_"Hurrah" and other War-cries_ (Vol. vii., pp. 595. 633.; Vol. viii., pp.
20. 88.).--_Hurrah_ is the war-cry of many nations, both in the army and
navy. The Dutch seem to have adopted it from the Russians, _poeta invito_,
as we see in the following verses of Staring van den Willenborg:
"Is 't hoera? Is 't hoera?
Wat drommel kan 't u schelen?
Brul, smeek ik, geen Kozakken na!
Als Fredrik's batterijen spelen--
Als Willem's trommen slaan
Blijv' Neerland's oorlogskreet: 'Val aan!'
Waar jong en oud de vreugd der overwinning deelen,
Bij Quatre-Bras' trofee,
Blijve ons gejuich _Hoezee_!"
Accept or reject this doggerel translation:
"Is it hurrah? Is it hurrah?
What does that concern you, pray?
Howl not like Cossacks of the Don!
But, when Frederic's batteries pour--
When William's drums do roar--
Holland's war-cry still be 'Fall on!'
When old and young
Raise the victor's song,
At Quatre-Bras' trophy,
Let _Huzzah_ our joy-cry be!"
_Hoera_ (hurrah) and _hoezee_ (huzza), then, in the opinion of Staring, and
indeed of many others, have not the same origin. Some have derived _hoezee_
from _hausse_, a French word of applause at the hoisting (Fr. _hausser_) of
the admiral's flag. Bilderdijk derives it from Hussein, a famous Turkish
warrior, whose memory is still celebrated. Dr. Brill says, "_hoezee_ seems
to be only another mode of pronouncing the German _juchhe_." Van Iperen
thinks it taken from the Jewish shout, "Hosanna!" Siegenbeek finds "the
origin of _hoezee_ in the shout of encouragement, 'Hou zee!' (hold sea)."
Dr. Jager cites a Flemish author, who says "that this cry ('hou zee,' in
French, _tiens mer_) seems especially to belong to us; since it was
formerly the custom of our seamen always 'zee te houden' (to keep the sea),
and never to seek shelter from storms." Dr. Jager, however, thinks it
rather doubtful "that our _hoezee_ should come from 'hou zee,' especially
since we find a like cry in other languages." In old French _huz_ signified
a cry, a shout; and the verb _huzzer_, or _hucher_, to cry, to shout; and
in Dutch _husschen_ had the same meaning.--From the _Navorscher_.
_Major Andre_ (Vol. viii., p. 174).--The sisters of Major Andre lived until
a comparatively very recent date in the Circus at Bath, and this fact may
point SERVIENS to inquiries in that city.