The Songs of Colonization - Translated
About the Songs
The primary source we used for the German songs was Deutsche Reiter in Südwest: Selbsterlebnisse aus den Kämpfen in Deutsch-Südwestafrika1 (German Riders in the Southwest: experiences from the wars in German Southwest Africa) by Friedrich Freiherr von Dincklage-Campe and was published in 1909. This book, which also includes illustrations by C. Becker, V. Huen, and O. Merté, was the inspiration for this project. It details the years of war and genocide from 1904 and 1907, and the songs and illustrations (one of which you will find on our home page) made it apparent that there were many themes and tropes in common with depictions of the American “wild west”. The second song, Das Südwesterlied, was the only song we could find readily available on the internet that talked specifically about soldiers’ experiences in German Southwest Africa and that was not taken from the book.
Key
Significant Elements
- Violence
- Significant phrase
- Homeland
- National Unity
- Possession
Moods
- Positive
- Negative
- Ambiguous
*Hover over elements with a dotted line to see more specific information about attributes.*
Afrikanisches Reiterlied
Hello, I treck with a riders delight
Along the path on horseback
My
heart rejoices in my chest,
Just like by
my mother’s hearthnostaligc,
celebratory
it knows no worries, it knows no suffering
No rider ever worries
And yet I ask with longing:
When will I return home?longing
I ride along the road
In bright sunshine
My song rings through the blue
ether
And out into the bush
it carries the song to the whole world,
what fills my heart
But mark this, I don’t like any song
That is not
meant for my loved one
The kudu and the wildebeest,
The gemsbock and the ostrich,
I scare them
out of their nest
And shoot them
for my feastresource
By the
Hottentotes and Hererosxenophobia
I find a thousand womenpeople
And yet I only long for
My love
Through mountains and valleys up and down
I ride away and away,
Up and
down, in walk and trot
Is how I go from place from place
I do not shy
away from the gallop,
Free lies the road before me!
and when
my homelandcelebratory
comes into sight
I will halt and
obeyloyalty
Das Sudwesterlied
Our Landland
is as rugged as the camel thorn tree
And dry are its rivers
The
Cliffs are burned by the sun
And the animals of the Bush are shy
And
should we be asked
What holds you here?
We could only say
We love the Southwest!patriotism
our love was paid for dearly
Despite everything, we would not leave youloving
Because out worries are outshone
by the brightly shining sun
And
should we be asked
What holds you here?
We could only say
We love the Southwest!patriotism
And should you come yourself to
our countryland
And see it’s vast expanses
And let our sun burn in your heart
Then
you will never be able to leave againloyalty
And should we be asked
What holds you here?
We could only say
We love the Southwest!patriotism
Schutztruppenlied
I am a young rider- in
the Kaisers landland
,
I wear my hat cocked upon my ear, I don’t ask for love and gold
For I have a dashing horse underneath me – and carry a good rifle
Whatever
else the heavens might bestow on me – that doesn’t weigh heavily on me
We serve youloyalty
,
dear fatherlandnostalgic,
loving
, - in Southwest Africa; -
We are called Schutztruppe -- for
protectionagressive,
xenophobia
we are hereloyalty
.
No matter how strong the sun burns - on the hot desert sand
We turn down the
brim of our hats -- and
wander merrily through the landexploring, happy
When we are tormented by thirst, - tormented by hunger, -
We don't take
it all so hard; - instead we all think: -
We serve you, dear fatherland, - in
Southwest Africa; -
We are called Schutztruppe -- for
protectionaggresive,
xenophobia
we are hereloyalty
.
And we have so many nights - on foot and also on horseback –
defied sleep and
remained faithfully awake, - it never
weighed us down. –
For German brothersbrotherhood
we do it gladly, - and
pride fills our chestpride
, -
For
our Kaiser, our Lordreverant
; - because we all know: -
We serve you, dear fatherland, - in Southwest
Africa; -
We are called Schutztruppe -- for
protectionagressive,
xenophobia
we are hereloyalty
.
We have saught out many an ostrich - through bushes and boulders –
With these
black devilshating,
xenpohobia
and colored red their fur.
They took off, we followed them – as far as
the sky is blue,
And even if we rarely caught them, they know very well
We serve you, dear fatherland, - in Southwest Africa; -
We are called
Schutztruppe -- for
protectionagressive,
xenophobia
we are hereloyalty
.
But, oh, many a
comradebrotherhood
- in the prime of his life, -
By dareing deed on horseback – he was felledperpetrator:
ambiguous, victim: settler. –
For our kaiser, for our country, he gave his
blood
upon his face, so pale as death, we lay down his hat–
We serve you, dear
fatherland, - in Southwest Africa; -
We are called Schutztruppe -- for
protectionagressieve,
xenophobia
we are hereloyalty
.
And when it is our turn --
we remain undauntedsolidarity
In every battleperpetrator: settler, victim: ambiguous —
Life is riskedsolidarity
anew
We fightperpetrator:
settler, victim: ambiguous for
German powerpatriotism
, for
German Glorypatriotism
We think back to our distant homelandnostaligc, longing --
faithfullyloyalty
with joy and song
We serve you, dear fatherland, - in Southwest
Africa; -
We are called Schutztruoppe- long live, huzzah!
Sources
- Dincklage-Campe, Friedrich Freiherr von. Deutsche Reiter in Südwest: Selbsterlebnisse aus den Kämpfen in Deutsch-Südwestafrika: nach Persönlichen Berichten. Berlin; Leipzig; Wien; Stuttgart: Bong, 1908. http://tinyurl.gale.com/tinyurl/BzJKu0.