PA German Dialect

Es Neinuhr Schtick

September 01, 2005

Ihr liewe Leit:

   Mer mache heit weider mit Gedichde vun eeschtubbiche Schulheiser:

   Der Brunner hot aa en achtechkich Schulhaus ghatt – eegentlich net so raar ass mer’s aercht denke deet! Er schreibt:

Acht Ecke hot mei Schulhaus ghatt,
Un rund wie en Fruchtschtock;
Es waar net faensi, schee, noch glatt,
Un uff em Dach ken Glock.
Doch hen mer ebbes drin gelannt,
Der Meeschder aa oftmols verzannt.

Die Desks, die waare an der Wand,
Rings in der Schtulschtubb rum;
Ken Ruckbord waar an kennre Bank,
Sell waar erschrecklich dumm.
Uff yeder Seit am Offe, datt,
Waar’n Schwaarde Bank, gans greislich hatt.

Mannshoch vum aerschde Floor, do waar
Der zwett Floor owwedruff;
En Schlupploch, fer ans Offerohr,
Do iss mer darrich nuff.
Der Meeschder hot aa, dann un wann,
En Schuler nuff, en halb Schtunn lang.

   Mer misse nau zerrick zum Shuey seim Gedicht. Er nemmt en paar Vaerscht fer uns zu saage was mer um seinre Scul sehne kann. Sei Schulhaus hot en Bortsch, un en bank schteht druff. Un gans neegscht beim Schulhause iss en Bump, Backhaus, un en Schtall.

   Fewas? Les mol was e runs fer en Antwatt gebt:

Du froogscht villeicht, “Was duhn der Schtall,
Des Backhaus, Bump un Bortsch un all?”
Des Haus iss doppel – sehnscht du net?
Der Tietscher wuhnt datt, wie er sett.

Er ziegt die Glock un halt die Schul.
Singt vor in der Karrich – sell waar die Ruul,
Er hot do Karricheglaawe glehrt,
Un yedes hot ihn hoch ge-ehrt.

   Mer mache heit Schluss mit zwee Vaerscht vum Ralph Funk seim Gedicht “
Mir hen Deel Gelannt”:

Ich denk mir hen doch deel gelannt
   Datt in der Greizweg Schul –
Zu gritzle, figgere, un so was,
   Sowohl die “Golden Rule.”

Mir brauche uns net scheme heit,
   Un sin mir net es gscheitscht;
Der Kall wu meent er alles wisst
   Kummt aa net immer’s weitscht.

Macht’s gut,
Der Alt Professer

Dear people:

   We are continuing today with poems about one-room schoolhouses:

   Brunner also had an eight-sided schoolhouse – actually not as rare as you might at first think! He writes:

Eight corners my schoolhouse had,
And as round as a stack of grain;
It wasn’t fancy, nice/pretty nor smooth,
And on the roof no bell.
But we learned something in it,
The master we also often made angry.

The desks, they were at the wall.
Ringed round the school room;
No blackboards were on the benches,
That was terribly stupid.
On each side of the stove, there,
Was a plank bench, terribly hard.

Man-high from the first floor there was
A second floor above;
A crawl-hole, to get to the stovepipe;
One went up through it.
The master, also, now and then,
Put up a pupil, for a half hour.

   We have to bet back to Shuey’s poem. He takes a few verses to tell us what one can see around his school. His schoolhouse had a porch and a bench on it. And very close to the schoolhouse is a pump, a bake house, and a stall.

   Why/for what? Read once what he gives us for an answer:

You ask, perhaps, “What are the stall,
The bake house, pump and porch and all for?”
The house is double – don’t you see?
The teacher lives there, the way he should.

He pulls the bell and keeps the school,
Leads the singing in the church – that was the rule.
He taught religion (church beliefs),
And everyone held him in high regard.

   We will finish today with two stanzas from Ralph Funk’s poem “We Learned Something”:

But I think we learned something anyhow
   There in the crossroad school –
Scribbling, figuring, and such,
   As well as the “Golden Rule.”

We don’t have to be ashamed today,
   Even if we are not the smartest;
The fellow who thinks he knows everything
   Doesn’t always get the farthest.

Take care,
The Old Professor

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updated 3-15-2007 paf