Die Wassernot im Emmental / The Terrible Flood in the Emmental

I just re-read another of Gotthelf's early works, Die Wassernot im Emmental, a description of a terrible flood of the Emme River that occurred in the year 1837. (The Emmental is the valley of the Emme River, and it is the area where Emmentaler cheese comes from -- i.e., Swiss cheese.) Interestingly, the flood (and Gotthelf's account of it) even gets a mention on the very brief Wikipedia page on the Emme.

Gotthelf, a pastor, describes the flood as a "sermon" of God's, who speaks to us, he says, not only through his Word, but also through Nature. He describes the terror and suffering that the flood caused, and how it brought out both the best and the worst in people afterwards. He treats it as a kind of parable, showing not only God's judgement but also his ability to bring new life to the devastated land the following spring, just as he can cause new life to spring in the hearts of humans, if they listen to his voice.

I found it interesting to read this as we go through the coronavirus crisis. Like Gotthelf's farmers in the Emmental, we also find ourselves asking about the meaning of this rather different natural disaster. We wonder why God would have sent this plague, we see how it too brings out the best and worst in people, and we look for signs of new life to come again. Gotthelf's summons to sympathy, solidarity, and charity is relevant for us today also. As is his reminder that "Freiheit" should always be accompanied by Frömmigkeit"--freedom by piety.

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Plague Time

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