The population of Hamburg town
Has from time immemorial consisted
Of Jews and Christians; ’tis also the case
That the latter are rather close-fisted.
The Christians all behave pretty well,
And pass their time in clover,
And promptly pay their bills of exchange,
Ere the days of grace are over.
The Jews are however divided again
Into two very different parties;
The old one goes to the synagogue,
In the temple the new one’s heart is.
The new party eat the flesh of swine,
Their manners are somewhat dogmatic;
They democrats are, but the older school
Is much more aristocratic.
I love the old, and I love the new,
Yet I swear by the prophet Jonas
That certain fish I love still more,—
Smoked sprats they are commonly known as!
CAPUT XXIII.
Though as a republic Hamburg was ne’er
As great as Venice or Florence,
Yet Hamburg has better oysters; one gets
The best in the cellar of Laurence.
I went there with Campe at evening time,
When splendid was the weather,
Intending on oysters and Rhenish wine
To have a banquet together.
I found some excellent company there,
And greatly was delighted
To see many old friends, such as Chaufepié,
And new ones, self-invited.
There Wille was, whose very face
Was an album where foes academic
Right legibly had inscribed their names
In the shape of scars polemic.