Heine - Heinrich Heine

Japanese: ハイネ - はいね（英語表記）Heinrich Heine

German poet. Born in Düsseldorf on December 13, 1797, as the eldest son of a Jewish textile merchant. His real name was Harry, and after converting from Judaism to Protestantism he changed his name to Heinrich. At the time, the town was under French occupation, and in a Germany divided into small feudal states, liberalism and the worship of Napoleon still thrived here. However, after Napoleon's downfall, the town became part of Prussia, and the town suffered even more oppression than before. It was during this period that Heine developed the orientation towards freedom and liberation and sober view of reality that would run throughout his life.

[Hiroshi Komatsu]

Life in Germany

In 1815, he trained to become a merchant, but gave up due to lack of aptitude. In 1819, with the support of his wealthy uncle, he went to the University of Bonn to study law. He attended the universities of Bonn, Göttingen, and Berlin, and also developed an interest in literature and philosophy, listening to lectures by A. W. Schlegel and Hegel. During his time in Berlin (1821-23), he frequented the salons of famous literary figures, and interacted with up-and-coming writers such as Hoffmann and Grabbe, which marked the beginning of his literary development. His youthful love for his uncle's daughters and tears of disappointment crystallized in the exquisite poems "Poems" (1821) and "Lyrics with Tragedy" (1823). In the autumn of 1824, he visited Goethe in Weimar, but was treated coldly, which repelled him. In 1825, he obtained a law degree from the University of Göttingen. Just before graduation, he converted to Christianity (Protestantism) in order to gain an "admission ticket to European culture." However, the ticket was of no use to Heine, and his dream of establishing a law practice was shattered, but he published the first and second volumes of Pictures from Travels (1826, 1827) and the collection of poems Liederbuch (1827), which increased his fame.

Heine's lyric poetry is characterized by an unparalleled harmony between folk songs and artistry. Simple folk-like rhythms are fused with simple words rich in tone to clearly shape images. The rich musicality that arises from this has captured the hearts of many composers, and many of the masterpieces of German song are based on Heine's poems. However, he did not remain a lyric poet. The Songbook already contains poems that expose the contradictions in society, and the second volume of Travel Pictures was banned due to its criticism of the church and aristocracy. The late 1820s was a time of wandering for the poet Heine. In 1827, he traveled to England, but was unable to adapt and returned to Japan. In 1828, he traveled from Munich to Italy. In 1829, he argued with the poet Count Platen, and in the third volume of Travel Pictures, he exposed the Count's private life, which drew public criticism. In the spring of 1830, he coughed up blood. In despair, he rested on the island of Heligoland. There he heard the news of the July Revolution in Paris, which gave him new strength, and the following year, fearing he would be arrested for criticizing the government, he left his home country and moved to Paris.

[Hiroshi Komatsu]

Exile in Paris

In Paris, Heine made friends with Ludwig Bernet, who had been in exile earlier and was a vocal advocate of the liberation of his homeland, and other French romantic poets. He sympathized with Saint-Simonism and began a free-spirited life. He also worked energetically with the pen, publishing excellent essays and critiques that served as a bridge between German and French culture, such as "The French Condition" (1833), "The Romantics" (1834), "The History of German Religion and Philosophy" (1834), and "Lutetia" (1854). Heine's relentless pen, which was written in response to his country being dragged into a reactionary policy to maintain the system, enraged the German authorities, and in 1835, all of Heine's works, as a representative writer of the "Young Germans," were banned. Due to financial difficulties, Heine received a pension from the French government, a fact that was later discovered and he was accused of pandering to the system.

At the same time, he fell in love with a young French girl whom he called "Mathilde". In 1841, he slandered his old friend Bernet in "Memoirs of Bernet" (1840), resulting in him whipping the dead man, and fought a duel with Bernet's followers. Although both escaped unscathed, Heine married Mathilde beforehand, just in case. The summer he spent with her in the Pyrenees inspired him to write his witty and satirical poem "Atta Troll, A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1847). Perhaps influenced by his free-spirited life and the constant battles with his enemies, Heine began to feel unwell from around the age of 40. In 1843, Heine secretly returned to his homeland for the first time in 12 years. His experiences bore fruit in the epic poem "A Winter's Tale" (1844), which predicted the socialist revolution. Heine's friendship with Marx, who stayed in Paris, also had a great influence on his poetry. At the same time as "A German Winter's Tale," he also published "New Poems" (1844), a collection of unrestrained poems that he had composed mainly during his time in Paris. Meanwhile, his health deteriorated year by year, and in 1848 he began to spend his days groaning in the "grave of death." Heine was devastated by the pain of his spinal cord disease. It was around this time that he became disgusted with the world and began to turn to God. However, he overcame this extreme condition with his strong will, and recovered to complete a series of important works in his later years, such as "Romanzero" (1851), three volumes of "Miscellany" (1854), "Confessions" (1854), and "Memoirs" (1854). Here, we see Heine pioneering a new realm, apart from the realms of suffering, God, and pessimism that illness calls forth, by wrapping pain in humor and by his resilience in not letting the illness get close. The last flame of the poet's love was lit on Camilla Cerdan, who spent several months by his bedside. Heine loved her and called her Mouche (fly). Heine left this world on February 17, 1856, entrusting the love that had blossomed in his soul to his final masterpiece, Flowers of the Passion (1856). His funeral was held privately, and his coffin was buried in Montmartre, Paris.

