To Posterity (1938)
POETRY FORMAT, 13 Apr 2026
Bertold Brecht – TRANSCEND Media Service
I came into the cities in a time of disorder
As hunger reigned.
I came among men in a time of turmoil
And I rose up with them.
And so passed
The time given to me on earth.
I ate my food between slaughters.
I lay down to sleep among murderers.
I tended to love with abandon.
I looked upon nature with impatience.
And so passed
The time given to me on earth
In my time streets led into a swamp.
My language betrayed me to the slaughterer.
There was little I could do. But without me
The rulers sat more securely, or so I hoped.
And so passed
The time given to me on earth.
The powers were so limited. The goal
Lay far in the distance
It could clearly be seen although even I
Could hardly hope to reach it.
And so passed
The time given to me on earth.
You, who shall resurface following the flood
In which we have perished,
Contemplate –
When you speak of our weaknesses,
Also the dark time
That you have escaped.
For we went forth, changing our country more frequently than our shoes
Through the class warfare, despairing
That there was only injustice and no outrage
And yet we know well
Even hatred of vileness
Distorts a man’s features.
Even anger at injustice
Makes hoarse his voice.
Ah, we
Who sought to prepare the soil for kindness
Could not ourselves be kind.
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Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) was a highly influential German playwright, poet, and theater practitioner who revolutionized 20th-century drama through his development of “Epic Theatre”. A committed Marxist, his plays aimed to provoke critical thought rather than emotional catharsis, often utilizing the “alienation effect” (Verfremdungseffekt) to encourage audiences to objectively analyze social and political realities. [Britannica)
Tags: Bertolt Brecht, Poetry
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 13 Apr 2026.
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