German Wine Songs. 



77 



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GERMAN WINE SONGS. 



The iuhabitants of the German 

 ''Vaterland" Lave been renowned, 

 from time immemorial, not alone as 

 diligent cultivators of the grape and 

 ready consumers of its precious juice, 

 but also for their innumerable wine 

 songs, which the latter had inspired. 

 We are sorry to saj' that our poetic 

 vein, if Ave ever had one, has long 

 ago ceased to flow, or we would 

 be pleased to translate and trans- 

 230se some of the many gems of 

 that kind, with which our German 

 literature abounds. The following 

 excellent translation of one of 

 the most popular, we cull from our 

 "scrap book," for we wish our readers 

 to enjo}^ the quaint humor which per- 

 vades it throughout, and which the 

 translator has rendered with a fidel- 

 ity, which makes the translation nearly 

 as good as the original of Ivopisch. It 

 is called : 



FATHER NOAH, THE FIRST WINE GROAVER. > 



"Wlien Noah left bis floating frame , 



Our Lord to fatlier Noah came; | 



He prized his pious ofl'ering, ' 



And spake : ' ' Thou 'st done a goodly thing, 



And, to reward thy piety , 



Thou mav'st e'en choose a boon from me." 



Then to the Lord old Noah said : 



" The water now tastes rather bad, 



The whilst there have been di'owued therein 



All beast and mankind in their sin; 



'T is, therefore, Lord, I even think, 



I should prefer some other drink." 



"Whereat the Lord to Eden went, 



And brought him thence the grape vine ' s plant, 



And gave him counsel and advice 



To tend this shrub of Paradise, 



And bid him nurse it carefully; — 



It pleased old Noah wondrously! 



He made a solemn household call , 

 And summoned wife and child and all. 

 And planted vines, where'er they 'd grow; 

 Forsooth, old Noah was not slow, — 

 He pressed the grape and built a cave , 

 And put it into casks to save. 



Old Noah, grateful for the boon. 



Cask upon cask did open soon. 



And with sincerest piety 



Did empty them most willingly. 



And drank yet, since the flood was o'er, 



Three hundred years and fifty more. 



This to each prudent man does show 

 From ih'inking wine no harm can flow. 

 And Christian folks it warns more o'er. 

 No water in their wine to pour, 

 The whilst there have been drowned therein 

 All beast and mankind in their sin. 



We acknowledge the receipt of an 

 invitation to be present at the fif- 

 tieth birth-day of D. D. T. Moore, 

 and twentieth anniversary of the 

 Rural Neio Yorker on Wednesday, 

 February 2, at his residence in New 

 York. 



We regret that we could not be 

 present at the celebration of such a 

 happy event, but wish friend Moore 

 many pleasant returns of the da}', and 

 that he and his paper may live and 

 prosper as they so well deserve. 



Ed. 



