"One of the evidences for National Socialism as a pseudo-religious phenomenon is the flood of poetry in praise of Adolf Hitler, poetry generally written in a worshipful tone. There was an astonishing amount of it. A pinnacle of sorts was reached in 1938 with the publication of this thin book written by Hitler Youth members in Austria before the Nazi takeover in 1938. Goebbels awarded it the National Book Prize for 1937/38. According to Goebbels, as cited on the dust jacket of the book: "We had almost decided to split the award or draw lots for it when a thin little book of poetry appeared on the market. It made all further consideration pointless. This book fulfills the goals of the our book prize better than any other." There are 29 poems in all.
Adolf Hitler
Two men are joined as one in you:
One seems cold and hard,
One who achieves his goals.
Another is tender and kind,
He forgets not even the poorest.
He feels for the least of us.
Two streams owe their strength to you.
You are the sap rising from each root,
The seed that gives them birth --
A new spirit rose from you,
That forged us together as a nation
And dwells in us forever!
Our Führer
There are so many people who bless you,
Even if their blessing is a silent one --
There are so many who have never met you,
And yet you are their Savior.
When you speak to your German people,
The words go across the land
And sink into countless hearts,
Hearts in which your image long has stood.
Sometimes the vision of you brings life
To those in the midst of hard labor and heavy obligation ...
So many are devoted to you
And seek in your spirit a clear light.
The source:Das Lied der Getreuen. Verse ungennanter österreichischer Hitler-Jugend aus den Jahren der Verfolgung 1933-37 (Leipzig: Philipp Reclam jun., Verlag, 1938).. |
