Martin Niemöller

(1892 - 1984 / Germany)

poet Martin Niemöller

First They Came For The Jews - Poem by Martin Niemöller

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Topic(s) of this poem: holocaust


Comments about First They Came For The Jews by Martin Niemöller

  • (10/11/2018 5:51:00 PM)


    First they came for the immigrants
    and I did not speak out
    because I was not an immigrant.

    Then they came for the liberals
    and I did not speak out
    because I was not a liberal.

    Then they came for the feminists
    and I did not speak out
    because I was not a feminist.

    Then they came for the journalists
    and I did not speak out
    because I was not a journalist.

    Then they came for me
    and there was no one left
    to speak out for me.

    By Dr. Ziggy Kozicki     (Report) Reply

    0 person liked.
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  • (8/14/2018 8:51:00 PM)


    First they came for the guns, then it didn't matter what anyone said... (Report) Reply

    2 person liked.
    		1 person did not like.
  • (8/3/2018 10:45:00 AM)


    First they came for the honest Conservatives... (Report) Reply

    2 person liked.
    		1 person did not like.
  • (7/26/2018 2:33:00 AM)


    That is a fraudulent version, I think - certainly not the poem he actually wrote, in which they first came for the Communists, which is also the chronological order in reality. (Report) Reply

    (8/16/2018 6:09:00 PM)

    I totally agree with you, Benjamin. Each of the translations I have published (links at the bottom of this page) I have translated from the original German.
    I also published my own English translation from the original German: https: //www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-quote-das-zitat-by-martin-niem-ller/

    1 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
  • (6/29/2018 5:36:00 AM)


    Been trying to remember. Is exactly what is going on now and it needs to be stopped (Report) Reply

    1 person liked.
    		1 person did not like.
  • (6/20/2018 9:46:00 PM)


    Excellent poem. Very pertinent right now because of what is happening in the US. (Report) Reply

    2 person liked.
    		1 person did not like.
  • (6/19/2018 10:50:00 PM)


    We should always resurch our candidates and vote for the person who will govern with empathy (Report) Reply

    4 person liked.
    		1 person did not like.
  • (5/10/2018 6:41:00 AM)


    Vote, and know the voting record of your candidate when you vote. (Report) Reply

    2 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
  • (3/30/2018 7:51:00 PM)


    Our generation X and millenials should read this and understand what has happened in history. (Report) Reply

    3 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
  • (1/27/2018 11:39:00 AM)


    Excellent (Report) Reply

    2 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
Read all 11 comments »



Poem Submitted: Wednesday, February 11, 2015

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