The Breitmann Ballads Part 23

De holy towers of de dome Cleam, twilicht-veiled, afar; Und like some lonely bilgrim's pipe, Dim shines de efenin star.

Hans look to find his baggage check, Und see dat all ish shdraighdts, Denn toorn him to de city toors, "Mein nadife land - wie gehts?"

Boot dat's vot all who read may run- Fool blainly armies write; Id's ofer all half Shermany, Set down in Black and White.

Oh, Black and White! O Weiss and Schwarz!

Vot dings ish dis to see?

I vonder vot in future years Your mission ish to pe?

Also in crate America We had soosh colors too!

Die Farb' sind mir nicht unbekannt[63]- Id's shoost tout comme chez nous.

Next tay to de Cathedral He vent de dings to view, Und found it shoost drei thaler cost To see de sighds all troo.

"Id's tear," said Hans; "boot go ahet, I'fe cot de cash all right; Boot id's queer dat's only Protestands Vot mosdly see de sighdt!

"Im Mittelalter I hafe read De shoorsh vas alvays sure- An open bicdure gallerie, Und book for all de poor.

Boot now de dings is so arrange No poor volk can get in; We Yankees und de Englisch are Pout all ash shbends de tin.

"I shmiles like Mephistopheles In shoorshes ven I see Poor Catholics vollerin round apout To shdeal a sighdt - troo ME!

Dey peep und creep roundt chapel gates, Boot soon kits trofe afay, Dey gross demselfs, und make a brayer- Boot den dey cannot bay!

"Dese Deutsche sacrisdans might learn More goot in Italy, Where beoples bays shoost half de brice, For ten dimes more to see, De volk vot d.i.n.k I shbeak sefere Apout dese Kuster vays, May read vot Mr. Badeker In his Belgine Hand Buch says."

Und valkin oop und town de down Von ding vas shdill de same: Shoost ash of oldt he saw de shpread Of Jean Farina's name.

He find it nort', he find it sout', He find it eferyvhere; Dere vas no house in all Cologne Boot J. M. F. vas dere.[64]

De best Cologne in all Cologne I'll shwear for cerdain sure, Ish maket in de Julichsplatz Und dat at Numero Four.

Boot of dis Cologne in Julichsplatz Let dis pe understood, Dat some of id ish foorst-rate pad, Vhile some is foorst-rate good.

Boot von ding drafellers moost opserve, Dis treadful trut I dells, Fast ash dis Farinaceous crowd So vast hafe grown the schmells- Dose awfool schmells in ga.s.s' und stra.s.s'

Vitch mofe crate Coleridge squalm: If so he wrote, vot vouldt he write Apout dem now, py tam?

Of all de schmells I efer schmelt, Py gutter, sink, or well, At efery gorner of Cologne Dere's von can peat dat schmell.

Vhen dere you go you'll find it so, Don't dake de ding on troost; De meanest skunk in Yankee land Vould die dere of disgoost.

Boot noding d.i.n.ked der Breitmann Of schmutz or idle schein, Vhen he sat in Abendammerung Und looket owd on der Rhein Im goldnen gleam - vhile pealin far Rang shlow, shveet kloster bells, Und in de dim, plue peaudiful, Rose distant Drachenfels.

Dey trinket lieb Liebfrauenmilch So pure ash voman's trut'; De singed de songs of Shermany, De songs of Breitmann's yout'.

De songs mit tears of vanished years, Made peaudiful in wein.

Dus endet out de firster tay Of Breitmann on der Rhein.

AM RHEIN. - No. II.

IM KAHN.

"Were diu werlt alle min, Von deme mere unze an den Rin.

Des wolt ih mih darben, Daz diu dame von Engellant Lege an minen armen."

- Carmina Burana.

AM Rhein! Acain am Rheine!

In boat oopon der Rhein!

De castle-bergs soft goldnen Im Abendsonnenschein, Mit lots of Rudesheimer, Und saitenklang und sang, Und laties singin lieder, Ash ve go sailin 'long.

Und von fair Englisch dame Vas dere, so wunderscheen; Vene'er der Breitmann saw her, Id made his heartsen pain.

Oh, dose long-tailed veilchen Augen, Vitch voke soosh hopes und fears, Deir shape vas nod like almonds, Boot more like fallin tears.

Und shpecdagles were o'er dem, De gla.s.s of pince-nez kind, In mercy to de beoples, Less dey pe shdrucken blind.

Und gazin in dem gla.s.ses, Reflected he pehold De Rhine, mit all de shdeam-poats, Und crags in Sonnengold.

De signs upon de bier-haus; De gals a-washin close; De wein-garts on de moundain, Like heafenly shdairs in rows: De banks, basaltic-paven, Like bee-hife cells to view; A donkey shtandin on dem, Likevise her lofer too.

All dis oopon dos gla.s.ses Vas blainly to pe seen; One saw whate'er vas nodiced, Py de schone Englandrinn.

Boot oh! de fery lofe-most Of all dat lofe-most pe Her own plue veilchen Augen- Herself she couldt not see.

So ist es in dis Leben; For beaudy oft we spied, Nor know de cratest peaudy Ish in our soul inside.

Mein Gott! Vot himmlisch shplendor Vas seen mitout an toubt, If some crate bower supernal Vas toorn oos insite out!

Und gazin long on Natur, Und gazin long on Man, Shdill all dings glite voruber, Ash since de vorldt pegan: Ash in dat laity's gla.s.ses, Ve see dem ba.s.sin py; Yet veel a soul beneat' dem, A schweet eternal eye.

O schone Englisch maiden Mit honey-colored hair, Dat flows ash if a beinen korb Had got oopsettet dere- Und all de schweetness of your soul Vas dripplin from your brain!

Oh shall I efer meet mit dir Oopon dis eart' acain?

O Englisch engel maiden!

O schveet betaubend dofe!

O Rheinwein und cigarren!

O luncheon, mixed mit lofe!

O Drachenfels und Nonnenwerth!

O Liebesl.u.s.t und pein!

Dus ents de second chapterlet Of Breitmann on der Rhein.

AM RHEIN. - No. III.

NONNENWERTH.

(Alt Deutsch.)

HE shtood peside de Kloster-place, Oopon de Rheinisch sh.o.r.e, Und dere he saw a lofely face, He'd seen in treams pefore.

"Feinslieb, und will'st dou go mit me?

Feinsllieb, make no delay; For rocks ish shdeep und vales ish teep, Und dings ish in de way."

"Und oh! how can I go mit dir, Or flyen out of land?

Der bischof holts me py de law, Der Rheingraf by der hand.

"Liebsherz, if dou could'st landwarts gehn, I'd follow willingly; Boot we are leafs, und shdrong's de shdem Vitch pinds oos to de dree."

"Der briest who helt dee py de law Ish now a broken man; Der Rheingraf who vouldt marry dee Ish in der Kaisar's ban.

"Und if de Kloster-beoples here Vill shdop your goin to town, Bei Gott! I'll burn von half of dem, De oder half I'll trown!