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This page is part of the Bloemen van het kwaad file

Blüthen des Herzens

Scans
Georg Runsky. Blüthen des Herzens. A.W. Hellig, Bad Lauchstädt, [circa 1906]. 115p.

Front
Title page
Index
Page 9
Page 10
Poem in one image

The poetry book of the German poet Georg Runsky (1866-?), which contains the poem 'Habe Geduld'. The book was published around 1906.

On 14 May 1938 a copy of this poem was printed in the Austrian weekly Agrarische Post, under the title 'Denke es'. It was then falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler.

In the Hitler biography of John Toland (1976) it appeared for the first time in English translation. Toland made the mistake in identifying it as a true Hitler poem, supposedly written in 1923.

History of the poem

Sources


  




Habe Geduld

Wenn Deine Mutter alt geworden
Und älter Du geworden bist,
Wenn ihr, was früher leicht und mühlos,
Nunmehr zur Last geworden ist,
Wenn ihre treuen, lieben Augen
Nicht mehr wie einst ins Leben seh'n,
Wenn ihre Füße, krafgebrochen,
Sie nicht ertragen mehr beim Geh'n,—
Dann reiche ihr den Arm zur Stütze,
Geleite sie mit froher Lust;
Die Stunde komt, da Du sie weinend
Beim letzten Gang begleiten mußt.

O hab' Geduld mit ihrem Leben,
Das Gott sie noch zu leben heißt,
Erfreue sie mit tausend Freuden,
Wenn Du sie zu erfreuen weißt.
Und frägt sie Dich, so gieb ihr Antwort
Und frägt sie wieder, sprich auch Du
Und frägt sie nochmals, steh ihr Rede
Nicht ungestüm, in sanfter Ruh'.
Und will sie Dich nicht recht verstehen
Erklär' ihr alles froh bewegt —
Die Stunde kommt, die bittre Stunde,
Da Dich ihr Mund nach nichts mehr frägt.

Georg Runsky, [ca. 1906]


(-)

When your mother has grown older,
And you have grown older, 
When what was formerly easy and effortless
Now becomes a burden,
When her dear loyal eyes
Do not look out into life as before,
When her legs have grown tired
And do not want to carry het any more —
Then give her your arm for support,
Accompany het with gladness and joy.
The hour will come when, weeping, you
Will accompany her on het last journey!
And if she asks you, answer her.
And if she asks again, speak also.
And if she asks another time, speak to her
Not stormily, but in gentle peace!
And if she cannot understand you well,
Explain everything joyfully;
The hour will come, the bitter hour
When her mouth will ask no more!






Translation John Toland, 1976
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Title page
 
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back up | Poem from page 9 and page 10 in one image:
 
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Sources

Scans by Jaap van den Born, Nijmegen, 2016.

Georg Runsky. Blüthen des Herzens. A.W. Hellig, Bad Lauchstädt, [circa 1906]. 115p.

Denk es. Agrarische Post, Wien, 14-05-1938.
http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=agp&datum=19380514&seite=8&zoom=33
&query=%22%C3%84lter%2BDu%2Bgeworden%2Bbist%22&ref=anno-search

John Toland. Adolf Hitler. 1976. The information regarding this book
is based on a reprint that was published by Ballantine Books, New York,
1977. 1373p.

Tolands source for the poem (printed on p. 181), as mentioned in the notes
on page 1280 was:

Rehse Collection, Library of Congress (Washington D.C.).
[Rehse Collection and Nazi Miscellany, including original photographs, typescripts,
propaganda, calendars, books, etc.] Ca. 1915 tot 1947. Ca. 850 items.
Collected by officials of the Library of Congress. Library of Congress Control Number 2010651959.
The Runsky poem is item 791.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2010651959/

This page is part of Droog - online magazine for slow journalism
As such it belongs to the Flowers of evil-series.

© Jaap van den Born en Bart FM Droog, 2017.

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