Page 47

And asked the father for his blessing -

But he spoke with a strange smile: "Oho!
You are Herr Rideamus?! You don't say?!"

And then he told me - he was against it!

"You are, namely," he said with a stern face
and looked at me piercingly,
"An outwardly passable young man -

Page 46

She had also told me, whispering,
She'd read several of my works.

Here she became exceedingly likable.

Later she assured me emphatically,
That she buys everything I write
and hadn't heard of it third-hand,

Here I began to glow with tempestuous love.

And as she finally admitted, blushing,
Her brother was a critic, and her father
Took part in a Berlin theater,
I couldn't control myself any longer,

I rushed double-quick to her parents

Pages 43 and 45

The Character

My dinner partner had been very nice -
She had peeled me a pear -

Page 42

I kissed her red mouth,
in trembling wait of hellish penalties.
Then, with great apprehension, I went to bed -
And the next morning - I was healthy!!!

---

Yes! I had completely recovered
and been enlivened thanks to the damsel.
But, sadly, she's gotten married since then.
She'd already been in love, after all.

I met her again after a year's time,
As she'd already been married a long while,
And next to her, enthroned as spouse,
In proud dignity - my specialist!

There, I excused him for all my pains.
We began to congratulate each other.
I didn't share everything, so that
next time, I could consult him again.

(End of Chaper Two.)

Page 41

we have, you see, a little stomach ache!!!"

The waiter laughed - the staff laughed,
Who the devil knows what they thought!
They attended us, at least, while
we drank, we ate!
Yes, we drank, we ate,
The air was moist and the night became late,
It was an orgy of excess,
A mockery of every sound diet!

"It was an orgy of excess!"
So I yelled, and pulled the damsel very close,
"But we've forgotten one thing!"

The damsel didn't say no and didn't say yes.
But then she yelled, "We're going to free ourselves
from the peril of fate - even if it costs our lives!"

In that hour, we two gave
the ape the killing blow!"

Pages 39 and 40

"Waiter!" - I yelled - "first eel in jelly,
Then goose liver with truffle puree,
Then three plates of highly stored lobster,
Then ice cream and sweet meats - all smoked!
To drink, bring champagne and Tokayer*,
And after every course, three hard-boiled eggs!
Yes! Three eggs after every course!

(*A pinot gris from German Switzerland.)

Page 38

I exploded with rage: "Damn you,
you sinister creature!" I screamed with an abrupt blast.
"I'd like to take you by the throat!
Do we have to lose all our happiness to you?!"
"No!" yelled the damsel, "we mustn't!
There's a dull, lank word,
A solace for the frail, and we call it: pity!
But there's also a powerful word,
a refreshment for the strong, and we call it: now!"

And a nameless anger
bubbled up in us - as did a hot desire.
And in this anger, and this desire
we both went - to Hiller.

And our eyes blitzed and burned,
And our hearts stood in flames,

And from the thousand banned foods,
we ordered supper together: