Dialect literature, American; German Americans -- Poetry; Humorous poetry, American; Wit and humor
4. Stinging. An amusing instance of "Breitmannism" was
shown in the fact that an American German editor, in his
ignorance of English, actually believed that the word stinging,
as here given, meant stinking, and was accordingly
indignant. It is needless to say that no such idea was intended
to be conveyed.
5. Then only you will be ready in German.
6. In Music and Song all thy life long.
7. Thy feet are white as chalk, my love,
Thy arms are ivory bone,
Thy body is all satin soft,
Thy breast of marble stone
@ @ @ @ @ @
Smooth, tender, pure, and fair.
--Liederbuch Pauls von der Helst, 1602
8. Slibovitz.
9. The author does not know who wrote the first part of "Die
Schone Wittwe." It appeared about 1856, and "went the round
of the papers," accumulating as it went several additions
or rejoinders, one of which was that by Hans Breitmann.
10. I had not seen for many days
The handsome widow's face;
I saw her last night standing
By her counter, full of grace.
With cheeks as pure as milk and blood,
With eyes so bright and blue,
I kissed her full well six times,
Indeed, and that is true.
11. This ballad is a parody of Das Hildebrandslied. Consult
Wackernagel's Lesebuch and Das klein Heldenbuch.
"Ich vill zum Land ausreiten,
Sprach sich Maister Hilteprand."
12. The Republicans in America were for a long time ridiculed by their
opponents as if professing to be guided by Moral Ideas, i.e.
Emancipation, Progress, Harmony of Interests, &c.
13. Gling, glang, gloria, was a common refrain in the 16th
century, in German drinking songs. "Gling, glang, glorian, Die
Sau hat ein Panzer an." - Tractatus de Ebrietate Vitanda.
14. The boot was a favourite drinking cup during the Middle Ages.
The writer has seen a boot-shaped mug, bearing the inscription,
"Wer . sein . Stiefel . nit . trinken . kan .
Der . ist . furwahr . kein . Teutscher . man."
There is an allusion to this boot-cup in Longfellow's "Golden
Legend," where mention is made of a jolly companion
----"who could pull
At once a postilion's jack-boot full,
And ask with a laugh, when that was done,
If they could not give him the other one."
15. The German equivalent for a native of Little Pedlington. It is
a Suabian joke, commemorated in a popular song, to inquire in
foreign and remote regions, "Is there any good fellow from
Boblingen here?"
16. "Sonst etwas auf dem Rohr habem" - something else on the pipe
or tube - meaning a plan or idea, kept to one's self, is a German
proverbial expression, which occurs in one of Langbein's humorous
lyrics.
17. "Nom de garce," as an anagram of nom de grace,
occurs in Rabelais. G
18. An expression only used in reference to seeing again some
jolly old friend after long absence - "Uns kommt der alte
Schwed."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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