A MOURNFUL SONG ON BRUNNENTAL -- Written in 1923 by Reverend   
Elias Hergert, Pastor of St. Pauls Evangical Church in   
Portland, Oregon and former resident of Brunnental.  Originally  
printed in "Die Welt Post" in German in 1923.  Printed in   
English in the Frank/Brunnental Village Newsletter, Fall 1992  
issue,  

For more information, contact Sherrie (Gettman) Stahl, 
4189 NW Spoon Pl., Portland OR 97229, USA / Email: sherriestahl@comcast.net
Updated 3/2006
  
[Translation from German to English by Marie (Trupp) Krieger,  
Portland, OR -- 1992]  
--------------------------------  
  
A MOURNFUL SONG ON BRUNNENTAL  
  
A mournful song about the village of Brunnental located in the  
Volga colonies, in which everyone who came from that same place  
and lives in the United States or Canada is being called to  
agree to this.    
  
Not only that but if they are called to partake in the singing  
of the mournful song, they will also be summoned to assist in  
the revitalization of the beloved village so it can live again.  
  
(Note that the name Kriviyar used in the poem is the Russian  
name for Brunnental.)  
  
*   *   *  
  
O Brunnental, how lovely sounds  
To us your name from afar;  
You are worthy, that man praises  
Thee, even as the darkest stars shine.  
  
You stood once in glorious splendor  
Your fame was sacred and majestic;  
Who then made you so destitute?  
You encountered a serious fate. --  
  
The young men, where are they?  
Old man, where are you?  
Snatched away, Oh, so soon!  
And many a child, too.  
  
You presumed for yourself good luck  
But it was only a foreboding;  
In YOU grew the Bolshevik,  
Atrocity is his mark.  
  
Previously you were strong and rich  
You were so easy going;  
Now you are so humble  
Just like Jerusalem.  
  
Jerusalem returned to its former self,  
I hope the same for you;  
After the day and year in the course of time,  
Your glamour sallies forth.  
  
But now you appear so dismal  
Depressed as never before;  
Gone is many a beautiful house  
Gone, also, many a lofty gate.  
  
O, woefully, I look at you  
In the Holy Spirit, I grieve for you;  
Because many a wife and many a man  
Is without dress or clothing.  
  
Tattered, torn, as you are  
Through the Spirit I see you;  
My heart remains troubled,  
I weep as loud as I can.  
  
O Brunnental!  Let me tell you  
I do not weep alone;  
For my villagers here,  
Agree with me wholeheartedly.  
  
First on the list is JACOB DIETZ,  
JOHANNES SCHAUERMANN;  
And KONRAD BECK of some 60 miles  
He follows them as well.  
  
PAUL UHRICH steps into the line  
Then JOHANNES ECKHART  
And HEINRICH WEBER queues up, too;  
Then PASTOR KOCH follows, also.  
  
We honor the old men  
With their gray hair;  
The elder LEBSACK loves very much  
The old Kriviyar.   
  
Your son GEORGE weeps with me, also.  
JOHN WEBER, what do you think  
Of VOELKER and of FLEISCHER SCHMIDT?  
Do they belong to this, too?  
  
GEORGE KAUFMANN, I respect greatly  
GEORGE STEINMETZ totally;  
Neither more nor less also HEINRICH LEHR  
They are from Kriviyar.   
  
EMMANUEL is WEBER's name  
He's also counted among these numbers;  
JOHN WIEDERSPAHN, that's so, O do you know  
You are from Brunnental?  
  
I mention JOHN SCHLOTTHAUER  
He is not too old yet;  
A brother member is ADAM DOERR  
And KONRAD GRUENEWALD.  
  
Now I think of JACOB GROTH,  
In Lincoln, it is the elder;  
EMANUEL and ALEX ROTH  
And DAVID GRUENEWALD.  
  
HEINRICH NAGEL should also be considered,  
There with, he also contributes;  
Then comes JACOB SCHAUERMANN,  
JOHN GUTMANN does well.  
  
JOHN SEIBEL, I mention him with pleasure,  
GEORGE HEIN and also GEORGE HILL;  
With joy I refer to these people  
Because I wish to count them.  
  
