Page:The Works of J. W. von Goethe, Volume 12.djvu/375

 Rh brighter, and glitters with more airy lightness and to a greater distance.

Kniep has to-day left me to make my pilgrimages and observations by myself, in order that he might accurately sketch the outline of Monte Pellegrino, the most beautiful headland in the whole world.

Here, again, I must put a few things together, something in the way of an appendix, and with the carelessness of familiarity.

At sunset of the 29th of March we left Naples, and after only a passage of four days and three hours cast anchor in the harbour of Palermo. The little diary which I enclose will give an account of ourselves and our fortunes. I never entered on a journey so calmly as on this, and have never had a more quiet time of it than during our passage, which a constant head wind has unusually prolonged, even though I passed the time chiefly on my bed, in a close little berth, to which I was obliged to keep during the first day, in consequence of a violent attack of sea-sickness. Now my thoughts pass over toward you; for if ever anything has exercised a decided influence on my mind, this voyage has certainly done so.

He who has never seen himself surrounded on all sides by the sea, can never possess an idea of the world and of his own relation to it. As a landscape-painter, I have received entirely new ideas from this great simple line.

During our voyage we had, as the diary records, many changes, and, on a small scale, experienced all a sailor's fortunes. However, the safety and convenience of the packet-boat cannot be sufficiently commended. Our captain is a very brave and an extremely handsome man. My fellow passengers consisted of a whole theatrical troop, well-mannered, tolerable, and agreeable. My artist, who accompanies me, is a merry,