The Germanic forest is ominous Since ancient times, it has been dark and cold Full of droplets, secrets and lights Intertwined, woven into dead faces Sweat and rain drip down All the legionaries must give their all Bare-legged, in Roman fashion Dirty, exhausted, but without beards Up to their knees in mud they wade Getting closer and closer together Deep fear tightens in their throats Over what each one feels here The oppressive forest seems to be alive Through which now nothing echoes but fog and rain A branch cracks, a mushroom glares In the bog, it reaches for you, and your soul wants it! So the soldiers are frozen and powerless Everything soaked, three dragged the marsh away But: "Semper fidelis!" Always loyal, they follow Varus, their leader Who is in turn led by Armin, the Cherusker Suddenly the forest's gnawing feeling of fear Changes into a human commotion When the Cherusker lets out a whistle And the legions stir up a hornet's nest Out of the mud, the leaves on the ground and the trees Suddenly an infinite number of Germans foam A roar like that of a thousand bears resounds Nurturing only the fear of the exhausted Romans And already, blood flows from the sword Pouring down to the ground in a deafening racket Coal-black Germans, all of them Camouflaged, they rush out and bring down the train Arrows and spears rain down from trees and hills. The song tells the story of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a decisive moment in the history of the Roman Empire. The Roman general Varus and his three legions were ambushed and slaughtered by Germanic tribes under the leadership of Armin (also known as Hermann or Arminius) in 9 CE. The Germanic forest adds to the ominous and oppressive atmosphere of the battle. The soldiers experience fear and exhaustion as they fight against overwhelming numbers. The song highlights the loyalty and courage of the Roman soldiers, as well as the cunning and bravery of their Germanic opponents.
