My Essweiler
My Essweiler in the valley,
clear streams flow through,
and meadows, slopes so beautiful,
green forests on the mountain heights.
And around the little church
stand rows of closely built houses.
The fountain beneath the linden tree,
its murmuring seems like a dream.
High up in the tree’s branches
many finches build their nests.
Quietly one listens to the birdsong,
joined by the sound of church bells.
The memorial opposite—
one should not pass it by.
For in the pillar’s hard stone
many small names are carved.
As a warning to us all,
they once fell long ago.
We stand for peace,
may the Lord be with us.
And even when I am far away,
you are always on my mind.
In the quiet valley, the little place,
it draws me back again and again.
My Essweiler in the valley,
greeted a thousand times.
Fritz Edinger
