Max and Moritz E-Book

Wilhelm Busch

• Herausgeber: Pushkin Children's Books
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 33

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

A lively new translation of this anarchic children's classic about the inventive pranks of two young boys Lock up your chickens! Look out for the bugs in your bed! And check that there's nothing explosive in your teacher's pipe! Meet Max and Moritz, the infamously naughty boys whose sole purpose in life is to terrify their neighbourhood. There's nothing these two pranksters like more than causing mayhem! Their inexhaustible talent for mischief brings chaos and comedy to every page of these delightfully wicked stories. With its anarchic energy and unforgettable illustrations, Max and Moritz has become one of the most enduring children's classics of all time. Its wicked anti-heroes have been entertaining readers young and old for over 150 years - so dive in! Wilhelm Busch (1832-1908) was a German humorist, poet, illustrator and painter. He contributed satirical sketches to German weekly papers and wrote short verse narratives accompanied by illustrations, which are now considered to be forerunners of the comic strip. Max and Morit, his most famous work, was published in 1865.

Leseprobe

For my own (usually) much better behaved Max—and his “saintly” siblings, Kurt and Anya!

Contents

Title PageDedicationIntroductionFirst PrankSecond PrankThird PrankFourth PrankFifth PrankSixth PrankFinal PrankConclusionMax und MoritzTranslator’s NoteAbout the PublisherCopyright

Introduction

Many stories have been told

Of children who were good as gold,

But these two boys played darker games:

Max and Moritz were their names.

Instead of trying to be good

(As all young children really should),

They laughed at those who stuck to rules,

Giggling like two cackling fools:

“Playing tricks on everyone,

That’s the way to make life fun!

Catching people unawares,

Stealing apples, plums and pears.

That’s the way we spend our time,

With clever pranks and daring crime.

We can’t see much point at all

In wasting time at church or school!”

But, oh, dear readers, it’s too late

To steer them to a better fate.

You’ll see the way our story ends

Is not so nice for these foul friends.

Their nasty acts, their final plight,

It’s all set down in black and white.

First Prank

Of all the animals that there are,

Birds must be the best by far…

Whether chicken, duck or goose,

There’s first the eggs that they produce,

And then, unlike a dog or horse,

You can cook a bird of course!

Even when no longer living,

They’re the gifts that keep on giving—

Their feather bedding keeps us tight

And warm and cosy through the night.

Look, here comes old Widow Palmer,

A kind and gentle lady farmer.

In her yard, four feathered friends—

A cockerel and three well-fed hens.

Their peaceful life looks set to last,

Till Max and Moritz wander past!

Each, with evil in his head,

Reaches out and grabs some bread.

Four small morsels are soon found

Looking harmless on the ground.

But Max and Moritz, oh so rotten,

Have tied the pieces up with cotton.

Spread out cross-like on the floor,

The trap awaits our feathered four.

Sure enough, the cockerel goes

And takes a peek, then proudly crows:

“Cock-a-doodle, doodle-dee!”

The chickens follow, one, two, three…

Greedily they scoff the bread,

Swallowed down with all the thread.

When they’re finished, they discover

There’s no escape from one another!

Strung together, tied up hard—

Panic spreads throughout the yard…

All aflutter, in despair,

See them fly up in the air!

See them caught up on the tree,

Squawking out so desperately.

Hear their cries grow strong and stronger,

As their necks stretch long and longer…

Each chick lays just one last egg,

Then falls lifeless, noiseless, dead.

Widow Palmer, as you see,

Wakes to this cacophony.

Wracked with dread and filled with fright,

She stumbles on the grisly sight.

Soon she’s lost to bitter tears:

“All my hope for future years,

All I had to live upon,

Hangs before me—dead and gone!”

Deeply shaken, this good wife

Reaches for her kitchen knife;

Cuts the chickens from the bough,

And wonders what she can do now.

Grey and silent as a mouse,

She trudges back inside the house.

And so the first mean prank is done,

But watch out—here’s a second one!

Second Prank

Though still reeling from the shock,

Widow Palmer soon took stock.

Turned things over in her mind,

To see what comfort she could find.

What last tribute could she pay

To such dear creatures snatched away?

Eventually, she formed a plan

To stick them in the frying pan.

But, still, it was a sorry sight,

To see them laid out, pale and white,

Plucked and waiting on the stove,

These four birds who’d loved to rove

Through the yard, around the farm,

Blissful, carefree, safe from harm.

All alone with her dog Ben,

Widow Palmer sobs again.