T his upright grave relief plate is located on the cemetery Hamburg Ohlsdorf. It was produced in 1938 from limestone. This is a representation of the Roman poet Ovid through the traditional legend "Philemon and Baucis."
It reports that Jupiter 1 and his son Hermes 2 once in human form to earth came down and visited on the opposite side of the Aegean Sea located Phrygia 3 : "Jupiter came here as a mortal, and with the father / His rod bearing son Mercury without feathers. " 4
There they would put the people's hospitality to the test, since Jupiter was also protectors of hospitality and, therefore, Jupiter hospitalis (or Xenios Zeus) was called. As a poor and weary travelers dressed up, they knocked on the doors of every house and every little big house, but found nowhere Entry: "A thousand Housings they draw near, asking for shelter and rest; / thousand flats sperret the Castle" 5
Finally they came to a hut, which surpassed all previous misery and insisted on their roof of leaves only. To her knock down the door was wide open, however, and a cheerful voice invited the two men walking, "A house receives them, / Though very small, covered with reeds and pipes of the swamp" 6
Although she had to stoop to pass through the low door to, but once arrived inside, they found a comfortable and clean room. A friendly-sighted old couple said the two Walkers welcome and began to bustle around, make it to their guests as comfortable as possible. It turned the old one bank to the fireplace and asked his guests to make themselves comfortable on it and stretch their tired limbs. Previously, the old woman had spread even a soft blanket on the bench. She stood before the stranger as Baucis and Philemon as her husband: "But the honest Baucis and Philemon equal in age, / Both verlebeten where the bloom of youth, and both / antiquities there gradually. Poverty openly confessing / attorney and they can easily tolerable with no unwilling mind. / All the same, whether you seek the Lord there, or the servant / Zween are all the house, and commanded to do and sameness. / And when the heavenly pair is drawn near the poor house, / And the bent head, the low gate went, / Is it the kindly old man to take a rest gestelletem chair, / with the coarse mesh, the diligent Baucis covered. / Then, approached the herd, they churned the lauliche ash / Wakes up the fire yesterday, with leaves and dry bark / Nourishing, and blows out the smoke with panting breath of the flames. / Small gedörretes riven wood and rice from the ground / she bears down, and bruised it, and puts it under the Kesselchen. " 7
While she hung a kettle of water on the fire, she said that she lived with her husband since their wedding in this house and they were always happy. Although they were poor, but happy nonetheless. Just when the water began to boil, the old man came in with a cabbage from the garden. Together with a piece of pork cooked cabbage was now: "Even the man on what is collected veg 'in the watered garden / she is peeling. But those with horned gaff / Raise the back of the pig would fumigate the sooty bar, / Where he saved him long, and cut a piece from the shoulder, / only a few things only, and the average zähmet in the roaring boil. / Both shorten the interim, however, that hour in conversation, / That the delay does not feel the strangers. Near the herd / Marching When the book 'at the stake with a curved handle. / These, filled with water laulichem, empfänget the limbs / Bähend. It stands in the middle of the pond piston feathery reeds / soft stuffed a warehouse, the frame and the feet of grazing. / This envelop them now with carpets, which they usually / spread only on festive days', but even this / bad and outdated goods, not unworthy of lichen grazing. / Then stand idle gods. " 8
Meanwhile Baucis covered with her trembling old hands to the table: "pursed then Stellet and trembling / Baucis the table, but one of the three table legs were not equal; / Soon equal makes the shard: since under joined them the hump / Heal, jetzo rubbing the flattened verdant mint. " 9 It brought olives, pickled Cornelian cherries, radishes and cheese and some eggs on the table. Even dessert was kept: "The crew are expected then the speckled berry of Pallas. / Also of autumn grain Elle gekläreter preserved in brine; / radish, endive, too, and milk into cheese rounded / egg at the same time, turning gently in warm ash: / All of earthen ware. The molded clay krater / carved colorful now emblazoned on the board, and book cup with ornaments / full, and varnished the cavity with yellow wax. / A few deadline because of the hearth sends the steaming dishes. / Back to relieve the jetzo not very old wines, / That they removed a small, narrow space not the dessert. / This is nuts, this fig, mixed with wrinkled dates, / plums in the smaller cage ', the larger fragrant apples, / And large-berry grapes collected from purple grapes; / middle of the whitish slice of honey, but mainly / Invite the cheerful glance , and a heart, not lazy nor kargend. " 10
Philemon made two rickety benches at the table. Cabbage and meat, however, were cooked and were also served. After everything was ready, asked Philemon and Baucis to her guests to leave it tasted. Moreover Philemon brought them cups of beechwood and a jug of wine, the more likely resembled vinegar diluted with water and also was. But Philemon was obviously proud and happy to be able to set before his guests something like that. He saw to it immediately when a cup was empty, nachzuschenken. In his bustling hospitality of the old couple was initially not that the wine jug never emptied. No matter how much refilled Philemon, the jar was filled to the brim. When they were aware of but which then, they changed fearful glances met, but then lowered her eyes and prayed silently. They had recognized that it is not their guests were normal people: Both see now that, as they often erschöpfeten always the mixing jug / recovery of itself fills, and the wine grows voluntarily. / Amazed with fear and dismay, and raising his hands backwards, / they cry, while Baucis, in prayer, and fearful of Philemon. " 11 more>
