Yawcob Strauss and Other Poems/Mine Shildren


 * Oh, dhose shildren, dhose shildren, dhey boddher mine life!
 * Vhy don'd dhey keep qviet, like Katrine, mine vife?
 * Vot makes dhem so shock fool off mischief, I vunder,
 * A-shumping der room roundt mit noises like dunderf
 * Hear dot! Vas dhere anyding make sooch a noise
 * As Yawcob und Otto, mine two leedle poys?




 * Ven I dake oup mine pipe for a goot qviet shmoke
 * Dhey crawl me all ofer, und dink id a shoke
 * To go droo mine bockets to see vot dhey find,
 * Und if mit der latch-key mine vatch dhey can vind.
 * Id dakes someding more as dheir fader und moder
 * To qviet dot Otto und his leedle broder.


 * Dhey shtub oudt dheir boots, und vear holes in der knees
 * Off dheir drousers und shtockings, und sooch dings as dhese.
 * I dink if dot Crœsus vas lifing to-day,:
 * Dhose poys make more bills as dot Kaiser could pay;
 * I find me qvick oudt dot some riches dake vings,
 * Ven each gouple a tays I must buy dhem new dings.


 * I pring dhose two shafers some toys efry tay.
 * Pecause "Shonny Schwartz has sooch nice dings," dhey say,
 * "Und Shonny Schwartz' barents vas poorer as ve"-
 * Dot's vot der young rashkells vas saying to me.
 * Dot oldt Santa Klaus, mit a shleigh fool off toys,
 * Don'd gif sadisfactious to dhose greedy poys.


 * Dhey kick der clothes off vhen ashleep in dheir ped,
 * Und get so mooch croup dot dhey almosdt vas dead;
 * Budt id don'd made no tifferent: before id vas light
 * Dhey vas onp in der morning mit pillows to fight;
 * I dink id was beddher you don'd got some ears
 * Vhen dhey blay " Holdt der Fort," und dhen gif dree cheers.


 * Oh, dhose shildren, dhose shildren, dhey boddher mine life!—
 * But shtop shust a leedle. If Katrine, mine vife,
 * Und dhose leedle shildren, dhey don'd been around,
 * Und all droo der house dhere vas neffer a sound—
 * Vell, poys, vhy you look oup dot vay mit surbrise?
 * I guess dhey see tears in dheir old fader's eyes.