The black Erika – A girl as a chimney sweep
In a German village, the last assistant of the chimney sweep was called up. Now, the daughter has learned the trade.A woman takes over the position of her fallen husband as a pastor.
Lately, the widow of Pastor Brenner from Gaggenau, who fell at the Eastern Front in 1942, took over her husband‘s parish. At the end of 1943, she successfully passed the theological exam. Female assistant pastors, who often substitute for the pastor wholly or partially during wartime, are quite common in Germany, but an officially appointed female pastor is still a rarity. For Mrs. Brenner, this appointment is something very special, as it allows her to continue her husband‘s life‘s work. – 28-1-44
The Nazis staunchly propagated
Middle-class interests in the past,
But their party program
Has long been forgotten.
They have abandoned the old repertoire
For quite some time now,
Only one goal they made come true:
The Jews are annihilated.
The department stores will be liquidated,
Was promised back then,
The middle class gain privilege,
But they broke their word.
The department stores and consumer cooperatives
They allowed to continue,
The banks remained as banks,
And the program ideas
Of the abolished interest servitude
Which captivated the masses,
They shamelessly abolished,
That got filed.
Women are eliminated
From the male professions,
And towed to the kitchen hearth,
So they once called.
The German woman belongs in the house,
Must cook, bear children,
Everything was splendidly depicted.
But everything was lies.
The German men are at war,
So it happens that most
Women, for Hitler‘s Germany‘s victory,
Now perform men‘s work.
The climax has probably been reached,
Men replaced by women,
In newspaper images shown,
How they cultivate the land,
How Germany‘s women in the factory
Can assemble airplanes,
The traditional trousers look truly chic,
Everyone will acknowledge.
The German woman as a postwoman,
A conductor on trams,
Yes, even as a railway worker,
She stands under the flags.
They search here and search there
To replace the men,
With “Sieg Heil” and “Hurrah”
Tearing apart what was once there.
Do you complain that your chimney is dirty?
No reason to get upset,
The German female chimney sweep
Gonna sweep your chimney.
The chimney sweep is a soldier,
The woman climbs the ladder,
If she didn‘t, it would be betrayal,
And Hitler muddles along.
And since recently the pastor fell,
His wife gives the sermon,
Another one sat at the organ play
And slightly damaged it.
They bake bread, they forge steel,
They care for the soul,
And Adolf, Germany‘s principal,
Is in a precarious situation.
The German woman is very self-sufficient
And is convinced of that:
Weak gender? No, we are strong,
Men are unnecessary.
But this entire self-sufficiency
Cannot impress me,
As long as they do not
Also produce children self-sufficiently.
Post-Editing: Simone Bloch
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.