CEELENSCHLAGER, ADAM GOTTL013, the greatest poet of northern Europe, was b. in 1779, at Copenhagen: His early years were.spent at the palace of Fredericksborg, in the neighborhood of the Danish capital, where his father was employed, first as organist, and afterwards as steward or bailiff. During the absence of the royal family in the winter, (Ehlenschlager and his sister amused themselves in roaming over the palace, and exam ining the paintings and works of art which it contained, and in improvising private the atricals, for which he supplied original pieces. After an irrezular and desultory course of education, (Ehlenselager's love of the drama led him to or his services to the man ager of the Copenhagen theater; but, discovering soon that lie had no chance of rising above the rank of a mere supernumerary, he entered the university of Copenhagen as a student of law. For a time he seems to have pursued his studies with tolerable assiduity, under the direction of his friend, A. S. Oersted, who, together with his distinguished brother, H. C. Oersted (q.v.), had cemented a life-long friendship with him. (Elden schlagfr's studies were interrupted in 1801, when, on the bombardment of Copenhagen by Nelson and Parker, he and his friends served in the student-corps of volunteers. After this event, which roused the dormant patriotism of the nation, (Ehlenschlager found the study of law too irksome, and devoted all his energies to the cultivation of the history and mythology of his own country. In 1803 appeared his first collection of poems, including one . onger dramatic piece, St-Hans Aften-Spit, which attracted favor able notice for the lively fancy with which national habits and local characteristics were portrayed. The Vaulunders Saga in the Poetirke &rifler, published' in 1805, and his Aladdin's Lampe, completed his success, and raised him to the rank of the first of living Danish poets; the former of these works having shown a marvelous capacity for reflecting the dark and stern coloring of the old northern Sagas, while the latter gave evidence of a rich and genial poetic fancy. These early efforts were rewarded by the acquisition of a traveling pension, which enabled him to spend some years in visiting various parts of the continent, and becoming acquainted with the great literary celebri ties of the day, such as the Weimar circle, of whom Goethe was the head. During this period, (Ehlenschlager wrote his Hakon d'art, the first of his long series of northern tra gedies, at Halle (1807; Eng. trans. by F. C. Lascelles, (1875), and his Coreggio, at Rome
(1809; Eng. trans. by Theodore Martin, 1854). In 1810 CEhlenschltiger returned to Den mark, where he was hailed with acclamation as the greatest tragic poet Denmark had ever known; and having soon afterwards obtained the chair of msthetics at the university, anfl received various substantial proofs of royal favor, lie married, and settled in the capital, where his peace was, however, rudely disturbed by a literary feud with Baggesen. the Danish poet and critic, whose poetical supremacy had been superseded by that of (Ehlenschlttger. In 1819 appeared one of CEIllenschlitger's most masterly productions, Hardens (hider, and this and the numerous dramatic compositions written about the same period, show that the severe criticism to which his writings had been exposed during the celebrated Bagessen quarrel, had corrected some of the faults, and lessened the self conceit which had characterized his earlier works. His reputation_ spread with his increasing yearaiiiiii&broad- and at 'home; and after having visited the more southern parts of Europe, tie went, in 1829, to Sweden, where his arrival was welcomed by a public ovation; and after having received repeated marks of friendship from various sovereigns, be was honored in his own country by the celebration, in 1849, of a grand public, festival, held in the palace at Copenhagen. But this ovation was unfortunately followed in less than two months by his death, which took place in Jan.. 1850. Ills funeral was kept as a national solemnity, and he was followed to the grave by a civic procession, which included members of every class of society, from princes to artizans. The fame of (Ehlenschlitger will rest principally on his tragedies, of which he wrote 24, 19 of the number being on northern subjects. These were all composed originally in 'Danish, and re-written by himself in German. Besides those already referred to, the best arc Knud den Palsintake, Axel og Walburg, Vceringerne i Mildayord. His poems are for the most part indifferent, a it .his numerous prose writings deserve little, notice. His Danish and German works amount in all to 62 volumes, to which must be added 4 volumes of his Rrindringer, or Autobiographical Recollections, published after his death.