The swallow’s laugh the still air shakes,
The sun awakes;
The clock strikes five:—­the traveler must be gone,
He puts his stockings on. 
The hen is clacking,
The ducks are quacking;
The clock strikes six:—­awake, arise,
Thou lazy hag; come, ope thy eyes. 
Quick to the baker’s run;
The rolls are done;
The clock strikes seven:—­
’Tis time the milk were in the oven. 
Put in some butter, do,
And some fine sugar, too;
The clock strikes eight:—­
Now bring my baby’s porridge straight.

Englished by Charles T. Brooks.

THE CASTLE IN AUSTRIA

From ‘The Boy’s Wonderhorn’

There lies a castle in Austria,
Right goodly to behold,
Walled tip with marble stones so fair,
With silver and with red gold.

     Therein lies captive a young boy,
       For life and death he lies bound,
     Full forty fathoms under the earth,
       ’Midst vipers and snakes around.

     His father came from Rosenberg,
       Before the tower he went:—­
     “My son, my dearest son, how hard
       Is thy imprisonment!”

     “O father, dearest father mine,
       So hardly I am bound,
     Full forty fathoms under the earth,
       ’Midst vipers and snakes around!”

     His father went before the lord:—­
       “Let loose thy captive to me! 
     I have at home three casks of gold,
       And these for the boy I’ll gi’e.”

     “Three casks of gold, they help you not: 
       That boy, and he must die! 
     He wears round his neck a golden chain;
       Therein doth his ruin lie.”

     “And if he thus wear a golden chain,
       He hath not stolen it; nay! 
     A maiden good gave it to him
       For true love, did she say.”

     They led the boy forth from the tower,
       And the sacrament took he:—­
     “Help thou, rich Christ, from heaven high,
       It’s come to an end with me!”

     They led him to the scaffold place,
        Up the ladder he must go:—­
     “O headsman, dearest headsman, do
       But a short respite allow!”

     “A short respite I must not grant;
       Thou wouldst escape and fly: 
     Reach me a silken handkerchief
       Around his eyes to tie.”

     “Oh, do not, do not bind mine eyes! 
       I must look on the world so fine;
     I see it to-day, then never more,
       With these weeping eyes of mine.”

     His father near the scaffold stood,
       And his heart, it almost rends:—­
     “O son, O thou my dearest son,
       Thy death I will avenge!”

     “O father, dearest father mine! 
       My death thou shalt not avenge: 
     ’Twould bring to my soul but heavy pains;
       Let me die in innocence.

     “It is not for this life of mine,
       Nor for my body proud;
     ’Tis but for my dear mother’s sake: 
       At home she weeps aloud.”