Ernst Lissauer and the Hymn of Hate
One of history's little ironies - a period piece of First World War propaganda from a curious source which rebounded on its author.
The German-Jewish poet Ernst Lissauer is barely remembered. Most of his poems (and other literary works) are now forgotten (even, perhaps particularly, in Germany), but one strill strikes a distant chord: mention the name and there is an almost automatic reflex reaction – that 'Hymn of Hate against England':
We love as one, we hate as one,
We have one foe and one alone –
ENGLAND.
This became his trademark, the 'Hymn' that made him famous (or notorious), and no regret, disclaimer or remorse could 'cancel half a line, or all the tears wash out a word of it'.
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