NEUOFFENBARUNG← Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Contents
Mystery of the mountains – a poem about the ‘Kleinalpe’ (Small
Alps) 15th July 1841
On July 14, J.L. – G.B. – Andr., Jos. and Ans. H. climbed the highest peak of the Kleinalpe near Übelbach in favorable weather conditions and – despite a persistent cold stormy wind from the west – stayed three hours on the height, from where the most important high mountains of Upper Styria as well as the cities of Judenburg and Leoben could be clearly seen. On July 15, the following announcement was given to the servant J.L.:
Write! A sweet word can be heard from the heights of the mountains on the free, beautiful peak of the Kleinalpe:
[1] Why do you stare, weary crowd, towards those mountains, where rugged crests consecrate their fragrances to Me, the Creator? Recognize your guilt! And learn it well from these heroes, What all they tell you of your Father, their Creator. How boldly and mightily they stand there, these great witnesses, And will never, like you, be silent about My greatness! Around their holy tops often joyful mists circle And help them thankfully, silently, praise the great Father. And bright winds rush mightily over high pinnacles. To indicate that the rocks there initiate My praise.
[2] You are afraid, you dull seer, of the gigantic heights, You shiver when the pure spirits of the Alps blow around you, as cool winds draw many a tear from thine eye! But if you want to see how eons of white flakes form, they form joyfully from the sleepy clouds and then carefully steer them onto all the high mossy fields, And would you see all this with your own mind's eye And see what all these spirit's work is good for – Only then would you like to shout: He who respects the works of God hath vain delight! They show him the strength of the holy Father!
[3] You have seen the bold mountains of the Oberland and also looked at the lower stone dwarfs on their laps. You saw the high "Schwab" and "Reiting" all fragrantly resplendent, the "Preacher's Chair" and other mountains wrestling with clouds. Oh hear these rare mountain formations speak! Hear their word in your stony heart's sandy weaknesses! It reads briefly, then: You weak man on this earth! You watch all drunk with delight, dumb to our complaint, our noble splendor. But if you would come closer to us,
then you might shudder at our heavy chains of trials!"
[4] And so the mountains put further words you to heart, so understandable: "Look at us and see the old coffins, how we stand there and majestically rise into the air, so also we carry a myriad of dead always in us. And if God's compassionate love would not cool us, verily the fury of wrath would soon fill the land. For we must hold fast in our hard bodies, lest, flaming, in one hour, the earth would change. But to prevent this and to keep the peace for you, therefore we bear the great burden in your stead!"
[5] Oh let the mighty words of the mountains bore deep into your heart! For again they put their tongues to your ears, so audibly: When the mists circle us nimbly, Shrouding our high crests, behold, there mighty travelling beings visit us, already ancient guardians of the dead, And they drown in us the godless ones with their love Through uncountable tears from love's eyes. Those in us who carefully suck in the gift of love. They will then be awakened to rise into free life. and little by little into the height, as it is given to you humans.
[6] And since the mouth of the mountain is already open for you, so listen still further to what the breath of the High One beckons to you: When fresh winds rush mightily over our heads, that you will not be able to dwell on us for long. It is there that legions of new lives rise up and, hurrying carefully, strive for the plant-rich plains. To reach such a predetermined goal as soon as possible, they unite with mists according to old dissolving customs and then fall as light rain over plant shoots, where they, reviving, aerate themselves into life.
[7] And when in late autumn the early flakes clothe us, so that all warm and lively life tends to avoid us, even many a bright spring freezes in it's fall, and everything silently on our free halls of life falls, A new time beckons to you, explorer, to remain true with your eyes and ears. For there it begins to drift up, down. On all sides you see nothing but striving For a solid form, so as to announce itself as life. For such is the time of homesickness, when everything want to find itself.
That is why every spirit likes to be bound by others.
[8] And when the full, faithful winter has come, then not at all seldom our firm breast becomes trembling. For then the justices of the peace of the far north overtake us, Sprinkle our deep furrows soon by their light Of deep snow and stiffest ice, pressing us to the test. Oh see, then it is not delightful to walk on our heights. For there every free life is so hard seized, That it may never feel love's sweet urge. And when spring's breath breaks even the north's bonds, No life returns to the former homeland!
[9] Only when the silent snow and icy light has given way, when a warm spring has swept away the winter, then the plant life returns well strengthened. But the songs of frost-bitten birds never return. Even people whom the north has crushed on our backs, They will hardly be refreshed by our sun's rays. But so a free life here has become endangered By too peaceful a rule of our overloyal north, Let no-one complain too much about us mountains. For such a prisoner begins another life!
[10] And so this little song may serve you as a "flag", with which you can easily gain the meaning of all the mountains and more easily understand what I will still give you. Truly, you can lift many a doubt through this "flag". For it is easier to climb mountains and look down on others, Than to understand whence on it such delightful dawn comes. Therefore, before the greater gift I gave you this flag in your hands, so that it may admonish you faithfully beforehand, that My next gift will be poured out in wisdom, which you can easily open up for yourselves through this key.