There may be a brawler there stinging the blunt sword
who seeks his pleasure at the harm of other people.
Another one can heat his head over beer and play,
I give him a hearty welcome, as far as he is pleased.
Will those only sweat at home by the warm stove,
and in silence always shorten their time,
let them enjoy to sit in this calm.
I do not seek my pleasure in solitude.
Come, faithful friends! let those their delusion
You should drive away the crickets at lazy time
sit down together and smoke a pipe,
but in the meantime let this remain our way of thinking,
A life without a friend is more like death
A life together with friends is the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
T. Majer.
Background-Information
The sonnet was attached to the letter of the granddaughter Christiane Mayer, see station 4, to the city’s mayor Klein. It comes from Tobias Mayer’s hand and shows him as a sociable person, who was not only interested in the diverse topics of his science, but also appreciated the company of others. The sonnet was set to music in 2012 (on the 250th anniversary of Tobias Mayer’s death) by the Marbach music teacher Wolfgang Jauch and is sung on special occasions by the Liederkranz Marbach Choir Association
