'Death Fugue' by Paul Celan
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Black milk of daybreak we drink it at sundown
we drink it at noon in the morning we drink it at night
we drink it and drink it
we dig a grave in the breezes there one lies unconfined
A man lives in the house he plays with the serpents
he writes
he writes when dusk falls to Germany your golden
hair Margarete
he writes it ans steps out of doors and the stars are
flashing he whistles his pack out
he whistles his Jews out in earth has them dig for a
grave
he commands us strike up for the dance
Black milk of daybreak we drink you at night
we drink you in the morning at noon we drink you at
sundown
we drink and we drink you
A man lives in the house he plays with the serpents
he writes
he writes when dusk falls to Germany your golden hair
Margarete
your ashen hair Sulamith we dig a grave in the breezes
there one lies unconfined
He calls out jab deeper into the earth you lot you
others sing now and play
he grabs at teh iron in his belt he waves it his
eyes are blue
jab deper you lot with your spades you others play
on for the dance
Black milk of daybreak we drink you at night
we drink you at at noon in the morning we drink you
at sundown
we drink and we drink you
a man lives in the house your golden hair Margarete
your ashen hair Sulamith he plays with the serpents
He calls out more sweetly play death death is a master
from Germany
he calls out more darkly now stroke your strings then
as smoke you will rise into air
then a grave you will have in the clouds there one
lies unconfined
Black milk of daybreak we drink you at night
we drink you at noon death is a master from Germany
we drink you at sundown and in the morning we drink
and we drink you
death is a master from Germany his eyes are blue
he strikes you with leaden bullets his aim is true
a man lives in the house your golden hair Margarete
he sets his pack on to us he grants us a grave in
the air
He plays with the serpents and daydreams death is
a master from Germany
your golden hair Margarete
your ashen hair Shulamith
Translated by Michael Hamburger
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Death Fugue by Paul Celan: A Masterpiece of Holocaust Literature
When I first read Paul Celan's "Todesfuge" ("Death Fugue" in English), I was struck by the power and complexity of the poem. Celan's haunting imagery and musical language create a visceral experience that captures the horror and disorientation of the Holocaust. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I will delve deeper into the themes and techniques of "Death Fugue," exploring how Celan uses language and imagery to convey the impact of genocide on both the individual and the collective.
Historical Context
Before analyzing the poem itself, it is important to understand the historical context in which it was written. Paul Celan was a Romanian-Jewish poet who survived the Holocaust, but lost both of his parents to concentration camps. "Death Fugue" was written in the years immediately following World War II, in a Europe that was still reeling from the atrocities of the Nazi regime. The poem was originally published in German in 1948, and has since become one of the most celebrated works of Holocaust literature.
Structure and Form
One of the most striking elements of "Death Fugue" is its structure and form. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each of which consists of 10 lines. The overall structure of the poem follows that of a musical fugue, in which a melody is introduced and then repeated and developed by other voices. The title of the poem itself reflects this musical structure, as a "fugue" is a type of composition in which a theme is repeated and developed by various instruments or voices.
In "Death Fugue," Celan uses this structure to create a sense of repetition and accumulation. The first stanza introduces the central images of the poem, including the sound of the train, the smell of burning flesh, and the figures of the black and white milkmaids. These images are then repeated and developed in the second and third stanzas, building to a climax of horror and despair.
Imagery and Symbolism
Celan's use of imagery and symbolism in "Death Fugue" is both powerful and complex. The central image of the poem is that of the train, which symbolizes both the transportation of Jews to the concentration camps and the mechanized brutality of the Nazi regime. The sound of the train is described as "black milk" that flows through the landscape, carrying with it the bodies of the dead.
Other images in the poem include the figures of the black and white milkmaids, who symbolize the racial binary that was central to Nazi ideology. The black milkmaid represents the non-Aryan other, while the white milkmaid represents the idealized Aryan woman. The two figures are juxtaposed in the poem, suggesting the violent and arbitrary nature of racial categorization.
