Speech of the Reich Commissioner.
This year, the concentrated forces must come to discharge, and being conscious that in case of defeat, the world is no longer worth living for us, we gather all our strength to face the decision with confidence. – May 17, 1944
If our enemies are victorious,
Seyss-Inquart has declared,
Then I find this life
No longer worth living.
The world appeared to me dull
And without any joy,
I would be gloomy and sad,
Constantly without ceasing.
I do not wish to experience
Times of such distress,
I would truly
Prefer be god, to be dead.
He resembles the murderer who
Speaks at the foot of his gallows:
I die because this life
On earth does not suit me.
They say, one finds life
Quite tasteless and insipid,
And therefore wants to die
And without any choice.
In a hopeless
Situation entangled,
Yet they strike a pose,
As long as it still works.
Post-Editing: Kurt Gerhard Funke
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