Brecht’s poem can be read not only as an indictment of well-intentioned liberal individualism, but also as justification for Stalin's ruthless suppression of his opponents within the party and Comintern or, alternatively, as a parody of Vyshinsky's prosecutorial style and the staged character of the Moscow purge trials which sent the pro-Soviet oppositionists to their deaths. Brecht praised Stalin publicly but, like many CP loyalists, reportedly harboured doubts about the violent and sweeping nature of the purges. Surprisingly, the poem does not seem to be in the Brecht collection at the Marxist Internet Archive.
Step forward: We hear that you are a good man, That you possess virtue. You cannot be bought, But the lightning which strikes the house, Also cannot be bought. You hold true to what you say. But what do you say? You are honest, you state your opinion. But which opinion is that? You are brave. Against whom? You are wise. For whom? You are loyal. To whom? You serve justice. But whose justice do you serve? You do not consider your personal advantages. Whose advantages do you consider then? You are a good friend. But are you a good friend of the good people? You fight the enemy. Have you chosen the right enemy, though? Hear us then: We know you are our enemy, As you know we are your enemy. That is why we shall Now put you in front of a wall. But in consideration of your virtue, Your fine merits and good qualities, We shall put you in front of a good wall and shoot you With a good bullet from a good gun and bury you With a good shovel into the good earth. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#40965): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/40965 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/118178757/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
