Twin Idols by Eugene Field

They are phonetic spellings of the French combien and the German wieviel, both translating to "how much?"—the question you ask when inquiring about a price. Field uses a spelling that mimics how an American tourist might pronounce them, adding to the humor.

Money is the universal language. Regardless of how refined or class-conscious European society may seem, everyone—from a street vendor in Paris to a merchant in Germany to an aristocrat who’s struggling financially—answers the same question: what's the price? Culture and class are merely window dressing on a transaction.

This refers to the real-life trend of European noblemen who hold grand titles but lack financial resources, marrying wealthy American women or finding other ways to receive American funds. The title can be bought — all you need to do is ask, "What's the price?"

Field uses religious language with irony. A shrine is meant to be a sacred place of worship, but he describes Europe's version as "soulless" because what people really worship there isn't God, beauty, or tradition — it's money. The "twin idols" refer to the two price-related questions.

Both, a little. Field pokes fun at European pretension — the slick Frenchman, the so-called stoic German, the faded aristocrat — while also suggesting that Americans abroad are driven by greed ("greedy eyes"). The satire critiques materialism as a whole, rather than targeting any specific nationality.

Each stanza consists of eight lines that alternate between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter — a ballad-like pattern known as common meter. This structure lends the poem a lively, sing-song quality that matches its humorous tone and makes it ideal for newspaper publication, allowing readers to quickly absorb it while enjoying the rhythm.

It's American slang for a French person, coming from the French phrase parlez-vous ("do you speak?"). This term was often used in 19th-century American English in a somewhat teasing way, portraying the Frenchman as a stereotype rather than a unique individual.

An idol is essentially a false god—something people revere that lacks true divinity. By referring to the two price-related questions as idols, Field suggests that money has turned into the genuine religion of European society, with these two phrases serving as the familiar prayers everyone knows by heart.