Ernst Ortlepp (August 1, 1800 - June 14, 1864) was a German poet. Ortlepp was born in

Droyßig Droyßig is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. On 1 January 2010 it absorbed the former municipality Weißenborn.Zeitz Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony. History Zeitz was first recorded u ...

as the son of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

priest. He went to school in

Pforta Pforta, or Schulpforta, is a school located in Pforta monastery, a former Cistercian monastery (1137–1540), near Naumburg on the Saale River in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The site has been a school since the 16th century. Notable p ...

until he was 19 years old and then studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and philosophy in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

. He left the university in 1824 without taking a degree. Ortlepp returned to Leipzig during the thirties of the 19th century and became famous for his political poems. Some of them were dedicated to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and its struggle for independence. Around this time he became an acquaintance of the young Richard Wagner (Ortlepp also met

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

a few years before). His critical statements in ''Fieschi'' alarmed the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n statesman

Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

, who used his power to forbid the further publishment of this poem. Ortlepp finally became Leipzig's persona non grata in 1836. He went to

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

, where he lived since 1837. In this period he made a living by translating the works of other poets like

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

. Ortlepp tried to create a national poem, which he called ''Germania'', during the

Revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

. His financial situation worsened and he was thrown out of Württemberg in 1853. He then returned to his homeland. Ortlepp's life became even more unstable, after his failed attempt to become a college-teacher in 1856. He got into some trouble, probably caused by alcoholism, and was imprisoned twice at Zeitz. That didn't terminate his poetical career as he was still published in a newspaper of

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. ...

. He also wrote verses for private customers. During the last years of his life, he spent a lot of time at his old school, where several teachers and students became his friends. Among them was

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

. Some biographers believe that Ortlepp was Nietzsche's mentor and deeply influenced him. Ernst Ortlepp died near Pforta on June 14, 1864. The circumstances of his death remained mysterious. Nietzsche wrote the following words in a letter: ''Der alte Ortlepp ist übrigens todt. Zwischen Pforta und Almrich fiel er in einen Graben und brach den Nacken. In Pforta wurde er früh morgends bei düsterem Regen begraben; vier Arbeiter trugen den rohen Sarg; Prof. Keil folgte mit einem Regenschirm. Kein Geistlicher. Wir sprachen ihn am Todestag in Almrich. Er sagte, er gienge sich ein Logis im Saalthale zu miethen. Wir wollen ihm einen kleinen Denkstein setzen; wir haben gesammelt; wir haben an 40 Thl.'' (Translation: ''Old Ortlepp is dead, by the way. Between Pforta and Almrich, he fell in a roadside ditch and broke his neck. They buried him at Pforta under dusky rain in the early morning; four workers carried the crude coffin; Professor Keil followed with an umbrella. There was no priest. We talked to him at Almrich on the day of his death. He said he was going to rent an accommodation in the Saale valley. We want to erect a small monument for him; we have collected money, about 40 Thaler.'')

Literature

*''Der alte Ortlepp war's wohl doch'' by Hermann J. Schmidt. Alibri Verlag Aschaffenburg, 2004, *''Tatsachen und Mutmaßungen über Ernst Ortlepp'' by Manfred Neuhaus. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2005,

Literature

References

External links