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.

August 15, 1824

March 20, 1903

English, French, German, Italian

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Breitmann in Battle

DER FADER UND DER SON.

I dinks Ill go a vightin
outshpoke der Breitemann.
Its eighdeen hoonderd fordy-eight
since I kits swordt in hand;
Dese fourdeen years mit Hecker
all roostin I haf been,
Boot now I kicks der Teufel oop
and goes for sailin in.

If you go land out-ridin,
said Caspar Pickletongue,
Foost ding you knows you cooms across
some repels prave and young.
Away down Sout in Tixey,
deyll split you like a clam
For dat, spoke out der Breitmann,
I doos not gare one tam!

Who der Teufel pes de repels,
und vhere dey kits deir sass?
If dey make a run on Breitmann
hell soon let out de gas;
Ill shplit dem like kartoffels;
Ill schlog em on de kop;
Ill set de plackguarts roonin s...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Belgium - Gent

Wie kennt die stad waer alles nog
Van Vlaenderens grootheid spreekt?
Waer ontrouw, valschheid en bedrog
Van schämte nog verbleekt?
- Ledeganck.


If I hat gold, as I hafe time,
I tells you how tvere shpent,
On efery year Id shtay a week
In Vlanderens hoofstad, Gent.
For, oh! de sveet wild veelins,
In dat stad do mofe me so,
Vhen Id dink of all de clorious men
Vot life dere long aco.

If efer man hat manly heart,
Hed veel dat heart to beat,
Vhen mit de oldten dime of Ghent
He valks troo efery shdreet.
Und ach! de volk are yet so goot,
It gave me soosh a pliss,
Vhen I hear a bier-hous spielman sing
A melodie like dis:

Het was op eenen Monday,
All on a Monday free,
Dat mijnheere Jacob Van Arte...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Belgium - Spa

Vhen sommer drees shake fort deir leafs,
Ash maids shake out deir locks,
Und singen mit de rifulets,
Vitch ripplen round de rocks,
Und beople swarm land-outwards,
Und cities weary men,
Hans Breitmann rode de Belgier mark
For Spa in Les Ardennes.

Und vhen he came to Spadenland,
He found it fein und fair,
For dey pour him out de péké schnapps,
Dazu elixer rare;
Und mit a soldiers inshdink
To find a shanse to shoot,
Mitout delay he fire afay
Right in de Grande Redoute.

De virst shot dat der Breitmann fired
He pring de peaches down,
For he hit de double zéro mit
A gold Napoleon.
Und ash he raked de shiners in,
He hummed a liddle doon:
I kess I tont try dat again,
Said he, dis afdernoon.

Boot vhen he coom...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Forty-Eight

Dere woned once a studente,
All in der Stadt Paris,
Whom jeder der ihn kennte,
Der rowdy Breitmann hiess.
He roosted in de rue La Harpe,
Im Luxembourg Hotel,
Twas shoost in anno 48,
Dat all dese dings pefel.

Boot he who vouldt go hoontin now
To find dat rue La Harpe,
Moost hafe oongommon shpecdagles,
Und look darnation sharp.
For der Kaisar und his Hausmann
Mit hauses made so vree,
Dere roon shoost now a Bouleverse
Vhere dis shdreet used to pe.

In dis Hotel de Luxembourg,
A vild oldt shdory say,
A shtudent vonce pring home a dame,
Und on de nexter day,
He pooled a ribbon from her neck
Off fell de ladys het;
Shed trafelled from de guillotine,
Und valked de city deadt.

Boot Breitmann nefer cared himse...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Kansas

Vonce oopon a dimes, goot vhile afder der var vas ofer, der Herr Breitmann vent oud Vest, drafellin apout like efery dings circuivit terram et perambulavit eam, ash der Teufel said ven dey ask him: How vash you und how you has peen?

Von efenings he vas drafel mit some ladies und shendlemans, und he shtaid incognitus. Und dey singed songs, dill py und py one of de ladies say: Ish any podies here ash know de crate pallad of Hans Breitmanns Barty? Den Hans say: Ecce Gallus! I am dat rooster! Den der Hans dook a trink und a let-bencil und a biece of baper, und goes indo himself a little dimes und den coomes out again mit dis boem:

Hans Breitmann vent to Kansas:
He drafel fast und far;
He rided shoost drei dousand miles
All in von rail-roat car.
He knowed foost rate how far he goed
He go...

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 in Maryland

Der Breitmann mit his gompany
Rode out in Marylandt.
Deres nix to trink in dis countrie;
ine droats as dry as sand.
Its light canteen und haversack,
Its hoonger mixed mit doorst;
Und if ve had some lager beer
Id trink oontil I boorst.
Gling, glang, gloria!
Ved trink oontil ve boorst.

Herr Leutnant, take a dozen men,
Und ride dis land around!
Herr Feldwebel, go foragin
Dill somedings goot is found.
Gotts-donder! men, go ploonder!
Ve hafnt trinked a bit
Dis fourdeen hours! If I had beer
Id sauf oontil I shplit!
Gling, glang, gloria!
Ved sauf oontil ve shplit!

At mitternacht a horses hoofs
Coom rattlin droo de camp;
Rouse dere! coom rouse der house dere!
Herr Copitain ve moost tromp!
De scouds ha...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Paris

Recessit in Franciam.

Et affectu pectoris,
Et toto gestu corporis,
Et scholares maxime,
Qui festa colunt optime.
- Carmina Burana, 13th century.



Der teufels los in Bal Mabille,
Deres hell-fire in de air,
De fiddlers cant blay noding else
Boot Orphée aux Enfers:
Vot makes de beoples howl mit shoy?
Da capo Bravo! bis!!
Its a Deutscher aus Amerikà:
Hans Breitmann in Paris.

