Welcome to the audio tour through our historic town Otterndorf. 9th grade students from the local school Gymnasium Otterndorf have translated and recorded the English version of the tour for you.
Tell me, Muse, about the man of many turns, who many
Ways wandered when he had sacked Troy's holy citadel;
He saw the cities of many men, and he knew their thought;
On the ocean he suffered many pains within his heart.
These are the first four of 12200 verses that belong to the Odyssey, the ancient saga that tells about Ulysses, or Odysseus as he is also called, who had to travel around the seas for 10 years before he was allowed to come home after the destruction of Troy. The Odyssey and the Iliad are the two great works of the Greek poet Homer, who entirely changed Greek-Roman as well as European culture with his imagery. During the 18th century, a new enthusiasm for antiquity was found in society. The styles of antiquity were used in the arts and architecture as well as in literature again, which is why this time is called Classicism today.
One of the most important people in this movement was Johann Heinrich Voß, a German professor for philology and classical languages and a very talented poet. He released the Odyssey in German but still gave it its original character . Later, he also translated Shakespeare and published the first German translation of The Arabian Nights.
Even Goethe was very impressed by him. Goethe wrote to his friend Eckermann about Voß: “A man like Voß is going to be hard to find for a long time. Few have had such a high impact on German culture like him!”
In 1778, Johann Heinrich Voß came to Otterndorf to be the head of the Latin school there, as he had promised his mother-in-law to find a breadwinning job. He had already had three kids at that time so his want of a job with a stable income is quite understandable. He liked Otterndorf: “The house is conveniently located and has a shady garden with a little pergola in the back. From there I have a nice view over the Medem.” Even though he liked his home, his job as a teacher and its duties didn`t make him happy at all. He and his family even caught the “marsh fever” that was very common in the area and was nothing other than malaria. After 4 years he left Otterndorf with his family. But the people still like to remember the great man today.
How could I ever forget godlike Odysseus, who exceeds all mortals in wisdom, and also in sacrifice...
