WHILST heavenly joys were warbled thus And sung by the little maiden, The Prussian douaniers search'd my trunk, As soon as the coach was unladen. They poked their noses in every thing, Each handkerchief, shirt, and stocking; They sought for jewels, prohibited books, And lace, with a rudeness quite shocking. Ye fools, so closely to search my trunk! Ye will find in it really nothing; My contraband goods I carry about In my head, not hid in my clothing. Point lace is there, that's finer far Than Brussels or Mechlin laces; If once I unpack my point, 'twill prick And cruelly scratch your faces. In my head I carry my jewelry all, The Future's crown-diamonds splendid, The new god's temple-ornaments rich, The god as yet not comprehended. And many books also you'd see in my head, If the top were only off it! My head is a twittering bird's nest, full Of books that they gladly would forfeit. Believe me that matters are no worse off In the library e'en of the devil; E'en Hoffmann of Fallersleben ne'er wrote Any works that were half so evil. A passenger who stood by my side Remark'd that we now had before us The famous Prussian Zollverein, The customhouses' vast chorus. "The Zollverein" -- thus he observed, -- "Will found our nationality, "And join our scatter'd fatherland "In bonds of cordiality. "'Twill give us external unity, -- "That kind that's material and real; "The censorship gives us the other kind, "That's ghostly and ideal. "It gives us internal unity, "In thought as well as in feelings; "A united Germany need we to rule "Our outward and inward dealings." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...NAPOLEON AND THE BRITISH [OR ENGLISH] SAILOR [BOY] by THOMAS CAMPBELL THE TEMPER (1) by GEORGE HERBERT THE BATTLE-CRY OF FREEDOM by GEORGE FREDERICK ROOT ARIEL'S SONG (2), FR. THE TEMPEST by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 78. AL-BARR by EDWIN ARNOLD TRUTH AND SORROW by PHILIP JAMES BAILEY |