Luise Hensel
Encyclopedia
Luise Hensel was a German
religious author
and poet.
Luise Hensel, the sister of Wilhelm Hensel
and the sister-in-law of the composer of Fanny Mendelssohn
was born on March 30, 1798 in the small town of Linum in the German Federal State
of Brandenburg
. After the death of her father in 1809, she moved to Berlin
with her mother. Eventually, while living in Berlin, she joined the Roman Catholic Church
.
Also, around this time, two men, the author Clemens Brentano
and the composer Ludwig Berger, shared an unrequited love for Hensel. However, Hensel still influenced the romantic style of Brentano quite significantly; Brentano wrote the following to his brother in 1817: "These songs (referring to twenty songs sent to him by Hensel) at first broke my heart, causing me to burst into tears, their truth and simplicity striking me as the holiest that man could produce."
Another author, Wilhelm Müller
, was also unlucky in love with Hensel. The story of this unfulfilled love is recorded in two works composed by Franz Schubert
, the song cycle
Die schöne Müllerin
(English: The pretty mill-girl) and Winterreise
(English: Winter Journey). The love of another man, casual friend Ludwig von Gerlach, who would later become a teacher of Otto von Bismarck
, led to Hensel enjoying a high place within the Centre Party
, a powerful political party in Germany at the time. This conflicted with her religious feelings, however, and in an emotional crisis, she joined the Catholic Church.
These circumstances weighed heavily on Hensel, and in 1819, she left Berlin. She entered into the service of princess Mimi Salm-Reifferscheidt-Krautheim, traveling first to Münster
, and eventually to Düsseldorf
. In Münster, under the influence of religious teacher Bernhard Overberg, her convictions deepened. Later, on March 6, 1820, she took a vow of virginity
.
In 1821, she took a job as a teacher for the widow of the poet Count Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg in the town of Sondermühlen, where she stayed until 1823. While there she came to the end of her religious development, and decided to take her foster son and move. They moved to the small Westphalian
town of Wiedenbrück, where she enrolled him in the local boy's school. They lived a quiet life in the town until the year 1827.
From then on, she led a life of pilgrimage, a life of self-imposed poverty and privation. This began with her teaching at a church in Aachen
, where she taught for six years, teaching, among others, the eventual founder of the "Sisters of the Poor Children of Jesus
," Clara Fey. Her religious convictions were once again tested by love, this time in the form of a marriage proposal from a doctor, Clemens August Alertz, who would later become the personal physician to Pope
Pius IX. She spent the rest of her life conducting religious teachings, and writing religious works, moving several times. She died in Paderborn
on December 18, 1876, at the age of 78.
English Translation:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
religious author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and poet.
Life
Wilhelm Hensel
Wilhelm Hensel was a German painter, brother of Luise Hensel, husband to Fanny Mendelssohn, and brother-in-law to Felix Mendelssohn....
and the sister-in-law of the composer of Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn , later Fanny Hensel, was a German pianist and composer, the sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn and granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn...
was born on March 30, 1798 in the small town of Linum in the German Federal State
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
. After the death of her father in 1809, she moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
with her mother. Eventually, while living in Berlin, she joined the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Also, around this time, two men, the author Clemens Brentano
Clemens Brentano
Clemens Brentano, or Klemens Brentano was a German poet and novelist.-Overview:He was born in Ehrenbreitstein, near Koblenz, Germany. His sister was Bettina von Arnim, Goethe's correspondent. His father's family was of Italian descent. He studied in Halle and Jena, afterwards residing at...
and the composer Ludwig Berger, shared an unrequited love for Hensel. However, Hensel still influenced the romantic style of Brentano quite significantly; Brentano wrote the following to his brother in 1817: "These songs (referring to twenty songs sent to him by Hensel) at first broke my heart, causing me to burst into tears, their truth and simplicity striking me as the holiest that man could produce."
