He was usually commissioned with the poems which had become necessary on festive occasions.  In the so-called “Ode,” he followed the manner employed by Ramler, whom, however, it alone suited.  But Clodius, as an imitator, had especially marked the foreign words by means of which the poems of Ramler come forth with a majestic pomp, which, because it is conformable to the greatness of his subject and the rest of his poetic treatment, produces a very good effect on the ear, feelings, and imagination.  In Clodius, on the contrary, these expressions had a heterogeneous air; since his poetry was in other respects not calculated to elevate the mind in any manner.

Now, we had often been obliged to see such poems printed and highly lauded in our presence; and we found it highly offensive, that he who had sequestered the heathen gods from us, now wished to hammer together another ladder to Parnassus out of Greek and Roman word-rungs.  These oft-recurring expressions stamped themselves firmly on our memory; and in a merry hour, when we were eating some most excellent cakes in the kitchen-gardens (Kohlgaerten), it all at once struck me to put together these words of might and power, in a poem on the cake-baker Hendel.  No sooner thought than done!  And let it stand here too, as it was written on the wall of the house with a lead-pencil.

  “O Hendel, dessen Ruhm vom Sued zum Norden reicht,
   Vernimm den Paean der zu deinen Ohren steigt. 
   Du baeckst was Gallien und Britten emsig suchen,
   Mit schoepfrischen Genie, originelle Kuchen. 
   Des Kaffee’s Ocean, der sich vor dir ergiesst,
   Ist suessev als der Saft der vom Hymettus fliesst. 
   Dein Haus ein Monument, wie wir den Kuensten lohnen
   Umhangen mit Trophaen, erzaehlt den Nationen: 
   Auch ohne Diadem fand Hendel hier sein Glueck
   Und raubte dem Cothurn gar manch Achtgroschenstueck. 
   Glaenzt deine Urn dereinst in majestaets’chen Pompe,
   Dann weint der Patriot an deinem Katacombe. 
   Doch leb! dein Torus sey von edler Brut ein Nest,
   Steh’ hoch wie der Olymp, wie der Parnassus fest! 
   Kein Phalanx Griechenland mit roemischen Ballisten
   Vermoeg Germanien und Hendel zu verwuesten. 
   Dein Wohl is unser Stolz, dein Leiden, unser
        Schmerz,
Und Hendel’s Tempel ist der Musensoehne Herz.”

[Footnote:  The humor of the above consists, not in the thoughts, but in the particular words employed.  These have no remarkable effect in English, as to us the words of Latin origin are often as familiar as those which have Teutonic roots; and these form the chief peculiarity of the style.  We have therefore given the poem in the original language, with the peculiar words (as indicated by Goethe) in Italics, and subjoin a literal translation.  It will be observed that we have said that the peculiarity consists chiefly, not solely, in the use of the foreign words; for there are two or three instances of unquestionably German words, which are Italicized on account of their high-sounding pomp.