All countries have bugle calls dedicated to their fallen in their military ceremonial. In Spain it is called \"Toque de Oraci\u00f3n\", in the US \"Taps\" and in the Commonwealth countries \"Last Post\".<\/p>\n
I must say that the Spanish \"Toque de Oraci\u00f3n\" is my favorite, for its beauty and solemnity, but there are two countries that have especially beautiful military bugle calls. In Poland they play the \"\u015apij kolego\" (Sleep comrade)<\/strong>, which emerged from a 1916 Polish song, \"Jakto na wojence \u0142adnie\"<\/a>, which in its seventh stanza said these beautiful words dedicated to the fallen companion:<\/p>\n \"\u015apij kolego w tym grobie, \"Sleep comrade in this grave, In Germany they have one of the oldest songs dedicated to the fallen: \"Der gute Kamerad\" (The good comrade).<\/strong> It was written by the German poet Ludwig Uhland in 1809, and composer Friedrich Silcher put music in 1826. It is an official song of the German Armed Forces since 1871, and it has become so famous that versions have been written in other languages, Spanish included. Its first stanza says the following:<\/p>\n \"Ich hatt' einen Kameraden, \"I once had a comrade, Last Sunday, Germany celebrated the Volkstrauertag<\/strong> (literally, \"People's Day of Mourning\"), a celebration that was held for the first time in the Reichstag (as it was called then) in 1922, during the Weimar Republic, to remember the German soldiers fallen in World War I. Hitler's regime changed this celebration's name and meaning, but it was recovered in 1952 to remind all the fallen of all nations, both military and civilian, who died in warlike conflicts or victims of oppression.<\/strong> Annually, two Sundays before the beginning of Advent, a ceremony is held at the Bundestag in which \"Der gute Kamerad\" sounds. <\/p>\n This year the ceremony had a novelty: before the German military musician, a Polish military musician played the \"\u015apij kolego\"<\/strong>, a very exciting moment on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland, which began World War II. You can see it in the video that the Polish Army Representation Orchestra shared on its YouTube channel<\/a> today:<\/p>\n
\n
\nNiech si\u0119 Polska przy\u015bni tobie\".<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMay Poland dream to you\".<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nEinen bessern findst du nit.
\nDie Trommel schlug zum Streite,
\nEr ging an meiner Seite
\nIn gleichem Schritt und Tritt\".<\/em><\/p>\n
\nYou will find no better.
\nThe drum called us to battle,
\nHe walked by my side,
\nIn the same pace and step.\".<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n