Another author, Wilhelm Müller
Wilhelm Müller
Wilhelm Müller was a German lyric poet.-Life:Wilhelm Müller was born at Dessau, the son of a tailor. He was educated at the gymnasium of his native town and at the university of Berlin, where he devoted himself to philological and historical studies...
, was also unlucky in love with Hensel. The story of this unfulfilled love is recorded in two works composed by Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, the song cycle
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
Die schöne Müllerin
Die schöne Müllerin
Die schöne Müllerin , is a song cycle by Franz Schubert on poems by Wilhelm Müller. It is the earliest extended song cycle to be widely performed. The work is considered one of Schubert's most important, and it is widely performed and recorded....
(English: The pretty mill-girl) and Winterreise
Winterreise
Winterreise is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert , a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two great song cycles on Müller's poems, the earlier being Die schöne Müllerin...
(English: Winter Journey). The love of another man, casual friend Ludwig von Gerlach, who would later become a teacher of Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, led to Hensel enjoying a high place within the Centre Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
, a powerful political party in Germany at the time. This conflicted with her religious feelings, however, and in an emotional crisis, she joined the Catholic Church.
These circumstances weighed heavily on Hensel, and in 1819, she left Berlin. She entered into the service of princess Mimi Salm-Reifferscheidt-Krautheim, traveling first to Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, and eventually to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. In Münster, under the influence of religious teacher Bernhard Overberg, her convictions deepened. Later, on March 6, 1820, she took a vow of virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
.
In 1821, she took a job as a teacher for the widow of the poet Count Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg in the town of Sondermühlen, where she stayed until 1823. While there she came to the end of her religious development, and decided to take her foster son and move. They moved to the small Westphalian
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
town of Wiedenbrück, where she enrolled him in the local boy's school. They lived a quiet life in the town until the year 1827.
A lifelong pilgrimage
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, where she taught for six years, teaching, among others, the eventual founder of the "Sisters of the Poor Children of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
," Clara Fey. Her religious convictions were once again tested by love, this time in the form of a marriage proposal from a doctor, Clemens August Alertz, who would later become the personal physician to Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Pius IX. She spent the rest of her life conducting religious teachings, and writing religious works, moving several times. She died in Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
on December 18, 1876, at the age of 78.
Works
Her "Gedichte" (English: Poems), which includes some work by her sister, Wilhelmine, was published in 1858, and shows a wistful piety on the part of Hensel, and is a prime example of German religious poetry. Two more books, compilations of her songs and poems, were published. "Lieder" (English: Songs) was published in 1869, and her last work, "Briefe der Dichterin Luise H." (English: Letters of the poet Luise H.), was published posthumously in 1878. One of her most well-known poems, "Müde bin ich" (English: I am tired), appears below in its original German, and an English translation.Müde bin ich
Original German:- Müde bin ich
- Müde bin ich, geh' zur Ruh',
- Schließe beide Äuglein zu;
- Vater, laß die Augen dein
- Über meinem Bette sein!
- Hab' ich Unrecht heut' gethan,
- Sieh' es, lieber Gott, nicht an!
- Deine Gnad' und Jesu Blut
- Macht ja allen Schaden gut.
- Alle, die mir sind verwandt,
- Gott, laß ruhn in deiner Hand!
- Alle Menschen, groß und klein,
- Sollen dir befohlen sein.
- Kranken Herzen sende Ruh',
- Nasse Augen schließe zu;
- Laß den Mond am Himmel stehn
- Und die stille Welt besehn!
English Translation:
- I am tired
- I am tired, now I rest,
- I close both my small eyes;
- Father, let your eyes
- Be over my bed!
- If I have done wrong today,
- See it not, beloved God!
- Your mercy and Jesus’ blood
- Forgive [make better] all sins
- Everyone I care about,
- God, let them rest in your hand!
- All men, both small and large,
- Should be followers of you.
- Send rest to sick hearts,
- let teary eyes be closed;
- Let the moon stand in the heavens,
- And shine upon the peaceful world!