jerryk on Nostr: Aus dem stillen Raume, Aus der Erde Grund Hebt mich wie im Traume Dein verliebter ...

Aus dem stillen Raume,
Aus der Erde Grund
Hebt mich wie im Traume
Dein verliebter Mund
Wenn sich die späten Nebel drehn
Werd' ich bei der Laterne steh'n
Wie einst Lili Marleen.

From eternal Heaven
From my Earthen Home
Your beloved voice
Calls me like a dream
Through the swirling mists of time
I'm standing by the lantern
Just like Lili Marleen.

This is my translation of the last stanza of the fabulously popular WWII song, Lili Marleen, originally developed by the Nazis, rediscovered and made eternally popular to all sides in the war, and ultimately in 1944 sung in English by Marlene Dietrich, and becoming something of an anthem of victory for the allied forces, rather ironically. Now, this was never really described as a "war song", let alone a victory song, there are no battles, just a pair of lovers spooning and talking by a lantern in the street, and missing each other when they are not. However, the original writer of the poem, a German soldier in WWI, realizes that after missing him, Lili Marleen will forget him eventually, probably already has some time ago. He knows he may well die, and wonders if some other will join her by the lampost.

Now, my translation of the last stanza is fairly literal, but, perhaps written to emphasize an aspect of the poem/song that I think is insufficiently emphasized, and perhaps somewhat suppressed in the English translations. This is definitely not a war song in any normal sense of the term. However, it's not exactly a love song either. Love songs are about romance, or failed romance, in general. This is neither. It is about something else, entirely. It is about death. Death, and resurrection.

In other words, Lili Marleen isn't really a traditional popular song at all. Lili Marleen is, rather a hymn, or a prayer. It is a hymn and a prayer for resurrection after death. And Lilli Marleen is conceptualized as a Heavenly Angel, who can save a soldier from death. And, this explains the incredible and timeless popularity of this very unusual poem/song.

You see, it has tapped into a fundamental aspect of human experience, the religious experience, which is actually hard-wired in the human brain biologically. There are certain issues like life and death, and the survival of the species that have profound instinctive implications and our brain responds to them with a unique and profound attachment and excitement. These are the fundamental aspects of all major religions, and they create an emotional resonance that is very powerful. Lili Marleen taps into these.


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