry hair ist also immer goldenes Haar.1) Ob Shakespeare mit den 'wires' nicht Spenser einen Hieb versetzen wollte? Die Schwärze hält in der betreffenden Zeile so wenig Stand, wie im 144. Son. in der Zeile The worser spirit a woman, COLOUR'D ILL,

1) 'Die Legenden von Celestin und Susanna' von C. Horstmann. Anglia B. 1, 1. Heft 1877.

2) Wiry hair heisst nicht goldnes, sondern strähniges Haar, und golden wire heisst goldner Draht, goldner Faden. D. R.

aus welcher ebenfalls hervorgehen soll, daß dieses Weib schwarz gefärbt gewesen. Es handelt sich hier nicht um die Dunkelheit der Hautfarbe, sondern um die Dunkelheit der Moral: es ist das 'ill' aus dem 150. Son.: Whence hast thou this becoming of THINGS ILL

und aus dem 40.

Lascivious grace, in whom all ILL well shows.

Wenn diese vorstehende Erklärung der Zeile If hairs be wires etc. noch nicht genügen sollte, möchte ich noch auf eine Stelle in Sidney's Astrophel und Stella aufmerksam machen, die vielleicht nicht nur das 130. Sonett hervorgerufen hat, sondern in welcher auch der Grundton zu der ganzen Serie der Herbert-Sonette liegen kann. Es ist dies der 5. Gesang.

Fifth Song.

1. While favour fed my hope, delight with hope was brought,
Thought waited on delight, and speech did follow thought:
Then grew y tongue and pen records unto thy glory:

7. I said, THOU WERT MOST FAIR, and so indeed thou art;
I said, thou art most sweet, sweet poison to my heart:
I said, my soul was thine (o that I then had lied)

I said, THINE EYES WERE STARS, THY BREASTS THE MILK'N WAY
Thy fingers Cupid's shafts, THY VOICE THE ANGEL'S LAY:
And all I said so well, as no man it denied:

13. But now that hope is lost, unkindness kills delight,

Yet thought and speech do live, though metamorphos'd quite:
For rage now rules the rains, which guided were by Pleasure.
I THINK NOW OF THY FAULTS, WHO LATE THOUGHT OF THY PRAISE,
THAT SPEECH FALLS NOW TO BLAME, which did thy honour raise,
The same key open can, which can lock up a treasure.

19. Thou then whom partial heavens conspir'd in one to frame,
The proof of Beautie's worth, th’enheritrix of fame,
The mansion seat of bliss, and just excuse of Lovers;

SEE NOW THOSE FEATHERS PLUCK'D wherewith thou flew most high:

23. SEE WHAT CLOUDS OF REPROACH SHALL DARK THY HONOUR'S SKY,
Whose own fault casts him down, hardly high seat recovers.

31. Your Client, poor myself, shall Stella handle so? Revenge, revenge, my muse!

34. Ah, my suit granted is, I feel my breast doth swell,
Now child, a lesson new you shall begin to spell :
Sweet babes must babies have, but shrew'd girls must beat'n.

Und nun kommt sein Rachelied:

37. THINK NOW NO MORE TO HEAR OF WARM FINE-ODOUR'D SNOW,
NOR BLUSHING LILIES, NOR PEARL'S RUBY-HIDDEN ROW,

NOR OF THAT GOLDEN SFA WHOSE WAVES IN CURLS ARE BROKEN:
But of thy soul, so fraught with such ungratefulness,
As where thou soon might'st help, most faith doth most oppress,
Ungrateful who is call'd, the worst of evils is spoken:

43. Yet worse than worst, I say thou art a thief: a thief?

Now God forbid. A thief, and of the worst thieves the chief:
Thieves steal for need, and steal but goods, which pain recovers,
But thou, rich in all joys, dost rob my joys from me,
Which cannot be restor❜d by time nor industry.

Of foes the spoil is evil, far worse of constant lovers.

49. Yet gentle English thieves do rob but will not slay,
Thou English murd'ring thief, wilt have hearts for thy pray,

56. I lay then to thy charge unjustest Tyrany,

If rule by force without all claim a Tyran showeth,

FOR THOU DOST LORD MY HEART, WHO AM NOT BORN THY SLAVE
And which is worse, mak'st me most guiltless torments have,

61. Lo! YOU GROW PROUD WITH THIS, for tyrans make folks bow.

68. I now then stain thy white with vagabunding shame;

73. What is not this enough? Nay far worse commeth here;
A witch I say thou art, though thou so fair appear;
FOR I PROTEST, MY SIGHT NEVER THY FACE ENJOYETH,
But I in me am changed, I am alive and dead:
My feet are turned to roots, my heart becometh lead,
No witchcraft is so evil, as which man's mind destroyeth.