[Hiroshi Komatsu]

A People's Poet of Love and Revolution

Heine lived a life full of contradictions: he sang passionately of love, sternly called for revolution, boldly denounced the establishment, received a pension, was born Jewish, and converted to Christianity. Due to his many facets, he was viewed in many different ways, and was completely erased, especially during the Hitler era. In recent years, he has been recognized as the greatest revolutionary people's poet of the 19th century. He was also an excellent essayist and critic, and his sharp and satirical writing gave new life to the German language.

Since the Meiji era, Heine has been translated by Mori Ogai, Ueda Bin and others, and is one of the most beloved foreign poets in Japan. Heine has been variously accepted, retaining his own complexity, as a "tearful lyric poet," a "revolutionary poet," a "pessimistic poet," and so on. Even today, Heine still holds fresh surprises within him. This is because Heine's entire existence, which embodied the contradictions built into the times as his own contradictions, is endowed with a timeless modernity.

[Hiroshi Komatsu]

"The Complete Poems of Heine, translated by Shozo Inoue, 5 volumes (1972-73, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Heinrich Heine - Poet of Love and Revolution, by Shozo Inoue (Iwanami Shinsho)" ▽ "Heine the Poet, by Shigenobu Funaki (1965, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Heine Studies - Annual Report" (1977-, Heine Studies Publication Society)

[Reference] | Songbook

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

ドイツの詩人。1797年12月13日、ユダヤ人織物商の長男としてデュッセルドルフに生まれる。本名はハリーHarry、ユダヤ教からプロテスタントに改宗後はハインリヒと改名。当時この町はフランス軍の占領下にあり、封建的小国分立のドイツにあって、ここにはまだ自由主義とナポレオン崇拝が息づいていた。だが、ナポレオン失脚に伴いプロイセン領となり、以前にも増す圧政にあえぐことになる。ハイネの生涯を貫く自由と解放への指向性と、覚めた現実観はこの時代に培われた。

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ドイツでの半生

1815年、商人を志して修業するが適性に欠け、断念する。19年、富豪の叔父の援助でボン大学へ進学し法律を学ぶ。ボン、ゲッティンゲン、ベルリンの各大学に在籍し、文学、哲学にも関心を向け、A・W・シュレーゲル、ヘーゲルらの講義を聞く。ベルリン時代（1821～23）、著名な文学者のサロンに出入りし、ホフマン、グラッベなど新進の作家たちとも交流し、文学的発展が始まる。叔父の娘姉妹への青春の愛と失意の涙が、『詩集』（1821）、『悲劇付叙情挿曲』（1823）の珠玉の詩編に結晶する。24年秋、ワイマールにゲーテを訪ねたが冷遇されて反発したこともある。25年、ゲッティンゲン大学で法律の学位を取得。卒業直前、「ヨーロッパ文化への入場券」を得るためキリスト教（新教）に改宗する。しかしこの切符はハイネには無益だった。弁護士開業という生活設計の夢は破れたが、『旅の絵』第一巻、第二巻（1826、27）、詩集『歌の本』（1827）を発表、名声を高める。

　ハイネの叙情詩の特徴は、俗謡と芸術性の比類のない調和にある。素朴な民謡風のリズムに、音感に富む平易なことばが融合し、形象を明確に造形する。そこに生ずる豊かな音楽性は、多くの作曲家の心をとらえ、ドイツ歌曲の傑作の多くがハイネの詩によっている。しかし彼は叙情詩人の域にとどまらなかった。『歌の本』には社会の矛盾をえぐる詩編がすでにみられ、『旅の絵』第二巻は、その教会、貴族批判のために発禁となった。1820年代後半は詩人ハイネ流離の時代であった。27年、イギリスに渡ったが、なじめずに帰国する。28年、ミュンヘンからイタリアへ旅する。29年、詩人プラーテン伯と論争し、『旅の絵』第三巻で同伯の私生活を暴露して世の非難を浴びる。30年春喀血(かっけつ)する。失意の身をヘルゴラント島で静養する。そこでパリの7月革命の報を聞き、それが彼に新たな力を与えた。翌年、政府批判の結果、逮捕の危険を感じ、祖国を離れ、パリに移住する。