Now I come to NIKOLAUS NAGEL quite suddenly  
He is not so bad off;  
WACKER's name is EMMANUEL  
His brother-in-law is HEINRICH LOOS.  
  
My brother JACOB, the minister  
Is now ill and weak;  
On the young FRIEDRICH MOEHLINGER  
He can't beat him to his heart's content anymore.  
  
At that time, that was at one time,  
When he was younger  
On the Volga River, in Brunnental,  
That is the Kriviyar.  
  
As teacher and assistant he hit  
Many with the stick;  
With that they became smart  
And not dumb, like an ox.  
  
Then comes FRIEDRICH BRETTHAUER  
I mean the elder man,  
He went through a lot of misery  
He has cried so much.  
  
I continue and collect quietly  
The names throughout;  
SALMEIER and FRIEDERICH HILL  
Are also from Brunnental.  
  
GEORGE and HEINRICH BAUM, JOHN SCHMIDT  
Each one has a heart;  
GEORGE MELCHER kept in step with them  
And continued his pleasantries.  
  
Mr. HEINRICH MELCHER knows very well  
Where our cradle stood,  
And in his heart remained  
A gleam from Russia.  
  
Then JACOB MELCHER  
In the State of Washington;  
I cannot forget them  
With their blind son.  
  
Now HEINRICH SEIBEL, close friend  
Are you still here?  
You always meant well  
Here in America.  
  
I already listed my brother JACOB  
But Not HEINRICH;  
Also not ADAM and JOHN  
You also are to be included in the poem.  
  
Well, KONRAD ECKHARDT, do you think  
Does he have me in this, too?  
Count HEINRICH WEITZEL ----  
So I have two more.  
  
KARL HEIN, I do not have him yet  
Neither do I have his brother JOHN;  
JAKE NAGEL appears to be important  
He will not get away from me.  
  
Now HEINRICH SEIBEL, HEINRICH BECK  
You were neighbors  
To name you, that has a purpose  
Because you belong to us.  
  
GEORGE HOELZER, HEINRICH JACOB GROTH  
GEORGE SCHAUB and also GEORGE BREHM;  
To name you is necessary  
That is agreeable.  
  
It still gives me a long line  
Until I name them all;  
GEORGE HARTUNG should also be included  
I know him well.  
  
The HARTUNGs are now having their turn  
Named CASPER, JAKE and JOHN  
In Lingle are the last two  
The first named is in Oregon.  
  
GEORGE BLOCK lives in Lincoln, Just listen  
I'm getting far away  
His Uncle GEORG lives in Canada  
He was a minister earlier.  
  
His brother HENRY annexed and  
Thereon he is committed;  
The work of the Lord he honestly promotes  
And also his brother JOHN.  
  
Mr. CHRISTIAN BLOCK of all the luck  
Is also related that way;  
And CASPER BLOCK does not hold back  
He loves the Kriviyar.   
  
The Old NIKOLAUS BLOCK  
Should also be included here;  
But out with AUGUST ASCHENBRENNER  
I do not know you.  
  
The MILLER brothers count to four  
HEINRICH, KONRAD, FRIEDRICK  
And ADAM, all of Brunnental  
They are all alike.  
  
A. HOFF, GEORGE HOFF, GEORGE DIETZ, GEORGE WOIT  
JOHN KINDSFATHER, JOHN KLEIN  
They have not had any regrets   
To be in this country.  
  
In Saskatchewan, Canada  
There is JACOB KLEIN  
The LIEBRECHTs come in now  
In Stornoway and Rhein.  
  
You are ADAM, KONRAD, GEORGE  
Related to me, rather close  
Though you live so far from here  
In cold Canada.  
  
CHRIST STEINMETZ, HEINRICH DIETZ, JAKE BREHM*  
GEORGE HOFFMAN also  
That makes me so comfortable again  
And I mention also JACOB KOCH.  
  
FRED GRUENEWALD and MANUEL BAUM  
They know each other, don't they?  
JAKE GOTTWIG is often in a dream  
In the village of Kriviyar.    
  
