I'd earlier found a light-hearted (headed?) topic, as so often the case, for tonight's SNLC. But I found it before Thursday night/Friday morning. Now it just feels wrong to write about that topic, although getting serious and somber here won't undo the evil acts of others out of my control. This actually leads into the revised starting point today, a poem from the German folk collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth's Magic Horn). It's the poem "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" (St. Anthony of Padua Preaching to the Fishes). What it has to do with events this week follows below the flip....
First, here is the German text of the poem:
"Antonius zur Predigt
Die Kirche findt ledig.
Er geht zu den Flüssen
und predigt den Fischen;
Sie schlagen mit den Schwänzen,
Im Sonnenschein glänzen.
Die Karpfen mit Rogen
Sind all' hierher zogen,
Hab'n d'Mäuler aufrissen,
Sich Zuhörens beflissen;
Kein Predigt niemalen
Den Karpfen so g'fallen.
Spitzgoschete Hechte,
Die immerzu fechten,
Sind eilend herschwommen,
Zu hören den Frommen;
Auch jene Phantasten,
Die immerzu fasten;
Die Stockfisch ich meine,
Zur Predigt erscheinen;
Kein Predigt niemalen
Den Stockfisch so g'fallen.
Gut Aale und Hausen,
Die vornehme schmausen,
Die selbst sich bequemen,
Die Predigt vernehmen:
Auch Krebse, Schildkroten,
Sonst langsame Boten,
Steigen eilig vom Grund,
Zu hören diesen Mund:
Kein Predigt niemalen
den Krebsen so g'fallen.
Fisch große, Fisch kleine,
Vornehm und gemeine,
Erheben die Köpfe
Wie verständge Geschöpfe:
Auf Gottes Begehren
Die Predigt anhören.
Die Predigt geendet,
Ein jeder sich wendet,
Die Hechte bleiben Diebe,
Die Aale viel lieben.
Die Predigt hat g'fallen.
Sie bleiben wie alle.
Die Krebs gehn zurücke,
Die Stockfisch bleiben dicke,
Die Karpfen viel fressen,
die Predigt vergessen.
Die Predigt hat g'fallen.
Sie bleiben wie alle."
You can read a translation
here. In its way, in so far as German literature can be snarky, it's snark is contained in the aftermath of St. Anthony's sermon, which the fish have 'listened to' so raptly (for lack of a human audience for St. Anthony to whom to preach). Namely, it's in the last 12 lines, which translate (badly) as follows:
"The sermon has finished,
Everyone turns around,
The pikes keep on stealing,
The eels stay great lovers.
The sermon has pleased them.
They remain as they were.
The crabs amble backwards,
The cod, still overweight,
The carp engorge themselves,
the sermon forgotten.
The sermon has pleased them.
They remain as they were."
Thus, sad to say, that even after this week:
1. A bigoted, ignorant, racist Minnesota congresswoman and failed presidential candidate, who wouldn't qualify to be a dog catcher in a truly meritocratic world, will win another term to the House this November, and thus get more chances to spew her Muslim-baiting inflammatory slanders against government staff, amongst other stupid utterances. Of course, that also speaks a lot about the voters in her district, that they're willing to keep electing her.
2. There will be no increased calls for gun control and better background checks on weapons and ammunition purchases. The only major political figure to call for such measures is another failed Presidential candidate, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. OTOH, given the stupidity and sick worship of weapons of enough of the American electorate, fueled by the National Rifle Association (a true domestic terrorist organization such as ever existed), it's just as well that Bloomberg can speak out. He's effed-up on a lot of things, but on the money on this one. Leave it to The Guardian to remind us here and here how hopeless we are as a nation when it comes to guns.
I'd love to be wrong on both counts. But I don't really expect so.
Getting back to the song, for those who don't already know, Gustav Mahler set that text to music, in his song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn (which obviously didn't set the whole collection). You can watch him Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who died earlier this year, singing this selection here:
With that, if you want to observe the usual SNLC protocol, feel free, although even more than usual this week, such matters aren't important. Even 3CM the loser realizes that, if nothing else.