Chapter 36: No other pride than to be a human being

The farewell

 

This May evening was particularly pleasant with its cool and slightly scented air, and would have delighted anyone who longed for a pleasant weather, even during the night, after the rain and storm of the day. This May evening would have been perfect, if it were not, two days after the death of Schiller, the night of his burial.

 

Everyone in the house would remember how much Schiller loved spring, even in Weimar. The revival of Nature with the warm and bright weather has always fascinated him. And it is only sad that he should die in Spring, the period of renewal and revival. But maybe, this 11th of May, 1805, precisely augurs even more splendid renewal and revival? The silence in the house would only be disturbed by the rare insects which would venture in the house in this sad May evening.

 

Schiller‘s body has only been returned to his family, a couple of hours earlier, after the postmortem, and after undergone all the last preparations, it is now lying in the coffin. The children have already paid their last homage to their father and have already gone to bed, in truth, after many repeated summons. Everyone else in the house, now, is mourning in silence before the coffin. But, actually, there was only four persons persons there: Lotte, her sister Caroline, their friend Dora Stock and the faithful Ulrich.

 

They were still seated in mourning, all dressed in black, silent and looking rather confused, when the maid came to announce that some men have come for the burial. All the mourners uttered a little outcry of protestation as they have forgotten that it was indeed already very late, and time to part with their beloved husband and friend, the writer Frederick Schiller.

 

It was time for them to bid the last farewell. Lotte, in particular, could not help sighing deeply, as she was standing up and walking near the coffin. The eyes full of tears, she would put a hand on it, as if to touch from afar the body of her beloved husband. She knows that it was forbidden to her to accompany him to his last resting place. However, she also knows that anyone else was not allowed to. The reason was left unknown to her, despite her repeated requests the past two days. Then, some men arrived the day after his death from the office of the Mayor, to take the body for postmortem. Before she could say or do anything, they have already put him in a coffin and taken him away.

 

Now, again, eight men, dressed in black, covered with a black mantel and black trilby would advance in the room and proceed to the last rites. None of the mourners knew these men. Lotte expected that some of Schiller‘s colleagues, friends or acquaintances would come for this last ritual, but she soon realized, that no one else would stand by her in this most excruciating moment. No counselor, no court member, no artist from Weimar have dared to come this night to pay a last tribute to Frederick Schiller. The distress of Lotte was palpable in her eyes and movements. She seems to summon the most extraordinary inner forces not to break down before the other persons.

 

The eight men are now taking the coffin down the stairs and Lotte could only but follow them. At this moment, Caroline, her sister, would try to hold her, but in vain. Before she could say anything, Lotte was already in the stairs. So she would  also follow her.

 

The eight men have already taken the street in direction of the burying place, and Lotte, now held by Caroline could not step outside the entrance door to follow them. She would follow with her eyes, the funeral procession, marching in the darkness of a splendid night of May, which the rain in the afternoon has released the light scented of the flowers and the trees, rapidly heading towards the  town‘s outskirts. It would be her last silent farewell. As the eight men have disappeared in the night, a question would suddenly arise in her head:

 

            - „Caroline, where are they bringing Schiller‘s corpse?“ would she then ask nervously to her sister.

            - „I don‘t know, my dear Lotte, I just don‘t know!“ would Caroline just answer, almost falling into tears.