The Breitmann Ballads Part 30

"Vonce dere lifed a n.o.ble fraulein - fery peautiful vas she, More ash twendy dimes goot lookin - it is in de historie; Und mit more ash forty quarters on her woppens.h.i.+eld,[90] dot men Might beholdt mitout a discount she vas of de upper ten.

"But dough lofely as an angel, mit eyes of turkos plue, She vas cruel ash a teufel, und de vorst man efer knew.

Vonce ven a nople young one kneeled down to her mit lofe, She kicket him mit her slipper und oopset him on de shtove.

"Und said, 'I do refuse you, as you may plainly see; Und from dis day henseforvart mine refuse you shall pe, Und when I do run afder you like dogs run afder men, Den I vill pe your vife, yung man - boot keep avay dill denn!'

"He lishten to her crimly, and no single vort he said, Boot de bitter dings she spoken poot der teufel in his head; For she hafe not learned de visdom, vich is alvays safe and sound, 'Don't go to pourin' water on a mouse ven id ist trowned.'

"Vonce, at de end of autoom, ven de vind vos bitter cold, Dis maiden out a-ridin' met a voman poor and old; Her feets vere bare and pleedin', and she said, 'Ah! ton't refuse To gife me, nople lady, yoosht de vorst of your oldt shoes!'

"De lady boorst out laughin', 'Fool here, or fool me dere, You give to me a couple, I gives to you a pair.'

Denn she rode avay a-laughin'; de old voman says 'I wete, I'll give you shoes, my lady, dot vill fit your soul and feet!'

"Dis voman vas a vitche, an bitter one dere to, All dot vot she had shpoken she light enough could do; De Ritter did not know it, but he told her of his love, And how dot shkornful lady hat oopset him mit de shtove.

"Out spoke de grimme witche, 'She shall pay dee well to boot, If yo pring to me de measure of dat lady's liddle foot.'

He got it from her shoemaker, and gafe id to de vitch, Denn she gafe it to de damsel pooty soon as hot as pitch.

"Von morn de lofely lady, on openin' her toor, Found de nicest pair of gaiter boots she efer saw pefore; Dey vitted her exoctly - mitouten any doubt- Boot, mein Gott! how she vas shrocken ven dey 'gun to valk apout!

"Und ash de poots go valkin', like de buds go mit de stem, It vollowed dot de lady had to valk apout in dem.

Dey took her out into de street - dey run her on de road, Bym-by she saw a man ahead vot led her vhere she goed.

"Vhen he vent valkin' longsome denn longsome vas her pace, Vhen he roon like a greyhound she skompered in a race; He led her o'er de moundains und cross de lonely plain, Until de evenin' shadows, ven he took her home again.

"Denn she d.i.n.k mit hate and fury of dis man she used to skoff, Und den go at de gaiters - boot she couldn't pull dem off, She vork mit all de servants, boot 'tvasent any use, Und so she hafe to go to bett - a-shleepin' in her shoes.

"Next mornin' off dey shtarted, apout de broke of day, Den he led her to a castle in de woods and far away, And shpeak to her, 'My lady - I d.i.n.k at last you see Dat de dime has come in earnesdt vhen you've cot to vollow me!'

"Oh vat ish female nature? Oh vat ish mortal pride?

How all dot shtands de firmest most quickly shlips aside De cloudts dot o'er de moundains look shkornful at de plain, Ere long mit shtormy wetter come toomble down in rain.

"So de storm-cloud of Superbia vhich shweep her soul above, Vas meltet mit his shternness and be-turned into love, As his words like donner wetter croshed ven de lightnin' flies, So downward coom de torrents of dear trops from her eyes.

"Und she gry, 'Mit shame I own it, to say de fery least, I gonfess dat in dis matter I hafe acted like a peast; Ven I made of you my refuse, I d.i.n.ked it no account, But now de pack is on my back it seems a big amount.

"'But if you vish to ved me, I vill do vat you require.

He answered, 'Now you're talkin' - dot is yoost vot I tesire, For I am very willin', and you do not refuse, Boot remember vot you bromised - send de vitch a pair of shoes!'

