this is a poem by Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) which we read in our German class on Friday…. written during WWII when he was in exile in Scandinavia, the poem is a powerful illustration of the turmoils of living and growing up during the turbulent years.

Mein junger Sohn fragt mich: Soll ich
Mathematik lernen?
Wozu, möchte ich sagen. Dass zwei
Stück Brot mehr ist als eines
Das wirst du auch so merken.
Mein junger Sohn fragt mich: Soll
ich Französisch lernen?
Wozu, möchte ich sagen. Dieses Reich
geht unter. Und
Reibe du nur mit der Hand den Bauch
und stöhne
Und man wird dich schon verstehen.
Mein junger Sohn fragt mich: Soll
ich Geshichte lernen?
Wozu, möchte ich sagen. Lerne du nur
deinen Kopf in die Erde stecken
Da wirst du vielleicht übrig bleiben.
Ja, lerne Mathematik, sage ich
Lerne Französisch, lerne Geschichte!

(my amateurish translation for those who are not yet acquainted with German; only that the rhyme is lost in the process — this is partly due to the rhyming infinitives idiosyncratic to the German Language … apologies)

My young son asks me: Should I
learn Mathematics?
What for, I wished to say. These two
pieces of bread is more than a single one
That will you notice anyway.
My young son asks me: Should
I learn French?
What for, I wished to say. This empire
will collapse anyway. And
you only have to rub your belly
and groan
And people will soon understand.
My young son asks me: Should
I learn History?
What for, I wished to say. Learn to
hide your head in the earth
That way, perhaps you might survive.
Yes, learn Mathematics, I say
Learn French, learn History!

Brecht’s use of 3-voices (the young son’s questioning/ the father’s inner thoughts/ his final advise) is both creative and achieves a wonderful portrayal of the dilemmas that we sometimes face. moreover, the simple words he used (simple because a beginner like me could still comprehend most of the words he chose) are very powerful in conjuring up huge images, and in sparking important issues. why did he tell his son to learn all that anyways? to be positive? to give him hope? perhaps in hope that the younger generation might be able to learn from our mistakes… what are your thoughts on this?

i’ve decided to add a category of the German writings (wortspiele) i had to do for or in class or simply “nur so” (ie just because)… with some translation when time permits…. hope it will be fun for you too!