XII. A Nuptial song.
Young maid, young woman!
When thou grewest up in the house,
Thou wert precious as gold at home,
As silver in the father's hoard,
As copper in thy brother's treasure.
But now, my Marichen, thou goest to a stranger's abode.
There thou wilt come like a fish to a different shore,
Like a duck to a different place.
I know not whether to praise or blame thee.
Whether thou there wilt be valued so much as the earth
Over which the geese so rapidly run,
Or as much ground as a sparrow can stand on.
XIII. Another; shewing the best way of pleasing the new parents, and of gaining their favour. But again, how sarcastic is it throughout!—
Young maiden, young woman!
Get up betimes in the morning.
Be stirring before the sun!
Go then and milk the cow,
And stroke her between the horns.
Findest thou that the cow has a calf—
Then make it known to thy mother-in-law first.
Findest thou a lamb with a white forehead,
Shew it kindly to thy brother-in-law,—
So will the mother-in-law give thee praise,
So will the father-in-law give thee praise,
The sisters-in-law will smile upon thee,
The brother-in-law will tell it in the village,
Then thou'lt be called a clever girl.
The daughter of a clever woman,
An excellent woman brought thee forth.
An excellent woman rocked thy cradle.
And happy he that has married thee.
I have given what I collected while I was among these people, without pretending, as I said at first, to equal them with the songs of the deathless bards. Nevertheless, the unprejudiced reader will discover several artless beauties in one or other of them, and the investigator of mankind will get an insight into the genius of the nation.
S.
