Blame not the children if a shout they raise
When little Esel,[3] with his pointed ears,
Leans o’er the fence with puzzled, wistful gaze.
There, too, the gentle, great black ox will stand:
Folk say he knelt at night in strawy stall;
Perchance he knows these kings from Eastern land,
For now he lifts his head with lowing call!
[1] Weihnachten—Christmas
[2] In many parts of Southern Germany it is a custom to place on the outer door the initials of the three kings—C. M. B.
[3] Esel—German for “donkey,”