Lately, things haven’t been going well,
Fear is in his legs.
And yesterday, in his dream,
Friend Chamberlain appeared.
And he looked very militant,
Braver than in life,
He also seemed significantly bigger,
His mood appeared elevated.
His spirit didn’t carry an umbrella,
That was the biggest wonder,
Because when he was alive,
Neville never walked without one.
Adolf feels lately
Cracked and broken,
The spirit of Neville Chamberlain
Spoke this to him:
Adolf, you rarely sleep now,
Apparently, your conscience is bothering you,
In victories and triumphs
You had completely forgotten about that.
Yet, currently, everything is amiss,
You are defeated daily,
And now, the torments of conscience
Plague you mercilessly.
Moreover, you are very afraid
Of possible consequences,
You know well that the German people
Are so angry with you.
An always recurring fact
With all dictators,
When they are dealt blows,
Then they are lost.
I still think about Godesberg,
Where in Hotel von Dreesen,
Five years ago,
you hauled me over the coals.
And I couldn’t retaliate,
So I kept silent,
And you received the Sudetenland
Without a fight, as a gift.
In Munich, the matter was then
Definitively settled,
Your friend, you, me, and Daladier,
We sealed it.
The world was relieved and enlightened,
Its plea was heard,
A new war was averted,
Peace had been saved.
We all four agreed,
Everything was arranged,
Six months later, you sadly broke
The agreement.
You thought it a wise move
To brazenly occupy Prague,
“Lebensraum” became a law of life,
You made short work of it.
Yes, Adolf, from this moment on,
Your downfall began,
The policy of “Lebensraum”
Was greatly ill-considered.
The whole world saw back then
You couldn’t be relied on,
If Adolf promises so much,
One shouldn’t trust him.
Then came your great triumphal procession
Through Poland, later France,
Yet, looking at everything now,
It was of little importance.
It’s over, your game is up,
Your strength is waning,
Even your own propaganda service
Must declare it today.
Adolf, today I appear here
As a harbinger of doom for you,
Your delusion, the Third Reich,
It is doomed to die.
The halo that once surrounded you,
Has faded, broken,
And soon, you will come to my realm,
To the realm of old ghosts.
Post-Editing: Robert Saunders
Did you notice an error in this transcription or translation, and would you like to send us a corrected version? Or have you created a lyrical translation that captures rhyme and rhythm of the original? Please feel free to send us your version. We appreciate voluntary support for this memorial project, and we regularly review the messages we receive.