01-13-1945, 3rd volume, no. 2, Page 9
01-13-1945, 3rd volume, no. 2, Page 10

cover / introduction table of contents

Dark Days

The Netherlands has been hit hard
By the greed of the Krauts
With a hundred thousand disasters
And now even the lights went out.

The Netherlands, already heavily devastated,
Is now completely darkened.

Joy, food, clothing, coal,
Have disappeared and been stolen.
Sugar, cheese, jam, and butter
We have lost and have no more.

And to make matters worse,
One must grope in the dark.

In the cold and in the dark
Sometimes one loses track
And begins to look into a darker future,
The oppression does not relent.

The liberation does not come
And one feels deceived.

Long and dark are the nights,
Dark are also the thoughts.
Heavy and dark, worries press,
And one asks: What will tomorrow bring?

Will the sun rise again for us,
Will freedom be granted to us?
What will the future bring us,
And I see the days lengthen

And the nights shorten,
And I hope again: Maybe there will be
Light brought to this darkness,
Will this whispering end.

And one can speak out loud again,
Yes, the chains will be broken,
Oppressors must yield,
And this darkness will be illuminated.

Perhaps it will take a while,
But justice will prevail.

After the darkness, after the gloom,
The Light of freedom, the light of reason,
Will soon shine in new splendor,
The sun of peace will shine upon us.

Post-Editing: Robert Saunders