HAMERLING, ROBERT (183o-1889), Austrian poet, was born at Kirchenberg-am-Walde, Lower Austria, on March 24, 183o, of humble parentage. In the revolutionary year of 1848 he joined the student's legion and in 1849 shared in the defence of Vienna against the imperialist troops of Prince Windischgratz. From 18S5 to 1866 he was master of the gymnasium at Trieste. After his retirement he lived quietly at his villa in Stiftingstal near Graz, where he died on July 13, 1889. Hamerling's most popular poem is Ahasver in Rom (1866), of which the emperor Nero is the central figure. Among his other works are Venus ins Exil (1858) ; Der Konig von Sion (1869), generally regarded as his masterpiece; Die sieben Todsiinden (1872) ; Blatter im Winde (1887); Homunculus (1888) : Amor and Psyche (1882). He also wrote a novel, Aspasia (1876), and a tragedy, Danton stud Robespierre (1870) .
A popular edition of Hamerling's works in four volumes was pub lished by M. M. Rabenlechner (Hamburg, 1900) . For the poet's life, see his autobiographical writings, Stationen meiner Lebenspilgerschaf t (1889) and Lehrjahre der Liebe (189o) ; also M. M. Rabenlechner, Hamerling, sein Leben and seine Werke, i. (Hamburg, 1896) ; a short biography by the same (Dresden, 1901) ; R. H. Kleinert, R. Hamerling, ein Dichter der Schonheit (Hamburg, 1889) ; A. Polzer, Hamerling, sein Wesen and Wirken (Hamburg, 189o) .