Wein Geist

By Charles G. Leland

    I stoompled oud ov a dafern,     Berauscht mit a gallon of wein,     Und I rooshed along de strassen,     Like a derriple Eberschwein.     Und like a lordly boar-pig,     I doomplet de soper folk;     Und I trowed a shtone droo a shdreed lamp,     Und bot’ of de classes I proke.     Und a gal vent roonin’ bast me,     Like a vild coose on de vings,     Boot I gatch her for all her skreechin’,     Und giss her like efery dings.     Und denn mit an board und a parell,     I blay de horse-viddle a biece,     Dill de neighbours shkreem “deat’!” und “murder!”     Und holler aloudt “bolice!”     Und vhen der crim night wächter     Says all of dis foon moost shtop,     I oop mit mein oomberella,     Und schlog him ober de kop.     I leaf him like tead on de bavemend,     Und roosh droo a darklin’ lane,     Dill moonlighd und tisdand musik,     Pring me roundt to my soul again.     Und I sits all oonder de linden,     De hearts-leaf linden dree;     Und I dink of de quick gevanisht lofe     Dat vent like de vind from me.     Und I voonders in mine dipsyhood,     If a damsel or dream vas she!     Dis life is all a lindens     Mit holes dat show de plue,     Und pedween de finite pranches     Cooms Himmel-light shinin’ troo.     De blaetter are raushlin’ o’er me,     Und efery leaf ish a fay,     Und dey vait dill de windsbraut comet,     To pear dem in Fall afay.     Denn I coomed to a rock py der rifer,     Vhere a stein ish of harpe form,      Jahrdausand in, oud, it standet’     Und nopody blays but de shtorm.     Here, vonce on a dimes, a vitches,     Soom melodies here peginned,     De harpe ward all zu steine,     Die melodie ward zu wind.     Und so mit dis tox-i-gation,     Vitch hardens de outer Me;     Ueber stein and schwein, de weine     Shdill harps oud a melodie.     Boot deeper de Ur-lied ringet’,     Ober stein und wein und svines,     Dill it endeth vhere all peginnet,     Und alles wird ewig zu eins,     In de dipsy, treamless sloomper     Vhich units de Nichts und Seyns.     Und im Mondenlicht it moormoors,     Und it burns by waken wein,     In Mädchenlieb or Schnapsenrausch     Das Absolut ist dein.

Share & Analyze This Poem

Spread the beauty of poetry or dive deeper into analysis

Analyze This Poem

Discover the literary devices, structure, and deeper meaning

Create Image

Transform this poem into a beautiful shareable image

Copy to Clipboard

Save this poem for personal use or sharing offline


Share the Love of Poetry

Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Analysis & Notes:
This poem is a vibrant, often humorous narrative that employs a dialectical language, creating an engaging and unique voice. It tells the tale of a boisterous, drunken night, full of mischief, revelry, and a touch of romance. The poem's structure is straightforward, and its narrative progresses in a chronological order. The unconventional spelling and syntax contribute to the lively, eccentric tone, while also challenging the reader to engage more deeply with the text.

The central theme of the poem is the wild, uninhibited freedom often associated with intoxication, alongside a sense of melancholic reflection on fleeting love. This is juxtaposed with the harsh realities of the morning after, resulting in a tone that oscillates between the humorous and the rueful. The poem also explores themes of music and nature, both resonating as symbols of beauty and change. The moonlight and music, for instance, are presented as transformative elements that return the protagonist to a more contemplative state.

The poem's use of repetition and onomatopoeic words, such as "rooshed" and "schlog", effectively evoke the chaotic, noisy atmosphere of the protagonist's antics. The whimsical descriptions of the protagonist's actions – such as playing a horse-fiddle, chasing a girl, or attacking a night watchman – add a surrealistic touch to the narrative.

In conclusion, this poem offers a rich, immersive exploration of a wild night out, capturing both its joyful chaos and its poignant aftermath. The dialectical language, whimsical tone, and vivid imagery contribute to its distinctive charm and narrative strength.

Understanding Satirical Poetry

Satirical poems use wit, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to expose folly—personal, social, or political. The aim isn’t just laughter: it’s critique that nudges readers toward insight or change.


Common characteristics of satirical poetry:

  • Targeted Critique: Focuses on specific behaviors, institutions, or ideas—often timely, sometimes timeless.
  • Tools of Irony: Uses sarcasm, parody, understatement, and hyperbole to sharpen the point.
  • Voice & Persona: Speakers may be unreliable or exaggerated to reveal contradictions and hypocrisy.
  • Form Flexibility: Appears in couplets, tercets, quatrains, blank verse, or free verse—music serves the mockery.
  • Moral Pressure: Beneath the humor lies ethical pressure—satire seeks reform, not merely amusement.
  • Public & Personal: Can lampoon public figures and trends or needle private vanities and everyday pretenses.

The best satire balances bite with craft: memorable lines that entertain while revealing the gap between how things are and how they ought to be.