THERE lived in the desert a holy man To whom a goat-footed Faun one dayPaid a visit, and thus began To his surprise: “I entreat thee to prayThat grace to me and my friends may be given,That we may be able to mount to Heaven,For great is our thirst for heav’nly bliss.”The holy man made […]

OVER the meadows, and down the stream, And through the garden-walks straying,He plucks the flowers that fairest seem; His throbbing heart brooks no delaying.His maiden then comes–oh, what ecstasy!Thy flowers thou giv’st for one glance of her eye! The gard’ner next door o’er the hedge sees the youth:“I’m not such a fool as that, in […]

I HAD a fellow as my guest,Not knowing he was such a pest,And gave him just my usual fare;He ate his fill of what was there, And for desert my best things swallow’d,Soon as his meal was o’er, what follow’d?Led by the Deuce, to a neighbour he went,And talk’d of my food to his heart’s […]

A BOY a pigeon once possess’d,In gay and brilliant plumage dress’d;He loved it well, and in boyish sportIts food to take from his mouth he taught,And in his pigeon he took such pride,That his joy to others he needs must confide. An aged fox near the place chanc’d to dwell,Talkative, clever, and learned as well;The […]

ONE day a shameless and impudent wightWent into a shop full of steel wares bright,Arranged with art upon ev’ry shelf.He fancied they were all meant for himself;And so, while the patient owner stood by,The shining goods needs must handle and try,And valued,–for how should a fool better know?–The bad things high, and the good ones […]

OUR rides in all directions bend, For business or for pleasure,Yet yelpings on our steps attend, And barkings without measure.The dog that in our stable dwells, After our heels is striding,And all the while his noisy yells But show that we are riding. 1815.

THE stork who worms and frogs devours That in our ponds reside,Why should he dwell on high church-towers, With which he’s not allied? Incessantly he chatters there, And gives our ears no rest;But neither old nor young can dare To drive him from his nest. I humbly ask it,–how can he Give of his title […]

[A satire on his own Sorrows of Werther.] ON bridges small and bridges greatStands Nepomucks in ev’ry state,Of bronze, wood, painted, or of stone,Some small as dolls, some giants grown;Each passer must worship before Nepomuck,Who to die on a bridge chanced to have the ill luck,When once a man with head and earsA saint in […]

WITHIN a town where parityAccording to old form we see,–That is to say, where CatholicAnd Protestant no quarrels pick,And where, as in his father’s day,Each worships God in his own way,We Luth’ran children used to dwell,By songs and sermons taught as well.The Catholic clingclang in truthSounded more pleasing to our youth,For all that we encounter’d […]

SONGS are like painted window-panes!In darkness wrapp’d the church remains,If from the market-place we view it;Thus sees the ignoramus through it.No wonder that he deems it tame,–And all his life ’twill be the same. But let us now inside repair,And greet the holy Chapel there!At once the whole seems clear and bright,Each ornament is bathed […]

SHOULD e’er the loveless day remainObscured by storms of hail and rain, Thy charms thou showest never;I tap at window, tap at door:Come, lov’d one, come! appear once more! Thou art as fair as ever! 1827.

A PLAN the Muses entertain’d Methodically to impart To Psyche the poetic art;Prosaic-pure her soul remain’d.No wondrous sounds escaped her lyre E’en in the fairest Summer night;But Amor came with glance of fire, The lesson soon was learn’d aright. 1827.

ONCE two persons uninvited Came to join my dinner table;For the nonce they lived united, Fox and crane yclept in fable. Civil greetings pass’d between us Then I pluck’d some pigeons tenderFor the fox of jackal-genius, Adding grapes in full-grown splendour. Long-neck’d flasks I put as dishes For the crane, without delaying,Fill’d with gold and […]

WHEN by the broad stream thou dost dwell, Oft shallow is its sluggish flood;Then, when thy fields thou tendest well, It o’er them spreads its slime and mud. The ships descend ere daylight wanes, The prudent fisher upward goes;Round reef and rock ice casts its chains, And boys at will the pathway close. To this […]

WITH eagerness he drinks the treach’rous potion, Nor stops to rest, by the first taste misled;Sweet is the draught, but soon all power of motion He finds has from his tender members fled;No longer has he strength to plume his wing,No longer strength to raise his head, poor thing!E’en in enjoyment’s hour his life he […]

HARD ’tis on a fox’s traces To arrive, midst forest-glades;Hopeless utterly the chase is, If his flight the huntsman aids. And so ’tis with many a wonder, (Why A B make Ab in fact,)Over which we gape and blunder, And our head and brains distract. 1821.

A POOL was once congeal’d with frost;The frogs, in its deep waters lost, No longer dared to croak or spring;But promised, being half asleep,If suffer’d to the air to creep, As very nightingales to sing. A thaw dissolved the ice so strong,–They proudly steer’d themselves along,When landed, squatted on the shore,And croak’d as loudly as […]

A FEAST was in a village spread,It was a wedding-day, they said.The parlour of the inn I found,And saw the couples whirling round,Each lass attended by her lad,And all seem’d loving, blithe, and glad;But on my asking for the bride,A fellow with a stare, replied:“‘Tis not the place that point to raise! We’re only dancing […]

“THE mountain village was destroy’d;But see how soon is fill’d the void!Shingles and boards, as by magic arise,The babe in his cradle and swaddling-clothes lies;How blest to trust to God’s protection!” Behold a wooden new erection,So that, if sparks and wind but choose,God’s self at such a game must lose! 1821.

To an apple-woman’s stall Once some children nimbly ran;Longing much to purchase all,They with joyous haste beganSnatching up the piles there raised,While with eager eyes they gazedOn the rosy fruit so nice;But when they found out the price,Down they threw the whole they’d got,Just as if they were red hot. * * * * * […]