歌德、席勒:两位世界大文豪的生死情缘

中国有句名言：“文人相轻。”但歌德(1749-1832)和席勒(1759-1805)这两位出生地不同、生卒时间相差颇远、地位悬殊的文学家，竟然走到一起，结为生死之交，合葬同穴，成为人间友情的楷模。

歌德生于法兰克福。当时德国早已分裂为360个小邦国，其中魏玛公国比较开明，到处搜罗文人贤士。发表《少年维特之烦恼》而载誉欧洲的歌德，26岁被魏玛公爵邀入宫廷，任枢密顾问，权倾一时，过着优裕的贵族生活。比歌德小10岁的席勒生于马尔巴赫，23岁以后就发表了《海盗》、《阴谋与爱情》等作品；1787年来到魏玛谋职，没有得到公爵赏识，到处漂泊，穷困潦倒。在社交场合，席勒虽多次见到歌德，但一为权臣一为布衣，擦肩而过未曾交谈。

1788年底，歌德举荐席勒为耶拿大学历史学副教授，使席勒有了稳定的生活来源。1793年席勒创办《季节女神》杂志，邀请歌德等文化名人撰稿。歌德厌腻近20年的仕宦生活，重燃文学创作之火。翌年7月，在耶拿举行自然科学报告会，两文豪不期而遇；会后，两人边走边讨论植物变形问题，信步走到席勒陋室，进了门继续交谈，十分投缘而忘了吃饭时间，竟有相交恨晚之慨。这是两位巨人的首次正式交谈。几天后，继续畅谈文艺问题，发现彼此“出乎意料的一致”，从此“在一条友谊的林荫道上并肩前进”。这就是说，两位比邻而居的文人，经历7年之后才有了真正的交往。

在耶拿余兴未尽，歌德邀席勒来魏玛宅邸小住两周。在歌德盛情邀请下，席勒1799年举家迁入魏玛，先借住在歌德家中，尔后由歌德资助买了一所房子。席勒的妻子和亲属也由歌德安排了相宜的工作。席勒从此在幽静的环境中，创作了爱国主义剧作《奥里昂姑娘》、《威廉・退尔》和《华伦斯坦》三部曲。为使剧本搬上舞台，歌德亲自领衔荣誉导演和顾问，用自己的光辉照耀了席勒这个晚辈后生。

席勒动员歌德翻出长期压在箱筐中的《浮士德》第一部、《威廉・迈斯特》等草稿，悉心修改，发表在《季节女神》上。歌德对席勒说：“您给了我第二次青春。在我差不多已经完全停止创作的时候，您又使我成为诗人。”

两巨匠知文愈笃，共同语言愈多，于是合作了《警句诗》500余首，抨击社会上的庸俗、卑劣现象。他俩才气勃发，在《文艺年鉴》上竞相发表叙事诗曲，震撼德国文坛。

1805年初，两人都病倒了。4月末歌德抱病来探望席勒，席勒挣扎着起床，带歌德去剧院看戏，不料竟成永诀。5月9日，受尽肺结核折磨的席勒，跌倒在写字台下，结束了46年短暂的生命，桌上还放着写了一半的悲剧《邀默特纽斯》。歌德在病榻上听到挚友离世噩耗，老泪纵横，泣不成声，竟然3个月不能正常写作。他说：“我失去了一位朋友，也失去了我的生命的一半。”8月10日，他忍痛主持了席勒的追悼会，在会上演出席勒的绝唱《大钟歌》。他为该剧写了收场诗，喊出“他属于我们”的最强音。后来他将两人通信书简1000多件，编纂成四卷本《书简集》出版；书中表达了两位文豪对文学、美学和其他问题的看法，被称为赠给德国人民的“伟大礼物”。

席勒身后留下一堆债务，家属不能体面安葬席勒遗骸，草草搁在圣耶各教堂的地下室。1826年，歌德将席勒遗骨捧回自己家中，次年12月移葬到魏玛最显贵的“历史公墓”中。

1832年3月，83岁高龄的歌德卧床不起，弥留中念叨着席勒，模糊中看到地上一页废纸，误认为席勒笔迹，呵斥身边的儿媳说：“怎么把席勒的信丢在地上?”

歌德去世后，人们按歌德7年前的安排，将他的灵柩放在席勒旁边。从此，两位巨人永远厮守在一起。

现在的魏玛，居于德国东部伊尔姆河畔，是一座人口不上7万的小城。然而正是由于歌德和席勒在这里创造了德国古典文学最辉煌的时期，因而成了世界文化名城。如今，魏玛保留着歌德和席勒的许多纪念性建筑物。1999年歌德诞生250周年之际，欧洲共同体曾将魏玛定为1999年的“欧洲文化城”。

在市中心的德国魏玛民族剧院门前，有一座青铜雕像。两个中年学者挺立在水泥台座上，身披氅衣，手携手，肩并肩，目光炯炯注视远方。台座下刻着“歌德和席勒”几个大字。200多年来，这个剧院无数次演出两文豪的剧本。

