Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/379

Rh According to the testimony of his contemporaries improvisation played an important part in the creation of his poems, but this must not be taken in an exclusive sense as if they were to be regarded as wholly the production of the moment. There is no doubt that Bellman, though verses flowed from him spontaneously, gave much time and attention to the form of his poems, for none of them bear the unmistakable stamp of improvisation, and the latter was accordingly only the first stage which his productions passed through. Tradition has faithfully handed down how the poet at the merry gatherings of friends would take the zither in hand and sing now a song previously composed, now one inspired by the circumstances of the hour.

There exists a graphic account of his last song, which throws a vivid light on his remarkable talent. Atterbom relates the incident in the following manner: "When he felt that his last moment was approaching, he sent word to his friends that he desired to spend an hour with them as in the good old time. He slipped into the room almost like a shadow, but the old friendly smile was on his lips. He said that he wanted to give them an opportunity 'of hearing Bellman' once more. Mightier now than ever before the spirit of song seized him, and he gathered the vanishing rays of his creative genius into an improvised song of leave-taking. Thus during the whole night, under the afflatus of an uninterrupted stream of inspiration, he sang of his own happy fate and in honor of his liberal king, thanking Providence that his lot had been cast among so noble a people, and that he had been born in the beautiful land of the North. Finally he expressed his thanks and good-bye to each one present in a special stanza and melody, therein describing the individual peculiarity of each one of his friends and his peculiar relation to the poet. At the dawn of day his friends with many tears implored him to cease and to spare his lungs, which were seriously affected, but he replied: 'let us die as we have lived, in music!'