The power of music
During one of the major British air raids on the Imperial capital, a man appeared in one of the air raid shelters carrying a violin case with his luggage. He was recognized as the world-famous (?) violinist . Upon request and without hesitation, Borrius played a violin concerto for his fellow sufferers in the shelter while bombs fell from both sides and the anti-aircraft artillery unleashed a furious barrage. The artist so captivated his audience with his performance that they barely paid attention to the looming dangers and no longer heard the thunder of the explosions outside. – 13/12
In Germany, they display heroism
During every terror attack.
One could almost say, the public
Sees it as a carnival.
They display it cheerfully, happily
And in sociability,
And when the air raid is over,
Many have regrets.
You may think, it‘s not true,
But just look in the newspaper:
In Germany, all is well,
And morale is holding up.
Recently, during an air raid,
Armed with a violin,
Came a famous artist
To the shelter cellar.
And at the public’s request
He played something for them,
And those who were in the shelter
Did not get bored.
They did not hear the bombs
Nor the anti-aircraft fire,
Forgotten were worries and fears,
The world ceased to exist.
Forgotten were murder and fire,
They only heard the music,
Forgotten was the reality,
Forgotten was the hell.
The piece he performed:
Of captivating violence,
Whether it was the Feuerzauber [Fire Magic, Wagner],
It was not mentioned.
It would have gone just perfectly
With burning Berlin,
You know, it was a huge party,
A sea of flames festivity.
Even the Paukenschlag Symphony [The Surprise, Haydn]
Would have been appropriate then,
The bombs and the anti-aircraft fire
Had quite a lot to say.
Perhaps he also thought to himself,
Should I play a hit song?
“Berlin wackelt” [Berlin is shaking] was well-known
And is popular now.
The newspaper writes that the shelter audience
Was held in thrall,
I almost believe they are greedy
For the next shelter concert.
Post-Editing: Robert Saunders
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