-- Christa Wolf, No Place on Earth. I want to re-read Kleist's Michael Kohlhaus once again in light of this novel. I so wish Gunderrode's poetry was translated.

--The World does what comes most easily to it: It keeps silent.

Bruges-la-Morte

...to be shedding petals of flowers of iron! 102

The street had quickly emptied and was already silent with the excessive sadness of a passing joy. 98

The solemn music of the serpents and ophicleides rose to mock the fragile, intermittent garland of the song of the sopranos. 97

The poplars on the bank were complaining. 86

...prey to the bells! 85

But the weight of the towers was too heavy. 85

...this irremediable Bruges and its grey melancholy.85

Thus the martyrdom is accompanied by painted music.77

In the air hangs a scent of damp linen, of rainwashed coifs, of musty altar-cloths just removed from ancient cupboards.77

And bells were ringing, so faint, so distant! How far away the city! One would think that in its turn it no longer existed, had been dissolved, drowned in the rain that submerged everything...Matched sadness! It is for Bruges-la-Morte that a sound of parish bells still tumbles from the highest belfries, and grieves!69

In the middle, a meadow straight out of Jan van Eyck, with neat, rich grass and a grazing sheep reminiscent of the paschal lamb. 58

...the resemblance between himself and the city. 49

And this water itself, in spite of so many reflections -- corners of blue sky, roof tiles, snowy swans sailing by, green waterside poplars -- unifies itself in colorless paths of silence. 48

The sound of the bells also comes over as rather black; now, muffled and melting in the air, it turns to an equally grey clamor drifting along, glancing off and undulating on the water of the canals. 48

The eyes, like moths, have forgotten everything: the dark corners, the cold window panes, the rain outside, the winter, the carillons sounding the death of the hours -- eyes whihc now flitted only in the narrow ring of lamplight. 39

Now the violins were unfolding the first bars.33