Classic Poem

I don'd vas preaching voman's righdts,
 Or anyding like dot,
Und I likes to see all beoples
 Shust gondented mit dheir lot;
Budt I vants to gondradict dot shap
 Dot made dis leedle shoke:

“A voman vas der glinging vine,
 Und man der shturdy oak.”

Berhaps, somedimes, dot may be drue,
 Budt, den dimes oudt off nine,
I find me oudt dot man himself
 Vas been der glinging vine;
Und vhen hees friendts dhey all vas gone,
 Und he vas shust “tead proke,”
Dot's vhen der voman shteps righdt in,
 Und been der shturdy oak.

Shust go oup to der paseball groundts
 Und see dhose “shturdy oaks”
All planted roundt ubon der seats—
 Shust hear dheir laughs und shokes!
Dhen see dhose vomens at der tubs,
 Mit glothes oudt on der lines:
Vhich vas der shturdy oaks, mine frendts,
 Und vhich der glinging vines?

Vhen Sickness in der householdt comes,
 Und veeks und veeks he shtays,
Who vas id fighdts him mitoudt resdt,
 Dhose veary nighdts und days?
Who beace und gomfort alvays prings,
 Und cools dot fefered prow?
More like id vas der tender vine
 Dot oak he glings to now.

“Man vants budt leedle here pelow,”
 Der boet von time said;
Dhere's leedle dot man he don'd vant,
 I dink id means, inshted;
Und vhen der years keep rolling on,
 Dheir cares und droubles pringing,
He vants to pe der shturdy oak,
 Und, also, do der glinging.

Maype, vhen oaks dhey gling some more,
 Und don'd so shturdy been,
Der glinging vines dhey haf some shance
 To helb run Life's masheen.
In helt und sickness, shoy und pain,
 In calm or shtormy veddher,
'Tvas beddher dot dhose oaks und vines
 Should alvays gling togeddher.