The Heinzelmännchen Postcard --by Floyd Dietlein and Roland Henschen

Stein Collectors International, Inc.

~ Die Heinzelmännchen~

Originally published in Prosit, Sept. 1990 by Floyd Dietlin and Roland A. Henschen

The following is a poem that was inscribed on a postcard, along with a depiction of the Heinzelmännchen Brunnen (fountain), in Cologne, Germany. This fountain sports many, wonderfully carved Heinzelmannchen and the following poem as well!

The poem below, at left, is the original German text printed on the postcard. The translation next to it (at right) is a paraphrased version in order to keep the rhyming syntax in English. This translation was done by the late Master Steinologist, Jack Lowenstein.

Die Heinzelmännchen

Wie war zu Köln es doch vordem
Mit Heinzelmännchen so bequem!
Denn war man faul, man legte sich
Hin auf die Bank und pflegte sich:
Da kamen bei Nacht,
eh' man's gedacht,
   die Männlein und schwärmten
   und klappten und lärmten
   und rupften und zupften
   und hupften und trabten
   und putzten und schabten,
und eh' ein Faulpelz noch erwacht,
war all sein Tagewerk bereits gemacht!

O weh, nun sind sie alle fort,
und keines ist mehr hier am Ort;
man kann nicht mehr wie sonsten ruhn,
man muß nun alles selber tun.
Ein jeder muß fein
selbst fleißig sein
   und kratzen und schaben
   und rennen und traben
   und schniegeln und bügeln
   und klopfen und hacken
   und kochen und backen.
Ach, daß es noch wie damals wär'!
Die schöne Zeit kommt nicht wieder her.

The Heinzelmännchen

How convenient the little gnomes made it for us
In Cologne, so long ago!
Because, if you were lazy,
You just rested on a bench and took care of yourself:
Then at night, even before you gave it a thought,
Came,
   The little men and swarmed
   And clapped and made lots of noise
   And plucked and pulled
   And hopped and trotted
   And cleaned and scraped
   And even before a lazy bone awoke,
All of his daily work was done!

Oh my, now they are all gone,
And not one is left in the city;
You can't rest as you did long ago,
Each must now do his work himself,
And everyone must
Be finely industrious
   And scratch and scrape
   And run and trot
   And dress and iron
   And knock and hack
   And cook and bake.
Oh, if it only were again as it was back then!
That lovely time will never come back again.

Cologne, Köln or Koeln, is a major metropolis and claims to be the oldest town in Germany. Want to learn more? Check out their website at: http://www.koeln.de/ This site is available in German, English and French.