Page:Goethe and Schiller's Xenions (IA goetheschillersx00goetiala).pdf/26

 Thus the two poets decided to wage a destructive war against their common enemies, and to come down upon them in a literary thunderstorm. The poets planned a "poetical deviltry," as they called it, and named their satirical poetry "Xenions."

The word Xenion originally meant a gift presented by a host to a stranger who enjoys his hospitality. The Roman poet Martial called his book of satirical epigrams Xenia; and, as Goethe and Schiller intended to make similar epigrammatical thrusts at Nicolai and other offenders, they adopted Martial's expression and called their verses Xenions. They agreed to publish all their Xenions together, and to regard them as their common property.

The first Xenions were very aggressive, but by and by they became more general and lost their personal character. There are among them many which are lofty and full of deep thought. It happened now and then that the authors of the Xenions hit the wrong man; but this, although to