Bloody Pentecost
The English Easter gift of 1944 was already bloody, but Pentecost was even more dreadful. What do the priests and bishops, regardless of the denominations, in America say about children being torn apart by bombs during religious instruction in churches? – May 30, 1944
Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost,
Doesn’t bother them in the least today,
And in infernal formations,
They fly and dare to desecrate.
Supreme holidays,
That’s your complaint today,
It seems to displease all of you,
That today airplane bombs fall.
And the German cities are torn apart,
And you seem to blame
All Yankees, All British,
For suffering such desecration,
And for flying on such days,
carrying bombs to Germany
Which sow death and terror,
Yes, the enemy’s night death crows
Hover over and over again,
Sometimes with shining plumage,
Sometimes covered by clouds,
Flying, flying endlessly.
Weekdays, holidays,
Until the German defeat,
And their ominous buzzing
Will no longer cease from now on.
I understand, you want peace,
But why such a fuss now,
Among us, you fascist gentlemen,
Are you such good Christians
That you want to celebrate Pentecost
Free from the horrors of the enemy alliance?
Didn’t you turn Good Friday
Into a day of slaughter first yourself?
For you, it was just, for others, equitable,
And in your place, I would be silent,
Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost,
It no longer bothers in the least …
Post-Editing: Sylvia Stawski, Ernst Sittig, Inge Folkers
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