Yawcob Strauss and Other Poems/Der Oak Und Der Vine

by Charles Follen Adams

DER OAK UND DER VINE

I Don'd vas preaching voman's righdts,

Or anyding like dot,

Und I likes to see all beoples

Shust gondented mit dheir lot;

Budt I vants to gondradict dot shap

Dot made dis leedle shoke:

"A voman vas der glinging vine,

Und man der shturdy oak."

Berhaps, somedimes, dot may be drue,

Budt, den dimes oudt off nine,

I find me oudt dot man himself

Vas been der glinging vine;

Und vhen hees friendts dhey all vas gone,

Und he vas shust "tead proke,"

Dot's vhen der voman shteps righdt in,

Und been der shturdy oak.

Shust go oup to der paseball groundta

Und see dhose " shturdy oaks"

All planted roundt ubon der seats—

Shust hear dheir laughs und shokes!

Dhen see dhose vomens at der tubs,

Mit glothes oudt on der lines:

Vhich vas der shturdy oaks, mine frendts,

Und vhich der glinging vines?

Vhen Sickness in der householdt comes,

Und veeks und veeks he shtays,

Who vas id fighdts him mitoudt resdt,

Dhose veary nighdts und days?

Who beace und gomfort alvaya prings,

Und cools dot fefered prow?

More like id vas der tender vine

Dot oak he glings to now.

"Man vants budt leedle here pelow,"

Der boet von time said;

Dhere's leedle dot man he don'd vant,

I dink id means, inshted;

Uud vhen der years keep rolling on,

Dheir cares und droubles pringing,

He vants to pe der shturdy oak,

Und, also, do der glinging.

Maype, vhen oaks dhey gling some more,

Und don'd so shturdy been,

Der glinging vines dhey haf some shance

To helb run Life's masheen.

In helt und sickness, shoy und pain,

In calm or shtormy veddher,

'Tvas beddher dot dhose oaks und vines

Should alvays gliug togeddher.