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パリ亡命時代

パリでは、先に亡命していて祖国解放の健筆を振るっていたルートウィヒ・ベルネや、フランス・ロマン派の詩人たちと親交を結ぶ。サン・シモン主義に共鳴、自由奔放な生活を始める。ペンの仕事も精力的で、『フランスの状態』（1833）、『ロマン派』（1834）、『ドイツの宗教と哲学の歴史』（1834）、『ルテーツィア』（1854）など、ドイツ・フランス文化の橋渡しを担う秀逸な論文や評論を発表する。体制維持の反動政策に引きずり込まれる祖国を思い、仮借なく振るう彼の反逆の筆は、ドイツ当局の激怒を買い、1835年、ハイネは「青年ドイツ派」の代表作家として、その全著作が発禁処分となった。経済的痛手もあって、彼はフランス政府から年金を受給、この事実がのちに発覚し、体制迎合のとがめを受ける。

　同じころ、彼が「マチルデ」とよんだ若いフランス娘への愛におぼれる。1841年、昔の友ベルネを『ルートウィヒ・ベルネ　覚え書』（1840）で誹謗(ひぼう)、死者にむち打つ結果となり、ベルネの信奉者と決闘に及び、双方無事であったが、ハイネは万一を思って事前にマチルデと結婚する。その夏、彼女とピレネー山中にいっしょに過ごしたことが、機知と風刺の物語詩『アッタ・トロル　夏の夜の夢』（1847）成立の契機となった。自由奔放な生活、多くの敵との争いの連続が影響したのか、40歳ごろから身体の変調を覚える。43年、ハイネはひそかに12年ぶりに祖国に帰る。その体験が、社会主義革命を予言する壮大な物語詩『ドイツ・冬物語』（1844）として結実した。パリに滞在したマルクスとの交友も、ハイネの詩作に大きく影響した。『ドイツ・冬物語』と同時に、おもにパリ時代に制作した奔放な詩の集成『新詩集』（1844）も上梓(じょうし)する。一方、健康は年々悪化し、48年、「しとねの墓穴」に呻吟(しんぎん)する日々が始まる。脊髄(せきずい)病の苦しみにハイネは打ちのめされた。世間を厭(いと)い、神へ目を向けるようになったのもこのころである。しかし、この極限状態を彼は強靭(きょうじん)な精神力で克服し、よみがえって、『ロマンツェーロ』（1851）、『雑録』三巻（1854）、『告白』（1854）、『メモワール』（1854）などの晩年の重要作品を相次いで完成。ここには、苦悩、神、厭世(えんせい)などの、病が呼び出す領域とは別に、苦痛を諧謔(かいぎゃく)に包み、病を近づけぬたくましさで、新たな境地を開拓するハイネの姿がある。詩人の愛の最後の灯火が、数か月を病床に寄り添うカミラ・セルダンのうえにともった。ハイネは彼女をムーシュ（蠅(はえ)）とよんで愛(いとし)んだ。魂の究極に芽生えた愛を、最後の傑作『受難の花』（1856）に託して、1856年2月17日、ハイネは世を去った。葬儀は内輪で行われ、柩(ひつぎ)はパリのモンマルトルに葬られた。

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愛と革命の民衆詩人

せつせつと愛を歌い、峻烈(しゅんれつ)に革命を叫び、果敢に体制を糾弾、かたわら年金を受給、ユダヤ人に生まれ、キリスト教に改宗するなど、矛盾多き生涯を送ったハイネは、その多面性ゆえに位置づけも多様で、とくにヒトラー時代には完全に抹殺された。近年、19世紀最大の革命的民衆詩人の評価が定まる。エッセイスト、評論家としても優れ、辛辣(しんらつ)で風刺に富むさえた筆は、ドイツ語に新しい生命を与えた。

　明治以来森鴎外(おうがい)、上田敏(びん)などによって訳され、ハイネは日本でもっとも愛読されてきた外国詩人の1人である。ハイネ自身の複雑さをそのままに、「涙の叙情詩人」「革命詩人」「厭世詩人」など、多様な受容がなされてきた。今日でも、ハイネはなお新鮮な驚きを内に秘めている。時代が内蔵した矛盾をそのまま自らの矛盾として具現したハイネの全存在が、時代を超越した現代性を備えているゆえんである。

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『井上正蔵訳『ハイネ全詩集』全5巻（1972～73・角川書店）』▽『井上正蔵著『ハインリヒ・ハイネ――愛と革命の詩人』（岩波新書）』▽『舟木重信著『詩人ハイネ』（1965・筑摩書房）』▽『『ハイネ研究――年報』（1977～　・ハイネ研究図書刊行会）』

[参照項目] | 歌の本

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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