"She answered, 'I vill follow verever you may go, All ofer hills and falleys, in suns.h.i.+ne, rain, or schnow, All over in der Welt, dear, I'll vander on vith thee, I do not care how rough de road or dark de path may be!

"'Or in de bloomin' meadows, vhere de gra.s.s is soft and sweet, Or in de rocky pa.s.ses, vhere de stones are under veet, Or if I vear de shoes, love, vitch you hafe given me, Or if I moost go barefoot, is all de same to me.'

"He drew away de gaiters. She said, 'As I'm rich I vill fill dem both mit money, and take dem to de vitch.'

Ja wohl, she saw die Hexe, and takin' her aside, She danked her for de lesson vot hat dook avay her pride.

"On de vay vhen dey vere married, how vere dey all erstaun To see a lofely lady come in mit golden crown, All in a rosy-silken dress vot s.h.i.+ned as pright as gla.s.s, Said, 'My dears, I am de vitch dot fetch dis ding to pa.s.s.

"'You know I look so ogly vonce, und now am peautiful, Dot ist de vay dot all dings vork ven folks pe dutiful.

Ash de lily toorns to vhitey vot once vas dirty green, So all ist fair ven virdue ist runnin' de machine.'"

Dis is de vondrous shtory vot de Ritter Breitmann told Besides the roos.h.i.+n' Danube of de schloss so grey und old, Vhile a shmokin' of his meerschaum; und till all time pe gone The rustlin' of de va.s.ser tells de tale for ever on.

Dat is an alt legende, und yet 'tis efer new, Und to efery von dot hears it it fits yoost like a shoe.

Und dis de s.h.i.+nin' moral dot in de oyster lies- Some day you may roon after de dings you vonce despise!

Vienna, 1888.

Glossary

THIS Glossary was prepared entirely by Mr. NICHOLAS TRUBNER. I am not aware that he had any a.s.sistance in writing it. I mention this because I have never met with any person who was so equally familiar with obscure and obsolete old German facetious literature (as the text indicates), and at the same time with Americanisms. I should say that in all of the later ballads, or at least in fully one half of all in the book, the author was indebted to him for ideas, suggestions, and emendations, and that the work would never have been what it is - sit verbo venia - but for him. Mr. Trubner was a poet, even in English, as his translation from Scheffel's poems indicates. A very few words have been added to explain the poems in the ballads which appear for the first time in this edition.

CHARLES G. LELAND.

GLOSSARY --------------

Abenddammerung,(Ger.) - Evening dim light; twilight.

Abendgold,(Ger.) - Evening gold.

Abendroth,(Ger.) - Evening red.

Abendsonnenschein,(Ger.) - Evening suns.h.i.+ne.

Abbordez-moi vodre mere,(German-French) - Bring me your mayor.

Ach weh,(Ger.) - Oh, woe.

Allatag,(Ger. dial.) - Every day.

Alla weil - All the while; always.

Allegader - All together.

Alles wird ewig zu eins,(Ger.) - And all for ever becomes one.

Alter Schwed',(old Swede) - A familiar phrase like "old fellow."

Anamile,(Amer.) - Animal.

Annerthalb Yar, Anderthalb Jahr,(Ger.) - Year and a half.

Anti Word: Antwort - Answer.

Antworded,(Ger.) - Answered.

Apple-tod,(Amer.) - Apple toddy. Spirit distilled from cider.

Arbeiterhalle - Working-man's hall.

Arminius,(Herman.) - The Duke of the Cheruskans, and destroyer of the Roman legions under Varus, in the Teutoburg Forest.

Armlos - Unarmed.

Aroom, Herum - Around.

Arriere pensee,(Fr.) - A reserved thought or intention.

Aufgespannt,(Ger.) - Stretched, bent.

Augen,(Ger.) - Eyes.

Augenblick,(Ger.) - Twinkling of an eye.

Aus,(Ger.) - Out.

Bach,(Ger.) - Book.

Baender-box - Band-box.

Baldface corn,(Amer.) - Plain maize whisky.

Barell-h.e.l.l pars - Parallel-bars; a part of the gymnastic apparatus.

Barrick,(Pennsylvania Ger. for Berg) - Mountain.

Bauern,(Ger.) - Peasants.