The Bees: A Fairy Tale

by Wilhelm Busch, Rudolph Wiemann (Translator)

Relates in verse the adventures and misadventures of a hive of bees and the bee keeper, his daughter, and their neighbors.

72 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1869

About the author

Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch was an influential German caricaturist, painter, and poet who is famed for his satirical picture stories with rhymed texts.

After initially studying mechanical engineering and then art in Düsseldorf, Antwerp, and Munich, he turned to drawing caricatures. One of his first picture stories, Max and Moritz (published in 1865), was an immediate success and has achieved the status of a popular classic and perennial bestseller.

Reviews

[titi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deutsches Kulturgut vom Feinsten 🐝

[Susan Molloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐝
This short children’s book from 1872 was fun to read, both poems and the short stories. A favorite passage:

“Bee Life.
All hail! thou lovely month of May,
With parti-coloured flowers gay!
And hail to you, my darling Bees;
Much wealth you gain on days like these. . . . “

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Language: German
Difficulty (vocabulary): B2 (+ some dialect words)
Difficulty (story): A1-A2

Little (10 chapters, 75 pages) love story combined with beekeeping (and eating Honig!). There is no deep plot or something (like in any of Busch's poems), but it's mostly suitable for pleasure reading in the evening.

Behutsam schleichend, auf der Lauer,
Drückt er sich an die Gartenmauer;

Dann plötzlich macht er einen Satz,
Und - pitsch! - Christine kriegt 'n Schmatz.

Und - schwapp! - da tönt's im tiefen Baß:
"Ha, Ungetüm, was ist denn das?!!"
Herr Knörrje schlägt mit seinem Stabe
Und tief gekränkt entflieht der Knabe.

[Edit Burla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Gedicht von summenden Bienen
Die ihrer Königin emsig dienen.
Eine Geschichte von Honigdieben
Und von zweien die sich lieben.
Die Bilder die sind wunderbar
Und stellen jede Szene dar.

[Sydne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical Busch story. Most enjoyable!