|
 In
1940-1941, the Deutsche Informationsstelle, a department of the
German Foreign Office, located at 27 Rauchstraße, Berlin-W35, produced
a series of anonymous propaganda brochures, which consisted of 46
volumes. These brochures were published in ten languages. The German
series was entitled Informations-Schriften. Originally, the Dutch
series was entitled Brochures ter
informatie; later, this title was changed into Informatieboekjes.[1]
Volume 18 in the series Informations-Schriften, to which is
referred with Brochure-18-DE, was entitled Die Prophezeiungen des
Nostradamus. This brochure has nothing to do with the equally
entitled article, written by Elisabeth Noelle and published on June 16,
1940 in the Deutsche Allgemeine
Zeitung.
The Dutch translation of Brochure-18 was brought into circulation
in 1941 as volume 18 in the series Brochures ter informatie. Its
title: De
voorspellingen van Nostradamus. This brochure consisted of 15 pages
and was printed by Erich Zander Druck- und Verlagshaus, Berlin SW29. In
1940, the French translation was brought into circulation.
In
Brochure-18-NL, the name of the author is not given. For the
cover of Brochure-18-NL, the cover of Brochure-18-DE has
been used. On this cover, French quatrain texts were printed
from the lower left to the upper right direction. In the upper
rectangular frame, the German title of the brochure was replaced by the
Dutch title. In the lower rectangular frame, the indication Informations-Schriften
Nr. 18, Europa-Verlag 1940 was replaced by Brochures ter
Informatie No 18 / Europa-Uitgeverij 1941. The name Europa-Uitgeverij
is a fictitious name.
Brochure-18-NL is an almost
word-by-word translation of Brochure-18-DE, except for an
inserted footnote on p.1 of Brochure-18-NL, in which is explained
what a Century exactly is (such an explanation is not given in Brochure-18-DE). In
Brochure-18-NL, nothing is written in connection with the
circumstances in 1940 in the Netherlands and/or Flanders.
The text in Brochure-18-NL is divided into five untitled pieces,
in the same way as in Brochure-18-DE: information on Nostradamus
and the Centuries (p.1-6), fulfilled predictions (p.6-8), the events in France in
May-June 1940 (p.8-10), predictions about England, Germany and Hitler
(p.10-14) and an epilogue,
in which the German victory is announced (p.15). Like in Brochure-18-DE,
a six-leaf flower has been
used in Brochure-18-NL as a separation mark between the text pieces.
Brochure-18-NL does not contain illustrations. The quatrain
numbers of the discussed quatrains are not given.
The
Dutch Century-texts
Like Brochure-18-DE, Brochure-18-NL does not contain
French Century-texts. The Dutch Century-texts in Brochure-18-NL
are translations from the German Century-texts in Brochure-18-DE.
This can be seen in for example the text of the quatrains 01-01 and
01-02. In Brochure-18-DE, the text of these quatrains was copied
from Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen für das
zwanzigste Jahrhundert (dr. B. Winkler, Görlitz, 1939 [1938]), with
the only difference that in the first line of quatrain 01-02 in Brochure-18-DE
not the word mit has been used as in Winkler's translation, but
the word bei. In Brochure-18-NL, this German translation
was translated into Dutch. The national-socialist brochure Hoe zal
deze oorlog eindigen? (Den Haag, April 1940, published prior to Brochure-18-NL)
also contains a translation of Winkler's translation of the
quatrains 01-01 and 01-02. In 1941, mr. dr. H.
Houwens Post alias mr. dr. W.L. Vreede made a more word-by-word
translation.
The
quatrains 01-01 and 01-02
|
Brochure-18-DE,
p.4
(Winkler-1939, p.12) |
"Pasteur",
p.13 |
Brochure-18-NL,
p.4 |
1941-Vreede-translation,
p.34 |
|
Quatrain
01-01
Sitz ich des Nachts, geheimen Dingen offen,
In stiller Einsamkeit auf ehrnem Seherthron,
Läßt bald mich das verlorene Flämmchen hoffen,
Daß meinem Glauben wird der rechte Lohn. |
Quatrain
01-01
Zit
ik 's nachts, ontvankelijk voor geheime dingen,
in diepe eenzaamheid, op harden zienerstroon,
dan lat mij een verloren vonkje weldra hopen,
dat mijn geloof op de juiste wijze zal worden beloond. |
Quatrain
01-01
Zit
ik des nachts voor geheime dingen,
In stille eenzaamheid op bronzen zienerstroon,
Laat weldra mij het verloren vlammetje hopen,
Dat mijn geloof 't verdiende loon ontvangt. |
Quatrain
01-01
's Nachts, gezeten voor de studie van verborgen
dingen,
Alleen, rustend op de bronzen zetel:
Een klein licht, dat uit de eenzaamheid ontspruit,
Doet ontluiken, wat niet als ijdel te verwerpen valt. |
|
Quatrain
01-02
Wenn ich die Rute bei den Händen fasse,
Netzt bald die Welle Saum und Füße mir.
