The Mole Part One

Wilhelm Busch 1832 (Wiedensahl) – 1908 (German Empire)



In seinem Garten freudevoll
Geht hier ein Gärtner namens Knoll.
Doch seine Freudigkeit vergeht,
Ein Maulwurf wühlt im Pflanzenbeet.
Schnell eilt er fort und holt die Hacke,
Daß er den schwarzen Wühler packe.
Jetzt ist vor allem an der Zeit
Die listige Verschwiegenheit.
Aha! Schon hebt sich was im Beet,
Und Knoll erhebt sein Jagdgerät.
Schwupp! Da - und Knoll verfehlt das Ziel.
Die Hacke trennt sich von dem Stiel.
Das Instrument ist schnell geheilt;
Ein Nagel wird hineingekeilt.
Und wieder steht er ernst und krumm
Und schaut nach keiner Seite um.

A gardener by the name of Knoll
Goes for a joyful garden stroll.
His joyfulness, however, sours:
A mole is digging up the flowers.
He hurries off to fetch the hoe.
That old black burrower must go!
Instead of hit-or-miss aggression,
This problem calls for sly discretion.
Ah! Something's stirring in the patch,
And Knoll stands ready for the catch.
Take that! - And Knoll has missed his goal.
The hoe's asunder, not the mole.
The tool is mended without fail
By firmly wedging in a nail.
Again he's lurking, grave and bent,
Ignoring his environment.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
96

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCBBBBAABBDD AAEEFFGGHHAAAABB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,112
Words 190
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 16, 16

Wilhelm Busch

Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch was a German humorist, poet, illustrator and painter. He published comic illustrated cautionary tales from 1859, achieving his most notable works in the 1870s. Busch's illustrations used wood engraving, and later, zincography. Busch drew on contemporary parochial and city life, satirizing Catholicism, Philistinism, strict religious morality and bigotry. His comic text was colourful and entertaining, using onomatopoeia, neologisms and other figures of speech, and led to some work being banned by the authorities. Busch was influential in both poetry and illustration, and became a source for future generations of comic artists. The Katzenjammer Kids was inspired by Busch's Max and Moritz, one of a number of imitations produced in Germany and the United States. The Wilhelm Busch Prize and the Wilhelm Busch Museum help maintain his legacy. His 175th anniversary in 2007 was celebrated throughout Germany. Busch remains one of the most influential poets and artists in Western Europe. more…

All Wilhelm Busch poems | Wilhelm Busch Books

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