The Mole Part Three

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



Kaum ist's vorbei mit dem Trara,
So ist der Wühler wieder da.

When all is quiet, as before,
The burrower appears once more.

Schnupp! dringt die Schaufel wie der Blitz
Dem Maulwurf unter seinen Sitz.

Knoll thrusts his spade and, doing so,
Attacks the creature from below.

Und mit Hurra in einem Bogen
Wird er herauf ans Licht gezogen.

Hoorah! And in a graceful arc
The mole emerges from the dark.

Aujau! Man setzt sich in den Rechen
Voll spitzer Stacheln, welche stechen.

Ow yow! The rake, a prickly thing,
When sat upon, is known to sting.

Und Knoll zieht für den Augenblick
Sich schmerzlich in sich selbst zurück.

Knoll, in the face of perforation,
Withdraws in painful contemplation.

Schon hat der Maulwurf sich derweil
Ein Loch gescharrt in Angst und Eil.

Meanwhile, the apprehensive mole
Makes haste to dig himself a hole.

Doch Knoll, der sich emporgerafft,
Beraubt ihn seiner Lebenskraft.

But Knoll, arisen, fierce and brave,
Annihilates the digging knave.

Da liegt der schwarze Bösewicht
Und wühlte gern und kann doch nicht;
Denn hinderlich, wie überall,
Ist hier der eigne Todesfall.

Here lies the scoundrel, sleek and sable.
He'd rather dig, but he's unable.
It does not suit him in the least
To be so suddenly deceased.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:04 min read
87

Quick analysis:

Scheme AB AA CC DD EE FF EE GG FF EE HH HH BB II BBHH HHJJ
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,242
Words 211
Stanzas 16
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4

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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