Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Africa: Vol. XXIV. 1876–79. | | | | Introductory to Africa | | Under the Palm-Trees | | Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810–1876) |
| | Translated by C. Boner
MANES are fluttering through the bushes; deadly strife is in the wood: | |
| Hear’st thou not the roar and stamping from yon palm-grove’s neighborhood? | |
| Climb with me upon the teak-tree! Gently, lest thy quiver’s rattle | |
| Should disturb them! Look, the tiger and the leopard meet in battle! | |
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| For the body of the white man, whom the tiger did surprise | 5 |
| Sleeping mid the crimson flowers on this slope of many dyes,— | |
| For the stranger, three moons nearly our tent’s guest, us oft inviting | |
| With him plants to seek and chafers,—the pied monsters now are fighting. | |
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| Woe! no arrow more can save him! Closed already is his eye! | |
| Red his temples as the blossoms of the thistle waving nigh; | 10 |
| As within a bloody basin, where the mound is slightly dinted, | |
| Lies he; and his cheek is deeply with the tiger’s claw imprinted. | |
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| Woe, white man! on thee thy mother nevermore shall glad her eyes!— | |
| Foaming at the mouth, the leopard on the raging tiger flies; | |
| But his left paw he reposes on the body to be rended, | 15 |
| And the right one, high uplifted, threatening to the foe is wended. | |
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| What a bound! Look, look, the leaper grips the dead man by the arm! | |
| But the other holds his booty; dragging it he flies from harm. | |
| On their hind legs fight they; wildly each upon the other gazing, | |
| As they rear, the livid body stark upright between them raising. | 20 |
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| Then,—O look! above them something gliding from the branches hangs, | |
| Greenly shining, jaws all open, poisonous slime upon its fangs! | |
| Giant serpent! thou the booty leav’st to neither forest-ranger! | |
| Thou entwinest, thou dost crush them,—tiger, leopard, and pale stranger! | | | | |
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