ABSTRACT
Joseph von Eichendorff speaks, in his 'Wünschelrute', of a magic formula, a 'Zauberwort' which enables man to draw forth the 'song which sleeps in all things'. No doubt he is thinking also of the spirit in which he wishes to be read, but his primary concern here is the poet's art and, as is usual in such cases, first and foremost his own. The inner world of the Gemüt is anything but a safe and simple one for Eichendorff and he has no intention of by-passing this labyrinth. The solipsistic potential in the romantic outlook is a real threat and one to which Eichendorff, as a romantic himself, is entitled to point, even if his judgements on some of his fellow romantics are a little severe. The combination of a negative expression with a positive motif here is a good illustration of the fact that the romantic sense of duality is present in Eichendorff too.
