They inquired about my health
And went so far as to say,
That I had not changed at all,
Only pale, in a small way.

I asked about aunts and cousins,
And many a boring old gentry,
And about the little poodle,
Who used to bark so gently.

And how is the married loved one?
I did ask, by the way. They smiled
And friendly answered me that
She was soon to have a child.

And I coughed congratulations,
And asked with all my heart,
That they should convey to her,
The warmest greeting on my part.

The little sister spoke then:
That cute small puppy of mine,
Grew up big and went so mad,
They had to drown him in the Rhine.

The child ressembles her sister,
And when she laughs, beyond belief;
She has exactly the same eyes,
That were the cause of all my grief.