JAKE HERGERT and JAKE KINDSVATER  
They have not been mentioned yet  
GEORGE ZIEGLER and JAKE BRETTHAUER  
They live in Portland.  
  
ADAM MILLER, and old man  
His PETER is dead  
His son GEORGE does as well as he can  
Hands him his evening bread.  
  
Mr. JACOB POPP, as an Adventist  
Most people are not acquainted with him;  
His brother HEINRICH, a staunch Baptist  
Are both in this country.  
  
JOHN GUTMANN in the State of Wyoming;  
JOHN GOTTWIG also there;  
The latter's daughter is the wife  
Of CASPER LOHREI.  
  
Mr. HEINRICH HEIN, my schoolmate  
I don't forget him  
God has not forgotten him  
He wanders in the Light.  
  
Well then, HEINRICH BECKER, swarthy, oh  
You had left my mind  
I think well of JOHN LINKER  
And write his name here.  
  
Mr. GIESICK and Mr. LOEBSACK, what?  
You think I won't be mentioning You  
You are astray in Otis, Kansas  
Here you are in the poem.  
  
JAKE SEIBEL, one calls him pharynx  
And HEINRICH GROTH, thus also   
HEINRICH HAMBURG is generally known  
I know, he pleases him thereon.  
  
Now that I'm on the subject of HAMBURGs  
So I will do it this way  
And place their names within  
Of JACOB and of GEORGE.  
  
Now I'll count all of the BECKERs here  
I want to mention all.  KONRAD,   
Son of HANSPETER (Henry Peter)  
He is also from Brunnental.  
  
JAKE BECKER, there in Washington  
A cobbler for many years  
Earned his daily wages  
As trustworthy as he was.  
  
Then comes GEORGE, that is very fine  
Surely he wishes to come, too;  
He belongs to the heavy-set BECKER  
There with the Mennonite.  
  
Then HEINRICH BECKER -- schoolmaster  
Your father was with us  
Who should not know that  
In the village Kriviyar?   
  
Now, JACOB BREHM, father of GEORGE  
So also his brother JOHN  
His brother HEINRICH without worries  
In Walla Walla, Washington.  
  
Then JACOB BREHM, son of LUDWIG  
His Uncle JOHN included;  
Wilhelm's WILHELM, I also know of him  
Then I have three again.  
  
GEORGE MELCHER, Handy, one said  
And little HENRY WEBER  
And HENRY STEINMETZ, say when  
Do I bring you on the right track?  
  
Then KONRAD LOEBSACK is still free  
And also EMANUEL BECK  
And where ALEX BECKER is  
Even JOHN STRECK doesn't know.  
  
JAKE WALTER, you were always gone  
The LATRICK, you know her  
You were there most of the time  
At home only off and on.  
  
Your brother KONRAD needs to be added  
I know he loves it all  
That he is a Brunnental villager  
According to the beautiful old custom.  
  
JOHN SITTNER, HEINRICH STAERKEL, so  
You came to my mind  
The sons of Mr. JACOB STROH  
They live in Loveland, Colorado.  
  
JAKE KRIEGER and JAKE PAPPENHEIM,  
I mention them once, too;  
That the village was not their correct home,  
That old Brunnental.  
  
H. LOEBSACK, a Kansas resident should  
Come in here one time, too;  
JAKE LOEBSACK fills the card  
Now that is all of the LOEBSACKS.  
  
In Marion, Kansas lives the elder PROPP  
In a strange town  
I indicate now ADAM POPP yet,  
JAKE GIES and JACOB BATT.  
  
GEORGE ECKHARDT and the elder HEIN  
In the State of Nebraska there  
Now comes PHILIPP FEUERSTEIN  
I will not chase him away.  
  
PETE LINKER and GEORGE BRETTHAUER  
JAKE HART, I'm not getting scared;  
I allude to KONRAD KINDSVATER  
And also JOHN MOHRLANG, too.  
  
Immediately I refer to HEINRICH MOHRLAND  
KARL BECKER, GEORGE MICHEL  
SAM STEINMETZ isn't so rich yet  
Neither is GEORGE KAMMERZELL.  
  
