Der Struwwelpeter
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about horrifying German fairy tales. I can top that now.
I have just found a ghost from my past, in the form of a German children's book called Der Struwwelpeter. (The... Struwwelpeter. There's no real translation for it, but dad says it basically means slob in the masculine form. ) ANYway, the book is full of cautionary tales for children, detailing what will happen to you if you beat your mother, suck your thumbs, play with matches, and so on. It's horribly gruesome, and illustrated at that.
When we were little it didn't really mewan much to us, as the parents read it in German, which only sounded pretty at the time. Let me tell you, had I been a German child hearing this, I would have died of fright upon doing anything wrong.
I'm going to translate one for you (I warn you, it will be a rough traslation. I'm not that good.), that way you can all... enjoy it? Ok:
Die Geschichte vom bösen Friederich (The Story of the evil Friederich)
I'll do each paragraph in German forst, with my crappy english underneath(very literal, because there's no chance of me making poetry of it again with a German/English dictionary):
Der Friederich, der Friederich,
das war ein arger Wüterich!
Er fing die Fliegen in dem Haus
und riß ihnen die Flügel aus.
Er schlug die Stühl' und Vögel tot,
die Katzen litten große Not.
Und höre nur, wie bös er war:
er peitschte, ach, sein Gretchen gar!
The Friederich, the Friederich, that a bad maniac was! It caught the flies in the house and tore them the wings from. It beat to death the
chairs' and birds, the cats suffered large need. And hear only, like evil it was: It whipped, alas, its Gretchen quite!
Am Brunnen stand ein Großer Hund,
trank Wasser dort mit seinem Mund.
Da mit der Peitsch' herzu sich schlich
der bitterböse Freiderich;
und schlung den Hund, der heulte sehr,
und trat und schlung ihn immer mehr.
Da biß der hund ihn in das Bein,
recht tief bis in das Blut hinein.
Der bitterböse Freiderich,
der schrie und weinte bitterlich. --
Jedoch nach Hause lief der Hund
und trug die Peitsche in dem Mund.
At the well, a large dog stood, drank water there with its mouth. There with the whip here that slunk itself
Freiderich bitter bad; and wound the dog, that howled very, and stepped and wound it more and more. There the
dog bit it into the leg, quite deeply into the blood in. That Freiderich bitter bad, that screamed and cried
bitter. -- However home the dog ran and carried the whip in the mouth.
Ins Bett muß Friederich nun hinein,
litt vielen Schmerz an seinem Bein;
und der Her Doktor sitzt dabei
und gibt ihm bitt're Arzenei.
Into the bed, Friederich must now in, suffered many pain from its leg; and that here doctor sits at the same
time and gives it bitter Arzenei. (medicine)
Der Hund an Friederics Tischchen saß
wo er den großen Kuchen aß;
aß auch die gute Leberwurst
und trank den Wein für seinen Durst.
Der Peitsche hat er mitgebracht
und nimmt sie sorglich sehr in acht.
The dog at Friederics table sat ate where it the large cake; also the good liverwurst ate and drank the wine
for its thirst. It brought along the whip and takes it careful very in eight.
End.
So, basically, if you're a hellish little bastard, eventually some random dog is going to eat your food. (Horrible for the poor germans)
Seriously though, this book is fantastic. I wish I could translate it better. =P