南郊栗树林中的“历史公墓”，是魏玛最显赫的贵族墓地。歌德和席勒的合葬陵园占地400平方米，常春藤环抱四周；地下灵寝并排放着两口栋木红漆棺材，棺上分别写着两文豪的名字。地面陵厅有两文豪的玉白色半身塑像，比肩而坐，就像生前那样在娓娓交谈。

席勒故居是座米黄色的三层小楼，所在街道也叫“席勒街”。席勒1802年在歌德帮助下购置了这幢房子，一直住到1805年去世。后人曾将它出售，当地社团赎回后辟为“席勒纪念馆”。

歌德故居和他的消夏别墅也完整地保存着。1896年，德国政府在魏玛建立了“歌德-席勒档案馆”。

魏玛民族剧院前歌德与席勒塑像

The statue of Goethe and Schiller in front of the Deutches National Theater at Weimar

席勒的工作室及卧室，席勒在此去世。

Schiller worked, slept and died in this room.

安葬歌德与席勒的皇家陵墓 The Goethe-Schiller mausoleum in Weimar

法兰克福的歌德塑像

A statue of Goethe in Frankfurt

德累斯顿的席勒纪念碑

A Schiller Monument in Dresden

Great Friendship between Goethe and Schiller

By Yu Wen

It is a very ancient idea, probably for thousands of years, in China that some men of letters tend to despise each other for no apparent reasons. For these Chinese who believe that some men of letters are bound to despise each other, they would be greatly surprised to learn that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (17491832) and Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805), two great German men of letters, had an admirable friendship.

Goethe was born in Frankfort. His time saw Germany break into 360 small states. After his “The Sorrows of Young Werther” gained European fame, Goethe at the age of 26 came to Weimar in 1775 and held a succession of offices. Schiller, ten years younger than Goethe, also made his reputation when he published The Robbers and Intrigue and Love. In 1787 he came to Weimar in the hope of finding employment. But he failed to be appreciated by the Duke. Though Goethe and Schiller saw each other on some social occasions, they did not talk due to the difference of their social statuses.

Schiller’s life took an upward turn toward the end of 1788. Through Goethe’s recommendation, Schiller was appointed Professor of History and Philosophy at Jena University. This employment gave Schiller a stable life. In 1793, Schiller started a literary periodical and invited Goethe to contribute. Somewhat tired of the life and work at the court, Goethe saw the invitation as a way to write creatively again. In July 1794, Goethe and Schiller met at a seminar on natural sciences held in Jena. Unexpectedly they hit it off immediately. They talked and talked forgetting lunch. And they continued to talk enthusiastically in the following days. Seven years after Schiller came to Weimar, the two great men of letters found each other and founded a lifelong friendship.

Goethe later invited Schiller to stay with him in Weimar for two weeks. In 1799, Schiller moved to Weimar. The family first stayed at Goethe’s house and then moved into a house purchased with financial help from Goethe. Schiller’s wife and some relatives found employment with the help of Goethe. It was in Weimar that Schiller wrote The Maid of Orleans, William Tell and the Wallenstein trilogy. Goethe served as honorary director and advisor to these plays.

Schiller encouraged Goethe to finished works he had left as sketches, among which was Faust Part One. Goethe confided in Schiller that the playwright had given him second youth, saying he became a poet again at the time when he had almost stopped writing.

The friendship between the two giant men of letters enabled them to work together on Xenien, a collection of more than 500 short satirical poems in which both Goethe and Schiller challenge opponents to their philosophic vision.

In early 1805, both Goethe and Schiller fell ill. Goethe came to visit Schiller toward the end of April. The two went to see an opera together. It was their last meeting. On May 9, Schiller died from tuberculosis at the age of 46.

On August 10, Goethe attended Schiller’s funeral. During their relationship, the two men of letters altogether wrote more than 1,000 letters to each other. Goethe edited the letters and published the letters in four volumes. The book is regarded as a great gift to the German people.

In 1926, Goethe moved the remains of Schiller to his home and in December 1826, Goethe made arrangements to bury Schiller at the best cemetery at Weimar.

Goethe passed away in March 1832. His coffin was placed side by side with that of Schiller in the same mausoleum. The giants stay together forever.

Today, Weimar is a quiet town with a population of 65,000. Thanks to Goethe and Schiller, Weimar is widely recognized as a city of world renown. In front of the Deutches National Theater stands the Goethe-Schiller Monument. The two bronze figures depict the great friendship between the two great men of letters. Over the past 200 years, the theater has staged numerous performances of the two men’s plays.

Schiller’s former residence is a three-storied house in light beige. The street where the house is located is Schiller Street. Schiller bought the house with the help of Goethe in 1802. The house was sold after the death of Schiller in 1805. It was bought back by the local community and turned into Schiller Museum. Goethe’s former residence and summer villa are kept intact. In 1896, the Goethe-Schiller archives were set up in Weimar. In 1953, a memorial center for German literary classics was founded and the headquarters of the institution was set in Weimar.