JAKE MELCHER, partner of HANLENET  
JAKE SEIBEL directly so;  
JAKE KAUFMANN, isn't that fine  
That pleases us all.  
  
Well, KONRAD KAUFMAN, what shall I   
Begin in the future?  I will not leave   
GEORGE KROENING in the lurch  
He is a good man.  
  
HANFRITZ LIEBRECHT does not know   
He is not aware of my plan;  
He has no knowledge of the village Poem  
In the State of Michigan.  
  
Mr. CASPER GOETTMANN is not informed  
Neither KONRAD GOETTMANN  
That I write here with all my might  
A lovely village poem.  
  
Mr. KONRAD LINKER, Oh, I haven't  
Thought of you anymore  
Mr. ASCHENBRENNER in Endicott  
Made everything OK.  
  
Then comes HERGENRADER, thereon  
JAKE ASCHENBRENNER  
JOHN WOIT and also JAKE WIEDERSPAHN  
GEORGE WAGNER shows up, too.  
  
Those of that caliber do not diminish  
Of others here in this land;  
Young FRIEDRICH BRETTHAUER  
Hasn't been named yet either.  
  
I have two BRETTHAUERs  
Their names are HEINRICH;  
Their nicknames are different  
LOHNES and HELFERICH.  
  
Things are not too good for ADAM SEIBEL  
With his wife away so far;  
Alone he is in this country  
And she lives in Kriviyar.  
  
Well, WILHELM ADLER, I must say  
I state your name;  
JOHN NAGEL, KONRAD HELZER, too  
You are three good men.  
  
My in-law NAGEL, wait peacefully  
Forgotten you are not  
In Brighton, SALOMON SCHAEFER wants  
To be in this poem.  
  
Well, ALEXANDER VOELKER, eventually  
I'm coming to the end  
And HEINRICH LINKER, are you happy?  
You think it costs too much.  
  
HEINRICH BRAUN, of Eckdorn is  
Where this man keeps himself  
I'm not the only one who wonders  
He has hidden from us all.  
  
I believe I have listed all  
I do not find anymore  
Of our dear Brunnental  
Only one more, JACOB LEHR.  
  
Now I remember as I end this  
That is my in-law, with  
JOHN ELENBERGER for spite  
Make no further complaint.  
  
Just one is still left behind  
Not withstanding he is still fresh  
Recaptured his luck  
At a better table.  
  
That is JACOB HERGERT  
Scottsbluff is his treasure  
He newly arrived from Kriviyar  
From our old home.  
  
I know there are some missing  
But I can't think of you  
Perhaps within the next week  
You will appear in my thoughts.  
  
Should someone be missed in the poem  
And does not stand in line  
Then say -- Hergert didn't know it  
I'll pardon his mistake.  
  
Join me in this mournful song  
All of you once more  
You'll feel how it summons  
Us, to Brunnental.  
  
One hund eight and eighty times  
Is not a small crowd  
They all came from Brunnental  
The dear Kriviyar.  
  
What do all of you think?  
A dollar or two  
Would help our Brunnental  
Out of its misery.  
  
Take from your small amount of money  
Each one of you can spare  
And show yourself as a good hero  
For dear Kriviyar.  
  
You do not know how to make it right  
Send me one, tow dollars  
I'll send it as God's servant  
To the poor and destitute Kriviyar.  
  
Should this poem be complete  
So do as I tell you here  
With dollars we will give a lift  
Within one day in the village.  
  
And if you don't, then you'll have pain,  
You Kriviyar people  
Do something for Brunnental  
That will give you much pleasure.  
  
Patience dear village, we'll help you,  
We will give thee a lift;  
So that you can have peace,  
Farewell!  we think of you.  
  
Greetings from your village comrade  
ELIAS HERGERT, Pastor, The Brunnental representative  
  
[The End]  
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For more information, contact Sherrie (Gettman) Stahl, 
PO Box 540, Manzanita,
OR 97130-0540,  Email:  sherriestahl@nehalemtel.net
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