REFLECTIONS

Sixty Years Ago

This year, the world is celebrating 60 years after World War II. The Führer committed suicide on April 30, 1945, and the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed at Reims in France on May 7. The ceasefire commenced on May 8, 1945, bringing peace to a blood-stained Europe after nearly 6 years of war. In this issue's Selected Studies section, we feature an article about the Adolf Hitler.

In this issue's Reflections section, we present two poems by German poets that represent the anti-Nazi resistance movement. The first poem is a pre-war composition critiquing the march to conflict, and the second reflects the anguish of a blood-drenched continent after the collapse of the Third Reich.

General, That Tank

By Bertolt Brecht (1938)
Translated from German by Christopher Middleton

General, that tank of yours is some car.
It can wreck a forest, crush a hundred men.
But it has one failing:
It needs a driver.

General, you've got a good bomber here.
It can fly faster than the wind, carry more than an elephant can.
But it has one failing:
It needs a mechanic.

General, a man is a useful creature.
He can fly, and he can kill.
But he has one failing:
He can think.

May 8, 1945

By Franz Baermann Steiner (1945)
Translated from German by Michael Hamburger

Hasty is the flight of birds. Woe, all that was ever ready to soar
Has the weight of stones
that endure under the earth, cemented with the bodies and years of love

People have buried their wickedly pampered war
Poppies bloom out of beer.
Paper-chains lace up the bodies of feverish houses.

The wet flags drip into sultry, festive air,
Behind the roll of drums
A skater zigzags over a frozen lake of blood.