“This Abraham and Leah, his wife, gave birth
“To Felix[58], who proved very steady;
“His fame through Christendom far has spread,
“He’s a Chapel-master already.
“Old Karschin likewise has long been dead,
“And Klenke, her daughter, is dead too;
“Helmine Chezy, the granddaughter, though,
“Still lives—at least she is said to.
“Du Barry lived merrily, keeping afloat,
“For Louis the Fifteenth screen’d her
“As long as he lived, but when she was old
“They cruelly guillotined her.
“King Louis the Fifteenth died in his bed,
“By the doctors attended and seen to;
“But Louis the Sixteenth was guillotined,
“And Antoinette the Queen too.
“The Queen the greatest courage display’d,
“And died like a monarch, proudly;
“But Madame Du Barry, when guillotined,
“Kept weeping and screaming loudly.”—
The Emperor suddenly came to a stand,
And stared, as if doubting my meaning,
And said: “For the sake of heaven explain
“What is meant by that word guillotining?”
“Why, guillotining,” I briefly replied,
“Is a method newly constructed,
“By means of which people of every rank
“From life to death are conducted.
“For this purpose, a new machine is employ’d”—
“I continued, while closely he listen’d;
“Invented by Monsieur Guillotin,
“And ‘guillotine’ after him christen’d.
“You first are fasten’d to a board;
“’Tis lower’d; then quickly they shove you
“Between two posts; meanwhile there hangs
“A triangular axe just above you.
“They pull a string, and downward shoots
“The axe, quite lively and merry;
“And so your head falls into a bag,
“And nothing remains but to bury.”