Yawcob Strauss and Other Poems/"Ah-Goo!"

by Charles Follen Adams

"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!"