A Lovely Song about an Event in Hamburg

To the tune of Ein Mahl das ich Lust bekam, printed in Amsterdam at the printing shop of David de Castro Tartas, in the year 1675.

Dear people, listen to my tale of events which occurred recently in Hamburg. An evil man arrived from Poland, who did many wicked things, until God could not bear this any longer.

Jonah was his name, may it be blotted out. He is famous for his evil deeds. He took up with a prostitute. When his first wife discovered this, she pulled out her hair in sorrow and came to Amsterdam.

Here the good woman met her brother. She told him that which her husband had done. “O God, what should I, an unfortunate woman, do?” Her brother answered her, “My dear sister, the Omnipotent One will stand at our side. Tell me what happened.”

She told him, “My dear brother, woe is me in my great sorrow. A few years ago he left and abandoned me. I searched for him high and low, and I thought that he was lost.

“People who make many journeys told me that he had taken up with a prostitute in Hamburg. Therefore, my dear child, travel with me to Hamburg, so that I may find the wicked man.”

The brother and sister did not tarry and set out on their journey in the cold and frost; starving, they almost froze to death, they feared that the wicked man would flee.

When Jonah, may his name be blotted out, learned of this, he did not think for long; he sent word to his brother-in-law, “Greetings, how is it that you have come here? What news do you bring?” In shock he nearly choked.

The brother-in-law said, “Indeed, we have heard great news in foreign lands, and therefore we have come. Tell me now, wanton man as you are, how dare you take a second wife—who is also a prostitute—in addition to your truly pious wife? You are not worthy to touch her. There is no good in you.”

The corrupt man began to cry, “This is a lie and a falsehood! I am not her husband, I do not know her or her family.”

When his brother-in-law heard him thus completely deny his first wife, he said, “I must make matters right,” and he approached the rabbinic court to request its judgment, as is customary in such cases.

When the second wife came to know of this, she could not restrain herself and began to fight and quarrel with the first wife, “Your husband is mine even if you do not like it, and in addition you will not receive a penny, and you should thank God if you get a divorce from him.”

The first wife said, “I will not do so unless a Torah court decrees it. I rely upon the rabbi and court. In my opinion it is better to live with a decent wife, and love her as his own, rather than in shame with Freydkhen the prostitute.”

Then the court decreed that Jonah must leave the prostitute until it would decide with which one of the women he should remain, so that no injustice be done to either of them; certainly he would need to divorce one of them.

Jonah, may his name be blotted out, paid no attention to the rabbi or the court and continued his adulterous life. [ . . . ] The sorrow of the first wife was well known in the holy community of Altona and in the city of Hamburg. Who could conceive of such a thing?

Before the city council the first wife then appeared and begged the lords to listen to her. The heads of the council asked her, “Young woman, what is your request? Or why have you approached us? Tell us everything without any pressure.”

She spoke thus, “Respected sirs and wise councilors, I must pour forth my lamentation, the pain of my heart and my distress. My husband came here from Poland, and he took a second wife who is also a prostitute. How can he be allowed to do such a thing?”

When the lords understood this thing properly, they gave her a short letter for the guard to grant her musketeers to accompany her. The guard received the letter and said, “Since the letter is from our masters we must help her as is fitting.”

Four musketeers left for the house and searched for Jonah everywhere, but they failed to find him. They said, “This is truly wondrous.” The wife’s brother spoke up, “My good lords, look in the chimney, perhaps he has crawled in there.”

[ . . . ] When they reached the chimney they found the son of Haman inside [ . . . ]

The guards began to pull him out and the corrupt man was frightened; he thought that they were about to cut off his head. He began to weep and cried out bitterly, “Good lords, let me go, I will go with you willingly, may God forgive my sin.”

As Jonah sat in prison, so cold he could not sweat [ . . . ]. Willingly he would leave that place. And thus it should be so for any man who has no shame before God and takes two wives. Such men cannot be saved from divine punishment.

While he was in jail, he did not have much to eat and drink, and his second wife Freydkhen could no longer bear it. She got up from her childbed and began to consider the matter of her husband, and began by saying,

“Woe is me, what have you done? Ask your first wife what she wants from you. Give her a divorce. Tell her that your death will be of no use to her. And therefore you ask of her at this time, in the name of God, that she act in order that you should stay alive.

“And I will go to the heads of the council; since I have good relations with them, I hope that they will listen to me. I will tell them all that I can; I know with reasonable certainty that they will comply with my request.”

Yet she achieved nothing with the lords, and did not know what her fate would be, since such a calamity had fallen upon her. This was a deserving payment for the informer, for she did damage to the entire community; she met a fitting downfall.

When they saw that their machinations bore no fruit, that it would cost Jonah his property and his life, they went to the first wife and said to her, “Look at what you intend to do, for it will lead to the death of a Jew; they are likely to cut off his head or hang him.”

The good woman visited the wicked man in prison and said to him, “You may think that I have lost my mind, since I would like to exact great revenge upon you but, thank God, I have a Jewish heart, and although you have caused me great suffering, I do as my soul dictates.”

Then the wicked one said, “Had I not taken the prostitute for myself I would not have had such sorrows. I will pay the prostitute as is fitting. I will travel to a foreign land where no one knows me and take a third wife.”

Then the woman went to appear before the lords again and begged for his life. The lords told her, “We will do as you wish although he deserves a worse punishment; because of you we will spare his life.

“Yet at the same time, we will tell you the truth. We will expel him from the town together with the prostitute. He must thank God and you that he is alive. Now go quickly to the elders of the Jewish community so that he will give you a writ of divorce.”

May this happen to every evil man who leaves his first wife and takes a second. He may not be able to remain anywhere, he is lost both here and there, and must be ashamed before God and man by his acts.

This beautiful song I wrote and devised in rhyme, exactly according to the events that occurred. The matter caused a great tumult when Jonah the wicked and Freydlhen the prostitute were expelled from the town. Everyone witnessed it as clear as day.

And this was a great revenge for the first wife and her brother. Therefore, every honest man must be careful and not take two wives. This could have cost Jonah his life; two pfennigs would not have been given to save him. So says Yeḥezkel, son of Zechariah the scribe.

My good people, remember why I present you with my song; grant me a small gift, don’t be annoyed, for thanks to that you will swiftly come to the land of Israel, a land flowing with milk and honey. Amen and amen.