Well marne
Na marne is a novella by the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916), published in 1872 . The German translation is Zersplittert .
Na marne is the first novella Sienkiewicz published. This youth work was created at the time when the author was still working as a journalist for various magazines and writing features and humorous articles. With it, Sienkiewicz's literary work begins, which was initially positively influenced and progressive, in contrast to the more well-known later conservative and national historical novels.
content
Joseph Schwarz, who comes from a humble background, arrives in Kiev to study here. He decides to study medicine. He was introduced to student life in Kiev through his friend Gustav, with whom he also lived. There he met the widow Helena Potkanska, who lost her husband and her child at an early age and is now, mentally extremely unstable, adored by Gustav. He loves this woman without having admitted it, takes care of all the life's affairs of the helpless and makes himself indispensable to her. But Helena shows no sign of mutual affection, from which the ailing Gustav suffers greatly. Rather, she is constantly looking for her husband. Black, who looks like the deceased, piques their interest. However, the latter vows to his friend to stay away from her because he knows he loves her. When Gustav finally realizes the hopelessness of his love and his illness worsens, probably because of it, he asks Schwarz to forget his promise to visit the widow and continue to look after her because he is no longer able to do it. Schwarz does this, is fascinated by Helena and a long-term relationship begins between them, in which Schwarz, like Gustav once, takes on the role of looking after the woman. Gustav dies meanwhile. After a long time, his fellow students begin to admonish Schwarz to finally legalize this relationship, which arouses his displeasure. Over the years he has achieved an excellent position among the students, has always been determined and energetic. A student who was threatened with expulsion from studies because of his way of life was taken by Schwarz and brought so far that he stopped drinking and continued his studies. This Augustinowicz lives with Schwarz in his apartment. Schwarz has to admit inwardly that his love for Helena has died out. On the other hand, the young Countess Lula, who lived with her impoverished father in the same house as Schwarz, aroused his interest. When her father dies, Schwarz knows how to arrange it so that the destitute Lula is taken in with Mrs. Witzberg and her daughter Malinka. He takes care of her more and more, visits her every day with Augustinowcz, who woos the Malinka, and neglects Helena. In the conflict between the inclination to Lula and the duty to Helena, Schwarz dutifully decides in favor of Helena and proposes to her. He no longer visits Lula. Augustinowicz, however, does not tell Lula the real motives, but instead talks about studying. Black is about to graduate. A wealthy cousin, Pelski, has turned up and is wooing Lula. Augustinowicz, who doesn't think much of Lula and is of the opinion that she will marry the rich relative anyway, does not tell her the truth. Black becomes seriously ill over this conflict and struggles with death. When Helena, who has flourished since Schwarzens marriage proposal, visits him in the hospital and he hurls the truth at her in his maddened fever that he does not love her, Helena falls madly, wanders through the city and goes into the water. In the meantime, Lula, in the opinion that she would marry Schwarz, has decided in favor of him and rejects Pelski's proposal. When she finally learned the truth through Augustinowicz, a world collapsed for her too. Augustinowicz tries to make up for what he has sinned against Lula and gets Pelski to propose to her again. But Lula, now matured inside, goes to Odessa to live and work independently. Black, on the other hand, will get well again, but he's a completely different person. The once energetic is now apathetic and absent-minded.
On the evening of the same day, Augustinowicz said to Schwarz : We use up too much vitality in the hunt for love for women - love flies away like a bird and we have split our strengths .
expenditure
- Pisma Henryka Sienkiewicza. T. 74. Na marne . Warsaw: Redakcya Tygodnika Illustrowanago, 1905
- Well marne. Well jasnym brzegu. Pisma T. 36 . Warsaw: Gebethner & Wolff, 1912
German translations
- Splintered. From the Kiev student life . Leipzig: Reclam, 1882 (translation: Philipp Löbenstein)
- Splintered and other short stories . Regensburg: Habbel , undated
- Splintered. From the Kiev student life . New edition. Leipzig: Reclam, 1918 (translation: Philipp Löbenstein)
