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Title: The Wild Army
Author: Joseph Victor Scheffel [
More Titles by Scheffel]
Das war der Herr von Rodenstein,
Der sprach: 'Das Gott mir helf,
Giebt's nirgend mehr'n Tropfen Wein
Des Nachts um halber Zwölf?
'Raus da! 'Raus aus dam Haus da!
Herr Wirth, das Gott mir helf,
Giebt's nirgend 'nen Tropfen Wein
Des Nachts um halber Zwölf?'
It was the Herr von Rodenstein
Who cried, 'By God in Heaven,
Why can't I find a drop of wine
By night at half-past 'leven?
Rouse there! rouse out of the house, there!
Come, landlord! help me, Heaven!
Great God, is there no wine about
By night at half-past 'leven?'
He went road-up, road-down apace--
No landlord made it right;
Death-thirsty and with fading face
He sighed into the night:
'Rouse out! rouse out of the house there!
Hey, landlord! help me, Heaven!
Can no one get a drop of wine
By night at half-past 'leven?'
And as with spear and hunters' frock
They bore him to the tomb,
The Blackguard Bell i' the old town clock
Began untouched to boom.
'Rouse there! rouse out of the house, there!
Hey, landlord! help us, Heaven!
Can no one get a drop of wine
By night at half-past 'leven?'
But those 'tis known who die of thirst
Ne'er rest in quiet graves,
So now he storms with dryness curst
As ghost around and raves:
'Rouse there! rouse out of the house, there!
Hey, landlord! help me, Heaven!
Can no one get a drop of wine
By night at half-past 'leven?'
And all who in the Odenwald
At midnight still are dry
Rush after him when he has called,
And yell, and roar, and cry:
'Rouse there! rouse out of the house, there!
Hey, landlord! help us, Heaven!
Can no one get a drop of wine
By night at half-past 'leven?'
This song we sing when fun must stop,
To hosts who'll sell no wine,
Who too precisely shuts up shop
Will catch the Rodenstein:
'Rouse there! rouse out of the house, there!
Rum diri di--Free fight
Hoi diri do!--Free night!
Boots!--to the fore!
Open the door!
Rouse-rouse-rouse!
With all of his wild crew--halloo!
The roaring Rodenstein.'
[The end]
Joseph Victor Scheffel's poem: Wild Army
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