Chess Lolo
Chess Lolo or the divine right of those in power. An oriental story is a story by Christoph Martin Wieland . It appeared in 1778 in the magazine Der Teutsche Merkur published by Wieland . Wieland then published them again in 1785 and 1791 in Wieland's Auserlesene Gedichte and in 1795, as the final edition , in CM Wieland's Complete Works , Volume 10.
The text consists of 797 rhyming verses with no fixed meter or rhyme scheme. It is a free adaptation of a story from the Arabian Nights , which Wieland was familiar with through Antoine Galland's French translation.
action
Verses 1–195: The story begins with philosophical considerations: Wieland ironically defends the monarch's divine right to rule without restrictions. Wieland counters the possible counter-argument that this would also justify tyranny by referring to the compensatory fate: "No injustice remains unpunished, no suffering unreimbursed" (v.120). Wieland depicts the ruler, surrounded by hypocrites and whisperers, as a pitiful figure: through weakness of will and mistrust, he causes more damage than "ten tyrants" (v. 188) and suffers from this condition himself.
Verse 196-313: Now begins the real story, which the above mentioned. Theses to illustrate: Schach Lolo, the Sultan of Scheschian, leads a luxurious but monotonous life. The narrator describes his daily routine in which chess Lolo is only led from one dining room to the next (even more splendid). The viziers worship him obsequiously, and a choir of "nymphs" awaits him in every hall to sing to him of his great deeds.
Verse 314–441: Schach Lolo falls ill with leprosy , his doctors are powerless against it. A stranger named Duban comes to his court and claims to be able to cure the Sultan within seven days - if not, he is ready to lose his head. He hands the Sultan a "mallet": The talisman contained therein is said to have a healing effect when it is set in vibration. In fact, it is a bat for Paille-Maille , a sport related to croquet . While riding, the Sultan is supposed to hit a ball with the bat (so to speak, play polo ) "until the sweat breaks out of all pores" (v. 417), then bathe and go to sleep. He feels better every day and gets better.
Verse 442-607: The Sultan is overly grateful to Duban and honors him so much that Rukh, the Grand Vizier, becomes jealous of him and fears for his own position. Rukh portrays Duban to the Sultan as a traitor who seeks his life. Rukh demands Duban's death, the sultan reluctantly agrees.
Verse 608-797: The Sultan pronounces the death sentence on Duban. He asks for an hour and tells him that he has a "wonder book". He claims that if the head falls into a golden bowl on the book when he is beheaded, then the head stays alive and can answer all the sultan's questions. The beheading is carried out in this way and the miracle actually happens: The severed head asks the Sultan to read certain questions from the eighth page of the book and to put the head back on the trunk. The Sultan licks his finger every time the page is turned. The poison with which the pages are soaked works immediately. Duban accuses the dying sultan of being "cold in heart, dull in senses" (v. 786) and thus himself to be responsible for his death. Then he leaves the hall with his head enlarged again.
interpretation
According to Walter Hinderer , the story is a "political satire en miniature " in which Wieland also criticized the courtly world of his time. More important to him than the action depicted, however, is the manner of representation, which is characterized by wit, grace and play with linguistic forms.
Web links
literature
- Jürgen Jacobs : Wieland's ›Schach Lolo‹ or the state philosophy of the Rococo . In: Wieland Studies Vol. 5. Ed. Klaus Manger and v. Wieland Archive Biberach. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter 2005, pp. 45–53.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Walter Hinderer: Afterword. In: CM Wieland: Hann and Gulpenheh. Chess Lolo. Verse narratives. Ed. V. Walter Hinderer . Stuttgart: Reclam 1970, pp. 39-54.