The Red Flag Song mentioned on the third page makes me think of the novel by Daisuke Kobayashi, where the revolutionary Ryuji’s daughter Sachiko is also mentioned in relation to the Red Flag Song. It says that although she didn’t understand its meaning, she learned ‘Lenin’ and the ‘Red Flag Song’ very early. Because of this, the union members often patted Sachiko’s head.
Lyrics:
Our life is full of toil,
We have shed our blood and sweat,
But a solemn day will come,
To condemn the old world to death.
Our songs fly to all directions,
The red flag flutters in the sky,
The sounds of struggle and revenge shake the heavens,
Sowing the seeds of the future,
This red flag shines brightly,
It is our blood burning,
Burning on our red flag.
Today I watched ‘Luxembourg,’ which moved me deeply. On one hand, I learned more about the Polish revolution. Previously, in international history, the importance of the Polish revolution was mentioned, especially the shameless Tsarist colonial rule, similar to today’s characteristics. It made me think of the historical battles I read about before, which had completely different explanations here. It felt like wars between countries were nothing serious, just winners and losers, strength and weakness, without recognizing their qualitative differences.
Recently, I read biographies of revolutionaries and found they share many common traits. For example, caring for children, being passionate about revolutionary work and study, being talented and versatile, friendly and cheerful to comrades, loving life, and so on.
Luxembourg was passionate about Marxist theory, especially political economy. She linked theoretical research with revolutionary practice, which reminded me of Talmann’s words: ‘Most of our mistakes come from insufficient learning by our comrades. We must use every minute to learn.’ This means organizing learning well, and we must oppose those inside Germany who distort Marxism more effectively. Therefore, we need to know a lot. Every party member must learn Marxism-Leninism and apply it.
This afternoon, I read ‘Memoirs of Marx and Engels,’ which mentioned that under the needs of the revolution, Marx and Engels focused heavily on studying for the revolution, studying earnestly, and urging and questioning their comrades. Thinking of Marx carrying a notebook to record thoughts daily, constantly pondering social conditions even while walking, made me feel ashamed of my own lack of seriousness in studying. I used to feel that I was always procrastinating and inefficient, but in fact, I wasn’t paying enough attention or planning properly. I should focus my leisure energy on studying.
Lenin wrote in ‘Short Critique of Politicians’ that ‘Eagles sometimes fly lower than chickens, but chickens can never fly as high as eagles.’ Luxembourg made mistakes on Polish independence, on the evaluation of Mensheviks in 1903, on the theory of capital accumulation, and in July 1914, she made the mistake of supporting the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks’ union along with Plekhanov, Witte, and Kautsky. She also made mistakes in her writings in prison at the end of 1918 and early 1919 (she corrected most of her mistakes after her release). Despite these mistakes, she was always an eagle. But the chickens—Levine, Sedman, Kautsky, and their accomplices—who are in the manure heap of the workers’ movement, naturally rejoice at these errors of this great Communist. Let them be happy.
This part resonated with me especially, reminding me of my own past mistakes and feeling that I was useless because I made mistakes and only negatively judged myself. The core issue is our own stance—whether it is selfish private ownership or that of a Communist. Are we chickens or eagles? Communists are not infallible but are capable of avoiding major mistakes and correcting them promptly. Even if we can’t do much now due to conditions, it’s much better than before when we didn’t understand Marxism or the cause of human liberation at all, living aimlessly and selfishly. It’s also much better than those seemingly glamorous opportunists, capitalists, etc. Time is like water in a sponge; we can still read, learn, and think more.
As for our enemies, we must fight them resolutely. What if we can’t move freely or are restricted in many ways? As long as these pains do not shake our cause, there is nothing to fear.
I also saw that Luxembourg’s early sacrifice hindered her from fully standing on the Marxist-Leninist stance. Thinking of the results of the German November Revolution, I feel very sad and regretful. She truly devoted her energy and precious life to the revolutionary cause, which I greatly admire. Also, she was talented and versatile, not only studying social sciences but also researching biology, botany, and other natural sciences, combining theory with revolutionary needs. Communist Party members are indeed the most vibrant and creative people!
The origin of the song “Red Flag” is long-standing, seemingly created during the Paris Commune period. French versions can be found on Bilibili and NetEase Cloud Music. According to Lenin’s sister in “Memories of Lenin,” Lenin learned this song from Polish workers during his exile in Poland and liked it very much, often singing it passionately, and he also pointed out that Russia should create such a song. Later, “Red Flag” was re-lyriced and rearranged, becoming the most famous Soviet version of “Red Flag.”
Can you send this book in the attachment? I want to read it. Every time I see Lenin’s evaluation of Rosa Luxemburg, I am very touched. It is the quote you originally excerpted: “Eagles sometimes fly lower than chickens, but chickens can never fly as high as eagles. Luxemburg made mistakes on the issue of Polish independence, on her 1903 evaluation of Menshevism, on the theory of capital accumulation, and in July 1914, she made the mistake of advocating the Bolshevik-Menshevik union together with Plekhanov, Wundt, Kautsky, and others. In her writings written in prison in 1918, she made mistakes (after her release at the end of 1918 and early 1919, she had corrected most of her errors). Although she made these mistakes, she was always an eagle.”
Okay. I’ll look for the electronic version; I previously saw the paper version.
Oh! I’ll go listen to these versions
Many workers in socialist or capitalist countries have created songs titled “Red Flag,” such as in the Soviet Union, France, and Mongolia. Socialist China also has a song called “Ode to the Red Flag,” which includes elements of “The East Is Red,” and it sounds very beautiful.
Paris Commune version “Red Flag”: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1QE411t7dj
Soviet Union version “Red Flag”: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1zF4m1T7ko
Britain also has a song called “The Red Flag,” which was once sung among the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and it is said that Zhao Yiman sang this song before her death. 红旗歌《The red flag》中英歌词及五线谱 - 哔哩哔哩
红旗歌(纪念赵一曼烈士1905年10月-1936年8月)没有中文版_哔哩哔哩_bilibili
Is it the ‘Biographical Sketch of Luxembourg’ published by Sanlian Bookstore in 1964?