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~ Tacitus am Rhein ~ | |
This etched stein is marked "1465 Germany" and was probably made by S. P. Gerz, ca. 1900. This rhyming verse seems to tell an anecdote from the Roman historian, Tacitus, when he visited Germania and observed the Alte Germanen (early Germans) and experienced the effects of beer when one had had one-too-many and awoke with a hangover the next morning. However the early Germans did it all of the time and survived quite well which must have perplexed Tacitus. | |
Tacitus am Rhein Als er am andern Morgen sich seiner Jammer besah, schrieh er aus Wut und Rache, in die Germania: Die alten Deutschen, sie wohnen auf beiden Seiten des Rheins, sie liegen auf Bärenhäuten und trinken noch eins. |
Tacitus on the Rhein The next morning, as he perceived his misery, he screamed into the German land with rage and vengeance: The old Germans, they live on both banks of the Rhine, they lie on bear skins and always drink one more. |
Translation: Les Hopper compilation Photo credit: Unknown |