Tag: Swedish

Vaccination in the seraglio

The Sultan’s harem must be vaccinated
and thus preserved against the smallpox.
A sultana with a lush bosom
extends her snow-white, round arm.
Small odalisques, slightly pretentious,
with lingerie and graceful,
how easily they hover behind a screen.
However it is bandaged and vaccinated,
the seraglio must not be profaned.
No, sultana, beware,
for behold, the eunuch is on his guard!
And as vigilant as the dragons of fairy tales,
the Grand Sultan himself guards his treasure.
For the slightest tilt, oh, odalisque,
you can easily run a dangerous risk.
The “life doctor” can only see the arm,
but no sign of décolletage.
Otherwise a prisoner (no, what befalls?)
a silk cord around his neck.
Now the vaccination is over,
with the “sick man” on the imperial throne,
in purple cloak and ermine,
he does not recover from his vaccine.
(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1887)

Swedish smallpox cartoon

The European rulers attacked by the “Russian snuff”

(Box labeled “Quinine against runny nose”)
Not now, by the Russian knout and the Prussian Pickelhaube
and by the swords with which they fight,
we suffer from the Russian snuff
and we in grace cheat ourselves.
All of Europe’s sovereigns
have got a sense of the snuff;
but thrones shall not fall
just for this sudden catarrh…
Then England’s proud mistress
does not go free of the flu,
may Spain’s little king reconsider,
that she also rules over him.
And look at Bismarck, look at him,
he was a grand old diplomat!
He cannot outsmart her,
she grabbed him neatly.
There, in the high courtrooms,
living doctors fall asleep easily;
but behold, she is still awake,
and you do not know her right.
It has been said that she passes so gently:
she pinches, but lightly and softly.
Well, it’s tiny! She cruelly martyrs royal purple.
Yes, the kingdom, it is sick.
(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1889)

Swedish flu cartoon

Why did cholera come to Egypt?

Cholera: I greet you, my friend, John Bull, and I greet the khedive.
I come for my pleasure, I am then besotted.
I think you’re sitting here and still just bored.
Today I have therefore come so we may be together.
None of you invited me here, I invite myself, friends.
There will be life and desire here… no, death, for you know my weapon.
I want to rule, even I, in good potentates.
When I strike, I strike powerful blows, then proud states tremble.
I have an irresistible power, and here, so bright and sunny,
we must now dance to the beat and have so much fun.
(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1883)

Swedish cholera cartoon

John Bull and cholera

I think a skull is visible at the bow,
a passenger with respect.
But the ship has expensive cargo, too,
and that aroused my desire to shop.
Cholera will never bother me,
whenever it comes to a good deal,
and therefore the ship may pass freely,
even if it carries the infection inside.
You should earn interest on your coin, I mean,
but not salted away in quarantine.
Yes, so long as I earn money,
I’ll steer it to the hometown of cholera.
I do not regret my illness,
no, in my slaked lime I feel so good.
Here we have healthy and sound stomachs,
and gold is everything for a shopkeeper’s soul.
(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1883)

Swedish cholera cartoon

Two majesties in quarantine

Swedish quarantine cartoon

King Christian of Denmark, crowned sovereign,
and equally exalted queen in quarantine!
Yea, that the “Lord’s anointed” be placed there,
is not a breach of majesty the same?
It is believed that the purple itself, which the couple wears,
is now loaded with cholera bacteria,
and shall it be sulphurized, smoked,
shall the king and his consort be soaked with carbolic acid?!
Oh, their majesties feel pretty good,
though it’s not as fun as in a castle.
Delicious dishes and sparkling wine are common here,
but not a single sign of cholera.
The court master serves in the usual way
and the master chef wins both praise and award.
But of Mr. Koch’s bacteria, at the king’s throne,
not even a portion is served here.
There sits the adjutant with champagne glasses,
which must always be in good company.
And now you sound most gracious. Good year, yes, cheers!
You eat and you drink everything you can tolerate.
You can probably be quarantined,
then so you can enjoy there, oh sovereign!
With glass in hand, a roast fowl on fork,
it is, on the whole, like a game.

(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1892) (with apologies for the sloppy translation)

Memento mori to jollity in Skåne

(Skåne is the southern country in Sweden on the eastern side of the Øresund Strait from Copenhagen. The specter of Cholera is reaching out from France.)

His Royal Majesty and generals.

(accompanied by some playful verse which I cannot render in full, but here’s one pair of couplets)

But look into the distance! What do we get to see?
It is the cholera that is seen to prevail,
She, who explains all gaiety and caressing,
should she interfere with our play?!

(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1884)

Swedish cholera cartoon

Failed speculators

For early Swedish satirical press one should apparently look to Grönköpings Veckoblad, but so far as I can tell, there is no historical digital archive available. Rather by accident I’ve finally run across another potential Swedish contribution to this collection. Fäderneslandet (Fatherland) was a Stockholm newspaper in operation since 1830, achieving a rather large circulation by the 1870s. Sporting the subheading “Freedom Work Justice,” it apparently fostered a politically radical stance, but more often functioned as a scandalous broadsheet. In any event, they occasionally published cartoons, including this one from during the cholera pandemic of 1892, accompanied by rhymed couplets in the original.

(Fäderneslandet, Stockholm, 1892)

Swedish cholera cartoon
Gothenburgers:

Attention! This newspaper is reporting:
“The Traveling Kaiser is not coming.”
Because of cholera? Yes, it’s a given,
he cannot defy it – no.
But, alas, organizers of festivities,
Officers and gentlemen who bear the sword!
Yes, major patrons and merchants,
it’s a blow to the bill of goods.
That Kaiser Wilhelm would visit us,
it was just said in all the squares.
And we wanted to hold a feast for him
in our proud Gothenburg.
We intended to light things up
and put on the fireworks.
“He will decorate us for this
with ribbons and medals,” we thought.
But these were golden illusions
they evaporated away for this time.
Yes, now by forests [of newspapers?] and millions [of kroner?]
our nose has become terribly long.
Whose fault it is, we all know,
it is cholera, at the knees of the gods!
Oh, may it go to Gehenna
and be put there in quarantine!