79. Yet witches may repent, thou art far worse than they,
ALAS, THAT I AM FORCED SUCH EVIL OF THEE TO SAY,

I SAY THOU ART A DEVIL THOUGH CLOTH'D IN ANGEL'S SHINING:
FOR THY FACE TEMPTS MY SOUL TO LEAVE THE HEAVEN FOR THEE,
AND THY WORDS OF REFUSE, DO POUR EVEN HELL ON ME:
WHO TEMPT AND TEMPTED PLAGUE, ARE DEVILS IN TRUE DEFINING.

85. You then ungrateful thief, you murdring Tyran you,
You Rebel run avay

You witch, you devil (alas) you still of me beloved,

You see what I can say; MEND YET YOUR FROWARD MIND
And such skill in my muse you reconcil'd shall find,

That all these cruel words your praises shall be proved.

Wir sehen, Shakespeare und Herbert haben das von Sidney scherzhaft-bitter gestellte Programm in ernster Weise ausgeführt.

Das 130. Sonett ist nichts anderes als die Verwirklichung der von Sidney in den Zeilen 37-39 im Rückblick auf Verse 7-12 ausgesprochenen Drohung. Zug für Zug ist vom Dichter verwerthet; selbst die Haarfrage findet hier ihre Lösung zu Folge der 39. Zeile:

'Du sollst nichts mehr von der goldenen See hören, deren Wellen sich in Locken brechen.' Die goldenen Locken werden zu schwarzen Drähten!

In Shakesp. Son. 140:

Be wise as thou art cruel; DO NOT PRESS

MY TONGUE-TIED PATIENCE WITH TOO MUCH DISDAIN;
Lest sorrow lend me words, and words express
THE MANNER OF MY PITY-WANTING PAIN.

FOR, IF I SHOULD DESPAIR, I SHOULD GROW MAD,
AND IN MY MADNESS MIGHT SPEAK ILL OF THEE;
Now this ill-wresting world is grown so bad,
Mad slanderers by mad ears believed be.

That I may not be so, nor thou belied,

Bear thine eyes straight, though thy proud heart go wide.

ist die in Sidney's fünftem Gesang Vers 13-30 gezeichnete Grundstimmung angegeben.

Im Sonett 147 ist der Wahnsinn schon ausgebrochen:

Past cure I am, now reason is past care,

And frantic mad with ever-more unrest:

My thoughts and my discourse as madmen's are,

den Astrophel Vers 78 angedeutet hatte:

No witchcraft is so evil, as WHICH MAN'S MIND DESTROYETH.

Die Diebin der 43. Zeile und Folge ist dieselbe, an welche sich Elisabeth Vernon im 40. Sonett der Southampton-Abtheilung wendet, glaubend, sie (ihre Freundin) habe ihr des Geliebten Herz gestohlen: Take all my loves, my love; yea, take them all:

Then, if for my love thou my love receivest,
I cannot blame thee, for my love thou usest;
But yet be blam'd, if thou thyself deceivest
BY WILFUL TASTE OF WHAT THYSELF REFUSEST.

I do forgive THY ROBBERY, GENTLE THIEF,

ALTHOUGH THOU STEAL THEE ALL MY POVERTY;

Zeile 56-61 schildern Stella's Tyrannei, ihren Stolz. Damit vergleiche Son. 131:

Thou art as TYRANNOUS, so as thou art,

As those WHOSE BEAUTIES PROUDLY MAKE THEM CRUEL;

For well thou know'st, to my dear doting heart
Thou art the fairest and most precious jewel.

und Sonett 133 (das Massey Elisabeth Vernon in den Mund legt)
Beshrew that heart, that makes my heart to groan

For that deep wound it gives my friend (Southampton) and me:

IS IT NOT ENOUGH TO TORTURE ME ALONE,

BUT SLAVE TO SLAVERY MY SWEET'ST FRIEND MUST BE?

Sidney's Zeile 61 Lo! you grow proud!

vergleiche mit Sonett 140:

THY FACE HATH NOT THE POWER TO MAKE LOVE GROAN

u. s. W.

Sidney's Zeile 79-84 vergleiche mit dem 144. Sonett (als von

Elisabeth Vernon gesprochen)

Two loves I have of comfort and despair,

Which like two spirits do suggest me still:

The better angel is a man, right fair, (Southampton)
The worser spirit a woman, colour'd ill. (Lady Rich)

TO WIN ME SOON TO HELL, MY FEMALE EVIL
TEMPTETH MY BETTER ANGEL FROM MY SIDE,
AND WOULD CORRUPT MY SAINT TO BE A DEVIL,
WOOING HIS PURITY WITH HER FOUL PRIDE.
And whether that my angel be turn'd fiend,
Suspect I may, yet not directly tell;
But being both from me, both to each friend,
I GUESS ONE ÀNGEL IN ANOTHER'S HELL;
Yet this shall I ne'er know, but live in doubt,
Till my bad angel fire my good one out.