2-11-43
„Holländische Mühle“ (Dutch Windmill) by Lance Corporal Zieger at the exhibition „Soldiers on the Atlantic Wall showcase their leisure activities“ in The Hague.
For now, no echo yet
Of war cries and weapons,
“Soldiers on the Atlantic Wall
Showcase their leisure activities”
They play Skat and play chess
And sometimes play Rummy
From Dunkirk to The Hague
And wait for the Tommy
And now they show paintings
which soldiers created,
Part of it is rubbish, part quite nice
Some connoisseurs will say.
You see a Flemish farmhouse,
A Dutch windmill,
One expresses his homesickness,
Another his feelings about the war.
One paints a lace maker
And wrinkled matrons,
Again another has more interest
For helmets and cannons.
They still have plenty of free time
And continue to paint and draw,
A life full of tranquillity,
That really cannot be denied.
Until today, it’s still an idyll,
And everything is calm and peaceful,
But it won‘t remain quiet for long,
It will soon become uncomfortable.
When it gets serious, it doesn‘t matter
How beautifully one paints,
Because soon, at the Atlantic Wall,
It will come to a deadly finale.
Post-Editing: Nannie Braunstein-Beekman
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