Social Commentaries

From an Old German Poet

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772–1834

From Complete Poetical Works, ed. E. H. Coleridge (1912)

Social Commentaries

That France has put us oft to rout
With powder, which ourselves found out;
And laughs at us for fools in print,
Of which our genius was the Mint;
All this I easily admit,
For we have genius, France has wit.
But 'tis too bad, that blind and mad
To Frenchmen's wives each travelling German goes,
Expands his manly vigour by their sides,
Becomes the father of his country's foes
And turns their warriors oft to parricides.

'Dass Frankreich uns pflegt zu verwunden
Durch Pulver, welches wir erfunden.'

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Adapted by Coleridge from Wernicke's Epigrams

MLA

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “From an Old German Poet.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/coleridge/342/.

Chicago

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “From an Old German Poet.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/coleridge/342/.

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