11-04-1944, 2nd volume, no. 53, Page 11
11-04-1944, 2nd volume, no. 53, Page 12

cover / introduction table of contents

Semiramis

A Babylonian queen, the famous Semiramis, invented three things: irrigation through canals, cobblestones, and … the war chariots. A progressive lady, who certainly didn’t spend her days dreaming in hanging gardens! – 23-3-1938

Of Queen Semiramis,
Semiramis of Babylon,
You know, if I’m not mistaken,
Certainly that old fable,

Telling of her wondrous garden
That seemed to float somewhere,
It must have been a world wonder,
And one of the seven, for sure.

Herodotus, that ancient Greek,
Tells, not ironically at all,
Semiramis also was full of music,
She was so Babylonian.

She was a woman full of fantasy,
A woman to love,
A subject for poetry,
But now I have a cold.

Her activity was not limited
To those miraculous gardens,
She accomplished much more,
Most men’s brains

Are far from as productive,
As hers were.
Semiramis, it’s a pity,
I had to learn today,

That not only the stone on the street
Was invented by you,
And the canal, which passes
Through the cultivated lands today,

Another dreadful gift
You have left us,
You are the mother of the tank,
And so I‘m going to hate you.

Post-Editing: Nannie Braunstein-Beekman