Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/286

268 In this poem the religious-ethical element is by far more prominent than in "Danserinden," in which it appeared for the first time. Later the poet frequently employed it again and it forms the basis of several of his best works, such as "Abels Död" (Abel's Death), "Benedikt fra Nursia," "Paradiset," "Ahasverus," and "Kalænus." The last named work is profoundly conceived and executed in a grander style than the most of his other works. The poet here represents the Greek intellectual life with its exclusive love of beauty, and contrasts it with the speculative Indian mysticism, with the latter's hazy yet far more ambitious ideals, and then he impersonates both these essentially different and utterly irreconcilable views of life, the Greek by the world-conquering Alexander, and the Indian by the sage Kalænus, who is solely in quest of God. The latter enthusiastically meets the Greek hero as the divinity whom he has so long been expecting, but by degrees he perceives that he has been taking appearances for reality, and he expiates his error by immolating himself on an altar to the God whom he has offended. The sage is really a sublime figure, and Alexander is also represented in a manner no less magnificent or charming. With matchless art and skill the poet has succeeded in drawing truthful and striking pictures from both the worlds which have come into conflict, and as both the principal figures are right from his stand-point, the effect is necessarily a very tragical one. A strikingly brilliant halo of beauty had been thrown around the heroic figure of Alexander and around the life of which it is the centre.

Of Paludan-Müller's works, that owe their origin to the other main tendency of his poetry, and which deal with ancient mythology, the best in addition to his "Amor and Psyche" are "Venus," "Tithon" and "Dryadens Bryllup" (the wedding of the dryad). All his works in this field are clothed in the dramatic form; the only exception being the small lyric epic "Adonis," which was written a short time before the author's death. Though this class of