For the first time in a long time, we at Braille 200 have some music to share.
Our heartfelt thanks for this, and of course for the lyrics that came with it, go equally to Dorothee Feuerstein and everyone who can be heard here today.
Thank you, Louis
My name is Dorothee Feuerstein.
I once presented the song with guitar and overdub, and several people from our musical circle suggested that it be made into a project for the Louis Braille anniversary. Most of us are amateur musicians, and I did the sound editing and processing as best I could, with a lot of effort and time. The important thing is the message that we all want to thank the inventor of Braille, which has made so much possible for us. The song is not intended to be a complete historical treatise and makes no claim to absolute accuracy, completeness, or perfection. Just enjoy it and take pleasure in it, and perhaps it will speak to your heart a little too.
Our circle consists of:
Bernd Heidenreich: vocals
Dorothee Feuerstein: lyrics and composition, flute, guitar, vocals, sound editing
Ewa Liebhart: vocals, pan flute
Maria Hengelman: vocals
Rosa-Maria Dotzler: vocals and more harmonious acapella parts
I would also like to thank everyone who advised and supported us with regard to lyrics, editing, sound editing, and arrangement.
Listen to the song on our Youtube channel”
Original Liedtext
Danke Louis
Allein zu lesen war Dein Lebenstraum,
Danke Louis!
Doch damals gab’s dafür noch keinen Raum,
Danke Louis!
Doch all das wolltest Du nicht einsehen,
Du wolltest auf eigenen Beinen stehen,
Ganz fest hast Du an Deine Ziele geglaubt,
man hat Dich fast Deiner Freiheit beraubt.
Du hast Dir eine eigne Schrift erdacht,
Danke Louis!
Du hast uns Blinden das Lesen gebracht,
Danke Louis!
Schreiben , Bildung, Unabhängigkeit,
das gab’s für uns noch nicht zu Deiner Zeit.
Dir taten sich ganz neue Welten auf,
so vieles nahmst Du dafür in Kauf.
Sechs Punkte waren Dein Einsatzpfand,
Danke Louis!
Man findet sie heut an so mancher Wand,
Danke Louis!
Ob Medikamente, Bücher oder Lift,
dort hilft uns heut noch die Blindenschrift.
Die künstliche Sprache hat ihren Sinn,
doch sechs Punkte bleiben der Hauptgewinn!
Vor 200 Jahren war’s noch nicht so weit,
Danke Louis!
Heut ist es für uns Selbstverständlichkeit,,
Danke Louis
Ob Unterhaltung oder Information,
Das war Dein Beitrag zur Inklusion.
Man sieht’s an den Blindenschriftbücherei’n,
Die Punktschrift wird niemals veraltet sein!
Zum Punktschriftlernen ist es nie zu spät,
Danke Louis!
Drum holt Euch alle schnell ein Alphabet,
Danke Louis!
Danke Louis – English translation
To read on one’s own — that was your dream,
Thank you, Louis!
But back then, such hopes were still unseen,
Thank you, Louis!
You refused to give in or obey,
You chose to stand on your own one day.
You held on tight to what you believed,
Though freedom was almost taken from you.
You created a writing of your own,
Thank you, Louis!
You gave us blind people the gift of reading,
Thank you, Louis!
Writing, learning, independence too —
Those things were rare when life was new.
Entire worlds opened up for you,
And you paid a price to make it true.
Six dots became your pledge and plan,
Thank you, Louis!
We find them now on walls across the land,
Thank you, Louis!
From medicines to books or lifts,
Your Braille still guides us through our shifts.
Artificial speech has found its place,
But six small dots still lead the race.
Two hundred years ago, not yet the time,
Thank you, Louis!
Today for us, it’s simply part of life,
Thank you, Louis!
Be it for joy or for information,
You paved the way for inclusion’s foundation.
Look at the Braille libraries that remain —
Your dots will never fade or wane!
It’s never too late to learn to read,
Thank you, Louis!
So come and get your Braille alphabet indeed,
Thank you, Louis!
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