On Tue 4 Sep 2001 (13:50:17), stoney AT touchwood.net wrote:
> I have always assumed, on no evidence whatever, that the 'vey'
> represented German 'weh'='woe'. Run it by your German professor . . .
>
From a poem I learnt at school:
Ein Winzer, der am Tode lag,
Rief seine Kinder zu und sprach:
'In unserm Weinberg liegt ein Schatz;
Grabt nur danach!' - 'An welchem Platz?'
Schrie alles laut den Vater an.
'Grabt nur!' - O weh! da starb der Mann. (usw)
^^^^^
First stanza from Gottfried August Buerger, /Die Schatzgraeber/.
HTH
Ben
--
Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
<ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm