Yawcob Strauss and Other Poems/"Ah-Goo!"
"AH-GOO!"
- Vot vas id mine baby vas trying to say,
- Vhen I goes to hees crib at der preak off der day ?
- Und oudt vrom der planket peeps ten leedle toes,
- So pink und so shveet as der fresh plootning rose,
- Und twisting und curling dhemselves all aboudt,
- Shust like dhey vas saying,"Ve vant to get oudt!"
- Vhile dot baby looks oup mit dhose bright eyes so plue,
- Und don'd could say nodings, shust only,
- "Ah-goo!"
- Vot vas id mine baby vas dinking aboudt,
- Vhen dot thumb goes so qvick in hees shveet leedle mout',
- Und he looks righdt avay, like he no undershtandt
- Der reason he don'd could qvite shvallow hees handt;
- Und he digs rait dhose fingers righdt into hees eyes,
- Vhich fills hees oldt fader mit fear und surbrise;
- Und vhen mit dhose shimnasdic dricks he vas droo,
- He lay back uud crow, und say nix budt
- "Ah-goo!"
- Vot makes dot shmall baby shmile vhen he's ashleep;
- Does he dink he vas blaying mit some von "bo- peep?"
- Der nurse say dhose shmiles vas der sign he haf colic—
- More like dot he dhreams he vas hafing some frolic;
- I feeds dot oldt nurse mit creen abbles some day,:
- Und dhen eef she shmiles, I pelief vot she say;
- Vhen dot baby got cramps he find someding to do
- Oxcept shmile, und blay, und keep oup hees
- "Ah-goo!"
- I ask me, somedimes, vhen I looks in dot crib,:
- "Vill der shirdt-frondt, von day, dake der blace off dot bib?
- Vill dot plue-eyed baby dot's pooling mine hair
- Know all vot I knows aboudt drouble und care?"
- Dhen I dink off der vorldt, mit its bride und its sins,
- Und I vish dot mineself und dot baby vas tvins,
- Und all der day long I haf nodings to do
- Budt shust laugh und crow, und keep saying,
- "Ah-goo!"