Breitmanns Last Ballads - The Gypsy Lover

Dot vos a schwartz Zigeuner
Dot on a viddle played,
Und oonderneat a fenster
He makt a serenade.

Dot vos a lofely gountess
Who heardt de gypsy blayn.
Said she, Who make dot musik
Vot sound so wunderscheen?

Dot vos de schwartz Zigainer
Who vos fery quick to twig;
Und he song a mournvoll pallad
How his hearts vos prokenbig!

Dot vos de lofely gountess
Said, Dell me who you are?
He saidt, Mein name is Janosch,
De Lord of Temesvar.

Dot vos de lofely gountess
Said, Come more near to me,
I vants to dalk on pizness:
Ill trow you down de key.

Dot vos de moon kept lightin
De gountess in her room,
Boot somedings moost have vrighten
De minstrel tid not coom.

Dot vos a treadfool oudgry
Ven early in de morn
Dey foundt de hens vos missin,
Und all de wash vos gone!

Dot vos a schwartz Zigeuner
Vot sot oopon de dirt
A-eatin roasted schickens
All in a new glean shirt.

Charles Godfrey Leland

Charles Godfrey Leland was an American humorist, writer, and folklorist, considered one of the preeminent figures in 19th-century American literature. Born on August 15, 1824, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he had an extraordinary talent for languages and contributed significantly to the study of folklore, dialects, and folk traditions. Leland passed away on March 20, 1903, in Florence, Italy.

Charles Godfrey Leland

Die Schöne Wittwe

Charles Godfrey Leland, Simple Poetry

Breitmann in Maryland

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Charles Godfrey Leland, Simple Poetry

The Picnic

Charles Godfrey Leland, Simple Poetry

English

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I Gili Romaneskro - A Gipsy Ballad

Vhen der Herr Breitmann vas a yungling, he vas go bummin aroundt goot deal in de worldt, vestigatin human natur, roulant de vergne en vergne, ash de Fraentsch boet says: goin from town to town; seein beobles in gemixed sociedy, und learnin dose languages vitch ornamendt a drue moskopolite, or von whose kopf ish bemosst mit experience. Mong oder tongues, ash it would appeared, he shpoke fluendly, Red Welsh, Black Dootch, Kauder-Waelsch, Gaunersprache, und Shipsy; und dis latter languashe he pring so wide dat he write a pook of pallads in it,-von of vitch pallads I hafe intuce him mit moosh droples to telifer ofer to de worldt. De inclined reader vill, mit crate heavy-hood blace pefore himself de fexation und lapor I hafe hat in der Breitmann his absents, to ged dese Shipsy verses broperly gorrected; as de only shentleman in town who v...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Sleigh-Ride
Ven de winter make oos shifer
Und de bonds is froze mit ice,
To shlide und shkate on de rifer,
Mit de poys und gals is nice.
Ven de horses hafe deir bits on,
Und de roats pe vite mit shnow,
To vly in a sleigh like blitzen
Is de yolliest dings I know.

Und its high, hooray! saidt Breitmann
For de gals on de Dutchtown-side;
Und its lebe hoch! for de yunglins,
Votll go mit de gals to ride;
Und its hip, herjé! for de drifers
Vot nefer dake no odds!
Und its vivat! for de vellers,
Votll shtand de apple-tods!

Der Breitmann pooled his mits on,
Der Breitmann crocked his vip,
Now its fly like dunner blitzen,
Mein shildren, let er rip!
Like de eagles on de shtorm-cloudt
A-vlyin to deir nest;
Dere is opple-yack a-vaitin...
Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Last Ballads Dornenlieder
I.

For efery Rose dot ploome in spring,
Dey say an maid is porn;
For efery pain dot Rose vill make
Dey say dere comes a dorn.
Boot let dem say yoost vot dey will,
Dis ding I will soopose,
Ill immer prick mein finger still,
If I may pfluck die Ros.
Ach, Rosalein, du schöne mein,
Dot man vas nefer born
Vot did deserfe to win de Rose,
Vot couldt not stand de Dorn.

Blutfärbig ist die schöne Ros,
Und dot ist yoost a sign
Dot I moost lose a liddle Blut
To make de Rosé mein.
Wer Rosen bricht die Finger sticht;
Das ist mir ganz égal,
Der bricht sie auch in Winter nicht,
Und kits no Rose at all.
Was wir hier treiben und kosen, love,
De joy or misery,
Soll bleiben unter der Rosen, love!
Und our own secret pe!
<...
Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Last Ballads - Fritzerl Schnall
Ash on de Alapama biz,
Deep sinnin long I sat,
I dinks von ding for dinkin
Py afery Diplomat;
Und dat ist: dat voll many a ding
Vot ist de facto done,
May pe de jure unbossible,
Und officiél unknown,

Von dimes in San Franciscus,
Im Californian land,
Among de Californaments
Dere woned a Deutscher band;
Und shief among dese heroes
Dere shone Herr Fritzerl Schnall,
Who nefer vouldt pelief in nichts
Dat vas not logicál.

Vell den: von tay as Fritzerl
Vas valk Dolores Shtreet,
Mein Gott! how he vas over-rush
Ein gut oldt friendt to meet;
Hans Liederschnitz aus Augsburg,
Vot professed in Bayrisch bier
Gottskreuz! du alter Schlingel!
Cried Fritz: Was mochst du hier?

Now in des dimes I scribe of,
Dree w...
Charles Godfrey Leland

Ballad
Der noble Ritter Hugo
Von Schwillensaufenstein,
Rode out mit shper and helmet,
Und he coom to de panks of de Rhine.

Und oop dere rose a meermaid,
Vot hadnt got nodings on,
Und she say, Oh, Ritter Hugo,
Vhere you goes mit yourself alone?

And he says, I rides in de creenwood,
Mit helmet und mit shpeer,
Til I coomes into em Gasthaus,
Und dere I trinks some beer.

Und den outshpoke de maiden
Vot hadnt got nodings on:
I dont dink mooch of beoplesh
Dat goes mit demselfs alone.

Youd petter coom down in de wasser,
Vhere deres heaps of dings to see,
Und hafe a shplendid tinner
Und drafel along mit me.

Dere you sees de fisch a schwimmin,
Und you catches dem efery von:
So sang dis wasser maiden
Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in La Sorbonne
Der Breitmann sits in la Sorbonne,
A note-pook in his hand,
Tvas dere he vent to lectures,
Und in oldt Louis le Grand.
Ids more ash two und dwendy years
Since here I used mein pen;
Oh, where ish all de characders,
Dat I hafe known since denn?

Der cratest boet efer vas,
Der pest I efer known,
Vent lecdures here, too, shoost like me,
Le Sieur Fran?oys Villon.
He raise de teufel all arount,
He hear de Sorbonne chime;
Crate shpirid ender in mein heart,
Und mofe mein soul to rhyme.

Ballade.

Dictes moy in what shpirit land
Ish Clara Lafontaine?
Or Pomaré, or La Frisette,
Who blazed on soosh a train?
Shveet Echo flings de quesdion pack,
Oer lake or shdreamlet lone;
All eartly peauty fades afay,
...
Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Last Ballads - The Gypsy Lover

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Breitmanns Last Ballads - The Gypsy Lover