FIDDULI FIDDULI HEI - WHICH PROBABLY RELATES TO SAUERKRAUT

There are times when I wished I spoke Hungarian fluently. No, this is not because I wish to read works by Zoltán Ambrus in his original language.
Nor is it because the exile from Bratislava of Béla Hamvas and his parents in some way speaks to me, or any fascination with the stupendous literary output of Miklós Vámos.

Nothing quite so high-fallutin.

It is because of a chanson I found on the internet, the lyrics of which fascinate me no end.

I wish I knew what they meant.


NÉMET TÁNC


[Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-r_jAc8mjk.]


The German-language original of these plangent lyrics is not much clearer. And surely it must have first been sung in German?  There's leather hoses! Leather hoses, man, who else would wear such things?


DANCING WITH LEATHER HOSES


[Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXoR6YRx4DI.]


As far as I can make out, the pallid North-American version, no doubt sung by farmers in the Midwest, is a rather watery folksong, without much socio-cultural significance.

"I will do the German danz for you; It's fun und gay & tra la la;
I hope you will enjoy my danz, fiddely aye fiddely aye, hey!
Would you like some sauerkraut? German boy, German boy;
Yes I'd like some sauerkraut....."

Festive, and probably perfectly suitable for one of those many colourful ethnic celebrations common in places like Illinois and Texas, which are promoted by the local chambers of commerce.


But it sounds better in Hungarian.


Káposzta!



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