Bursch Groggenburg


 * "Bursch! if foaming beer content ye,
 * Come and drink your fill;
 * In our cellars there is plenty:
 * Himmel! how you swill!
 * That the liquor hath allurance,
 * Well I understand;
 * But 'tis really past endurance,
 * When you squeeze my hand!"

(Page 71)


 * And he heard her as if dreaming,
 * Heard her half in awe;
 * And the meerschaum's smoke came streaming
 * From his open jaw:
 * And his pulse beat somewhat quicker
 * Than it did before,
 * And he finished off his liquor,
 * Staggered through the door;


 * Bolted off direct to Munich,
 * And within the year
 * Underneath his German tunic
 * Stowed whole butts of beer.
 * And he drank like fifty fishes,
 * Drank till all was blue;
 * For he felt extremely vicious --
 * Somewhat thirsty too.


 * But at length this dire deboshing
 * Drew towards an end;
 * Few of all his silber-groschen
 * Had he left to spend.
 * And he knew it was not prudent
 * Longer to remain;
 * So, with weary feet, the student
 * Wended home again.

(Page 72)


 * At the tavern's well known portal,
 * Knocks he as before,
 * And a waiter, rather mortal,
 * Hiccups through the door, --
 * "Master's sleeping in the kitchen;
 * You'll alarm the house;
 * Yesterday the Jungfrau Fritchen
 * Married baker Kraus!"


 * Like a fiery comet bristling,
 * Rose the young man's hair,
 * And, poor soul! he fell a-whistling
 * Out of sheer despair.
 * Down the gloomy street in silence,
 * Savage-calm he goes;
 * But he did no deed of vi'lence --
 * Only blew his nose.


 * Then he hired an airy garret
 * Near her dwelling-place;
 * Grew a beard of fiercest carrot,
 * Never washed his face;
 * Sate all day beside the casement,
 * Sate a dreary man;
 * Found in smoking such an easement
 * As the wretched can;

(Page 73)


 * Stared for hours and hours together,
 * Stared yet more and more;
 * Till in fine and sunny weather,
 * At the baker's door,
 * Stood, in apron white and mealy,
 * That belovéd dame,
 * Counting out the loaves so freely,
 * Selling of the same.


 * Then like a volcano puffing,
 * Smoked he out his pipe;
 * Sigh'd and supp'd on ducks and stuffing,
 * Ham and kraut and tripe;
 * Went to bed, and in the morning,
 * Waited as before,
 * Still his eyes in anguish turning
 * To the baker's door;


 * Till, with apron white and mealy,
 * Came the lovely dame,
 * Counting out the loaves so freely,
 * Selling of the same.
 * So one day -- the fact's amazing! --
 * On his post he died;
 * And they found the body gazing
 * At the baker's bride.

Source: The Book of Ballads. Edited by Bon Gaultier [i.e. W. E. Aytoun and Theodore Martin]. A New Edition, with Several New Ballads. London [1849], pp. 70-73

See also The book of ballads. Redfield 1852 http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&idno=UF00002011&format=pdf Bursch Groggenburg http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/DLData/UF/UF00002011/file18.pdf

Comments: It is a parody of Schiller Ritter Toggenburg of which one can find the German text in the German branch of Wikisource.