WILHELM

MULLER (1794-1827)  , German lyric poet, was born at Dessau on the 7th of October 1794, the son of a shoe-maker . He was educated at the gymnasium of his native town and at the university of Berlin, where he devoted himself to philological and historical studies . In 1813–1814 he took part, as a volunteer, in the national rising against Napoleon . In 1817 he visited Italy, and in 182o published his impressions in Rom, Romer and Romerinnen . In 1818 he was appointed teacher of classics in the Dessau school, and in 182o librarian to the ducal library . He died at Dessau on the 3oth of September 1827 . Mailer's earliest lyrics are contained in a volume of poems, Bundesbluten, by several friends, which was published in 1816 . His literary reputation was made by the Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten (2vols.,1821–1824), and the Lieder der Griechen (1821–1824) . The latter collection was Germany's chief tribute of sympathy to the Greeks in their struggle against the Turkish yoke, a theme which inspired many poets of the time . Two volumes of Neugriechische Volkslieder, and Lyrische Reisen and epigrammatische Spaziergdnge, followed in 1825 and 1827 . Muller also wrote a book on the Homerische Vorschule (1824; 2nd. ed., 1836), translated Marlowe's Faustus, and edited a Bibliothek der Dichtungen des zq . Jahrhunderts (1822–1827; 10 vols.) .

His poetic

genius was kindred to that of the composer Schubert, who set many of his lyrics to music . Wilhelm Miller's Gedichte were first collected in 1837 (4th ed., 1858) ; edited by his son, F . Max Muller (1868) ; there are also numerous more recent editions, notably one in Reclam's Universalbiblio:hek (1894); critical edition by J . T . Hatfield (1906) . Miller's Vermischte Schriften were edited with a biography by G . Schwab (3 vols., 183o) . See F . Max Miller's article in the Allgemeine deu.•che Biographic; O . Franck, " Zur Biographie des Dichters W . Muller " (Mitteilungen des Vereins fur anhallische Geschichte, 1887) ; J . T .

Hatfield, " W . Mailers unveroffentlichtes Tagebuch and

seine ungedruckten Briefe " (Deutsche Rundschau, 1902) .