Erich Kästner „Ansprache an Millionäre" (1930)

Recitation: Fritz Stavenhagen More German poetry to listen to: http://www.deutschelyrik.de/ or on Facebook:   / deutschelyrik   Text: Why do you want to wait so long, until they smash the heads of your made-up wives, you, and the marble dolls in the garden? Why won't you change your ways? Soon they will rush up the steps and stab you with kitchen knives and hang you from the windows. They will chase you into the rivers. Then screams and prayers will be useless. They will cut off your heads. Then it will be too late. Then the fountain's spray will turn red. Then they will line you up against the garden walls. They will come and be silent and kill. No one will mourn you. How long will you continue to enrich yourselves? How long will you store rolls and bundles and bars of gold and paper? You will lose everything. You are the masters of machines and countries. You have taken the money and the power. Why don't you want to change the world before they arrive? You are not supposed to act out of kindness! You are not good. And neither are they. Not yourselves, but to transform the world, is your duty! Man is bad. He will remain so in the future. You should not attach wings to yourselves. You should not be good, but reasonable. We are talking about business. You help when you help, not just them. One can receive gifts even when giving. Improving the world and profiting from it—that's worth thinking about. Make the steppes fertile. Command. Lay tracks. Organize the transformation of the world! Oh, if only there were a dozen wise men with lots of money… You're not wise. You want to wait. We're sorry. You'll regret it. Send us some postcards from heaven! It would make us happy. Images: Käthe Kollwitz *1867 - †1945