Deres silber toughts vot might hafe peen,
Deres golden deeds vot must:
Der Hans ish come to Frankenland
On one eternal bust.
Der same old rowdy Argonaut
Vot hoont de same oldt vleece,
A hafin all de foon dere ish
Der Breitmann in Paris.

Mit a gal on eider shoulder
A holdin py his beard,
He tantz de Canc...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Politics I. The Nomination

Vhen ash de var vas ober,
und Beace her shnow-wice vings
Vas vafin oer de coondry
(in shpodts) like efery dings
Und heroes vere revardtet,
de beople all pegan
To say tvas shame
dat nodings vas done for Breitemann.

No man wised how id vas shtartet,
or vhere de fore shlog came,
Boot dey shveared it vas a cinder,
dereto a purnin shame:
Dere is Schnitzerl in de Gustom-House
potzblitz! can dis dings be!
Und Breitemann he hafe nodings:
vot sighds is dis to see!

Nod de virst ret cendt for Breitmann!
ish dis do pe de gry
On de man dat sacked de repels
und trinked dem high und dry?
By meine Seel I shvears id,
und vhats more I deglares ids drue,
He vonce gleaned oudt a down in half an our,
und shtripped id strumpf ...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Rome

Deres lighds oopon de Appian,
Dey shine de road entlang;
Und from ein hundert tombs dere brumms
A wild Lateinisch song;
It rings from Neros goldnen haus;
Evoe! here he coom!
Fly oud, ye mönads, from your craves!
Hans Breitmanns got to Rome!

For vhile de lamp holts oud to purn,
Or von goot shpark ish dere,
Deres hope for all of dem whose lives
Ish doun in Lempri?re.
Von real, shenuine heathen
Is coom at last to home;
Ye shleepin gotts, lift oop your hets
Hans Breitmann lifes in Rome!

Silenus mit der Hercules,
Dere-to der Maias sohn,
Ish all unite in Breitmann
To make a stunnin one.
Frau Venus mit de Bacchanals
Ist shmile to see him come;
De Vesta only toorn her pack
Vhen Breitmann kit to Rome.

He ve...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmann in Turkey

Derr Breitmann hear im Turkenreich
Vas fighten high und low,
Steh auf, oh Schwackenhammer mein!
Its dime for us to go.
Zieh dein Kanonenstiefel an,
Und schleife Dir das Schwert,
Schon lang her han mer nichts gethan,
Der Weg ist reitenswerth.

Oopon vitch side? I hartly know
Boot von side in dis war:
Dere ist de holy Russ-land
All mit a holy Tsar;
But I pe not a holy-er,
Nor you von Saint, I fear;
Out line is holy ploonder,
Mit sacred Lager-bier.

Deres von Constantinoble-man
Vot write to me, und say
He kits me an commission
To make me Breitmann Bey,
Und if I mounts de turpan
Und keeps de Muslin law,
Und bribes ein wenig, den I rise
To Breitemann Pasha.

Dis much is drue, dat Toorkey is
A real P...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Going to Church.

Vides igitur, Collega carissime, visitationem canonicam esse rem haud ita periculosam, sed valde amoenam, si modo vinum, groggio et cibi praesto sunt.
- Novissimae Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum, Berolini F. Berggold, 1869. Epistola xxiii., p. 63.



Dvas near de state of Nashfille,
In de town of Tennessee,
Der Breitmann vonce vas quarderd
Mit all his cavallrie.
Der Sheneral kept him glose in gamp,
He vouldnt let dem go;
Dey couldnt shdeal de first plack hen,
Or make de red cock crow.

Und virst der Breitmann vildly shmiled,
Und denn he madly shvore;
Crate hl, mit shpoons und shinsherbread,
Can dis pe makin war?
Verdammt pe all der discipline!
Verdammt der Shenerál!
Vere I vonce on de road, his will,
Vere wurst mir und egâl.
...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Last Ballads - Cobus Hagelstein

Ich bin ein Deutscher,
und mein name is Cobus Hagelstein,
I coom from Cincinnàti,
and I life peyond der Rhein;
Und I dells you all a shdory
dot makes me mad ash blitz,
Pout how a Yankee gompany
vas shvindle me to fits.

I heardt apout dis gompany,
und vished to see dot same,
Das Lebensfeuerversicherunggesellschaft
vos ids name;
Dot is de name in Sherman
in English it will say
Dot it insures your life mit fire,
ven you de money pay.

Now, I hod a liddle house-line
vhere I life so shtill ash mice,
Und yoost drei tausand dollar
vos dot little pildings brice;
I vos always yoost so happy
ash ein Kaisar in de land
Dill at last I kit in drople,
for mein haus vas abgebrannt.

Den I goes undo dot gompany
und ...

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

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 oudg...

Charles Godfrey Leland

Breitmanns Last Ballads - The Magic Shoes

It was stiller, dimmer twilight
amber toornin into gold,
Like young maidens hairs get yellow
und more dark as dey crow old;
Und dere shtood a high ruine
vhere de Donau rooshed along,
All lofely, yet neclected
like an oldt und silent song.

Out shpoke der Ritter Breitmann,
Ven I hafe not forgot,
Ich kenn an anciendt shtory
of dis inderesdin shpot,
Of the Deutscher Middleolter
vot de Minnesingers sung,
Ven dot olt ruine oben
vas a-bloomin, fair, und yung.

Vonce dere lifed a noble fräulein
fery peautiful vas she,
More ash twendy dimes goot lookin
it is in de historie;
Und mit more ash forty quarters
on her woppenshield, dot men
Might beholdt mitout a discount
she vas of de upper ten.

But dough lofely a...

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 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

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