[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Sayings and Tales

[ted belke]

Hi

When my Mom and Dad, who came from the Chelm-Lublin area of Poland bounced
little children/babies on their knee they would sing:

Huppe, huppe Reiter                   (Huppe. huppe rider)
Wenn er fallt denn schreiter er    (When he falls then cries he)
Wenn er fallt im Graben             (When he falls in the ditch)
Fressen ihm die Raben              ( Eat him the Ravens)

Pardon my broken Deutsch.
I believe this is the only German my Grandchildren know.

Then there is the story about the Lutheran Pastor who is making his yearly
rounds and on Monday morning after preaching fire and brimstone in the church
in Cycow on Sunday. On the way out of town he lost his way and stopped to ask
some boys," Where is the road to Michelsdorf?" The boys are amused by the
question and reply, "Yesterday you knew the road to Heaven and the road to
Hell and now you don't know the way to Michelsdorf ".

Ted Belke