The German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht once wrote, “In the dark times / Will there also be singing? / About the dark times.” Indeed, Brecht had better authority on this than most, having lived and written through many of the “dark times” that comprised the first half of the 20th century. / They won’t say: when the child skimmed a flat stone across the rapids / But: when the great wars were being prepared for. / They won’t say: when the woman came into the room / But: when the great powers joined forces against the workers. / However, they won’t say: the times were dark / Rather: why were their poets silent?”Perhaps that’s good a reason to sing as any.

Source: Daily Sun April 27, 2020 23:48 UTC