Leeser Rosenthal and 'Das Lied von der Glocke'

Abstract

Heide Warncke Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana's founder, Leeser Rosenthal (1794-1868), was a fascinating man. Born in the Warsaw region of Poland, he enjoyed a traditional Jewish upbringing. As a young man he felt a longing to extend his intellectual horizons. He travelled to Berlin and Paderborn where he learned German, acquired a broad education in Haskalah literature and the German classics, as well as world history and the social aspects of life. From his love oflanguage, his receptive nature and critical stance emerged Rosenthal the author. Among the items he left at his death is a small writing book that he had filled around 1817 while in Paderborn. It contains poems, parables, short stories, definitions of Hebrew synonyms and even a few riddles in this language. Perhaps less well known is that he also translated a number of poems by Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) into Hebrew. For Rosenthal, who had only recently learned German, it must have been a considerable challenge to attempt the sublime, flowery language of this classic poet.