Ich höre eine Stimme und erblasse.
Himmlisches Licht! Das Göttliche ist hier! |
Quatrain
01-02
Als ik de roede in de handen vat,
besproeit weldra de golf mij zoom en voeten,
ik hoor een stem dan en verbleek,
o hemelsch Licht! Hier is het goddelijke! |
Quatrain
01-02
Wanneer ik
de roede in mijn handen neem,
Bespoelt de golf mij weldra mantelzoom en voeten,
Ik hoor een stem en verbleek,
Hemelsch licht! Het goddelijke is hier! |
Quatrain
01-02
Met de staf in de
handen, midden in de takken geplaatst,
Maakt hij met het water zowel de zoom als voeten nat.
Een gevoel van vrees en een stem trekken omhoog door de armen
heen.
Goddelijke verhevenheid. Het goddelijke komt nader. |
Another
example of a German quatrain text which has been translated into Dutch
is the first line of quatrain 10-31 on p.15. This translation does not
correspond with the meaning of Le sainct empire viendra en Germanie
(tr.: the holy empire will come in Germania), the original French line.
In Brochure-18-DE, this line was translated into Nach
Deutschland wird kommen das Heilige Reich!. In Brochure-18-NL,
the word Nach was not translated in the meaning of
"towards" but in the meaning of "next to"; the Dutch
translation reads: "Na
Duitschland zal komen het heilige Rijk!" (tr."After
Germany the holy Empire will come!). The same translation mistake was
made in Brochure-18-FR.[2]
The
propaganda message
In Brochure-18-NL,
the same quatrains are discussed as in Brochure-18-DE, in the
same order and with the same comment.
The propaganda message of Brochure-18-NL was that Nostradamus,
who back in the sixteenth century predicted the beginning in 1939-1940
of the war and France's defeat, also had predicted the coming decline of
England, famine in England, Hitler walking upon England's shores and
that Germany would win the war.
The
discussed quatrains in Brochure-18-NL
|
Page |
Quatrain |
Link |
|
4 |
01-01 |
Method
of Nostradamus |
|
4 |
01-02 |
Method
of Nostradamus |
|
6 |
08-76 |
Rise
of Cromwell |
|
6 |
08-37 |
Beheading
of Charles I |
|
8 |
09-52 |
Molotov
- Von Ribbentrop pact, German attack on France, 1940 |
|
9 |
09-83 |
Beginning
of the Westfeldzug, May 10, 1940 |
|
9 |
04-37 |
Progress
of the German invasion in France, May-June 1940 |
|
10 |
05-30 |
Italy
starts to participate in the war, capitulation of Paris |
|
10 |
03-57 |
1939:
German invasion in Poland which brings England into a crisis |
|
11 |
10-100 |
Announcement
of the end of the 300-year supremacy of England, which started
in 1603 |
|
11 |
02-100 |
Chaos
in England |
|
12 |
03-71 |
Famine
in England |
|
12 |
02-75 |
Air
raids on England, famine |
|
12-13 |
02-83 |
Famine
in England by a German blockade |
|
13 |
02-05 |
England
will be attacked on the sea |
|
13 |
05-74 |
Hitler
will walk up on England's shores |
|
14 |
05-94 |
Großdeutschland:
the victorious Westfeldzug |
| 14 |
03-58 |
Birth
of Hitler |
| 14 |
03-67 |
Rise
of national-socialism |
|
15 |
10-31 |
German
victory and supremacy |
Expression
of thanks
The author wishes
to thank Jacques Halbronn D.Litt for sending photocopies of the French
and German version of Brochure-18.
De Meern, the
Netherlands, January 8, 2007
T.W.M. van Berkel
Notes
-
See:
Van Berkel: Information
on the Informations-Schriften (a national-socialistist
series of propaganda brochures, Berlin,
1940-1941). [tekst]
-
Brochure-18-DE, p.14; Brochure-18-NL,
p.15; Brochure-18-FR, p.15. [tekst]
|
