Saturday, April 2, 2016

Suum cuique


Suum cuique

Den starken Zeitwörtern  zugewidmet

You can fashion a flavor sensation,
and season with spices and herbs.
But you’ll ne’er find a dish   half so delish’
as German irregular verbs!

The height of the heart knows no summit,
no bliss in the bosom reverbs
like the lofty elation, the sweet conjugation
of German irregular verbs.

Wherewith shall we banish the sadness
such gloom as the savant perturbs?
With what but the magic, celeste or pelagic
of German irregular verbs?

In vain seek we higher instruction,
from the citadel  down to the ‘burbs.
Leave off Kant or Newton,  hie thee to the Teuton
for German irregular verbs!

Ye may seek among Greeks and Phoenicians,
and query both Croats and Serbs,
But never shall find  such a treat for the mind
as German irregular
German irregular
German irregular verbs !!

Wunderbar !!!


~

[Poetic parental advisory:]

When our young son had ripened  to the sum of three summers,
he used to like to ride me
huck-a-back,
while I cavorted and cantered
to the tune and the timing   of Milne’s rhythmic ditty,
“We Two”:
Wherever I go, there’s always POOH,
there’s always POOH  and me!  (da-DUM)
Upon each stroke of “POOH”,
I would leap, as though to launch him --
yet held his ankles firmly,
as he, with elfin arms, embraced my neck.

The present poem -- a dactylic dithyramb --
is likewise suited
for such pedagogical and saccadic use.


.

2 comments:

  1. Re German verbs, if anyone is not familiar with Twain's speech "The Horrors of the German Language/Die Schrecken der deutschen Sprache" and has studied German, it's worth a look. See https://www.lsa.umich.edu/german/hmr/101/Hausaufgaben_Info/TwainSchrecken.pdf

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  2. Funniest thing you've done in a while.

    ReplyDelete