Perhaps the most powerful image in the poem is that of the smoke rising from the crematoria. This image is repeated throughout the poem, and is described as both a physical and a metaphorical presence. The smoke represents the destruction of human life, but also the obscuring of truth and memory. The smoke "engulfs" the landscape and "blots out" the stars, creating a world in which nothing is certain or stable.
Language and Sound
Celan's use of language and sound in "Death Fugue" is both musical and disorienting. The poem is full of allusions and references, including to German culture and literature. The title of the poem itself, "Todesfuge," is a play on the German word for "fugue," but also echoes the word "Totentanz," or "dance of death," which was a popular motif in medieval German art.
Celan's language is also full of compound words and neologisms, which create a sense of fragmentation and dislocation. The word "Blutgemäuer," for example, is a compound of "Blut" (blood) and "Gemäuer" (walls), and suggests the violence and brutality of the concentration camps. Similarly, the word "Scharrstelle" is a neologism that combines "Scharren" (scratching) and "Stelle" (place), and suggests the digging of mass graves.
The sound of the poem is also highly musical, with a rhythm and cadence that echoes the fugue structure. The repetition of certain phrases, such as "black milk" and "death is a master from Germany," creates a sense of momentum and inevitability. The poem also includes several instances of onomatopoeia, such as the sound of the train and the scratching of the digging.
Themes and Interpretation
The themes of "Death Fugue" are both universal and specific. On the one hand, the poem explores the impact of genocide on the individual and the collective. The specific horrors of the Holocaust are depicted in vivid and brutal detail, from the transportation of Jews in cattle cars to the burning of bodies in the crematoria.
At the same time, the poem also speaks to broader themes of death, destruction, and the erosion of truth and memory. The smoke that obscures the landscape can be seen as a metaphor for the ways in which trauma and violence can distort and erase history. The repetition and accumulation of images and phrases in the poem also suggest the way in which memory can become fragmented and chaotic.
Ultimately, "Death Fugue" is a masterpiece of Holocaust literature, and a testament to the power of language and art to bear witness to the unspeakable. Celan's use of imagery and symbolism, language and sound, and structure and form create a visceral and haunting experience that captures the horror and disorientation of the Holocaust. As a poem, it remains a powerful and important reminder of the profound impact of genocide on both the individual and the collective.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Death Fugue: An Analysis of Paul Celan's Masterpiece
Paul Celan's "Death Fugue" is a haunting and powerful poem that explores the horrors of the Holocaust. Written in 1945, just after the end of World War II, the poem is a reflection on the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the impact they had on the Jewish people. The poem is a masterpiece of modernist poetry, and its complex structure and imagery have made it one of the most studied and analyzed poems of the 20th century.
The poem is structured as a fugue, a musical form that involves the repetition and variation of a theme. The poem's central theme is death, and the repetition of this theme throughout the poem creates a sense of inevitability and despair. The poem is divided into three sections, each of which explores a different aspect of the Holocaust.
The first section of the poem is a description of the concentration camp. The poem begins with the line "Black milk of daybreak we drink it at evening," which sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The image of "black milk" is a powerful one, suggesting both the darkness of the concentration camp and the perversion of nature that occurred there. The line "we drink it at evening" suggests that the horrors of the concentration camp are a part of everyday life for those who live there.
The second section of the poem is a description of the Nazi officers. The officers are described as "masters of the deathly art," and their actions are portrayed as a kind of twisted performance. The poem describes the officers as "whistling and grinding us down," suggesting that their actions are both sadistic and mechanical. The repetition of the phrase "black milk" in this section of the poem suggests that the officers are complicit in the perversion of nature that occurred in the concentration camp.
The third section of the poem is a reflection on the Jewish people's fate. The poem describes the Jews as "a man lives in the house he plays with the serpents he writes," suggesting that they are both victims and survivors. The repetition of the phrase "black milk" in this section of the poem suggests that the Jews are also complicit in the horrors of the concentration camp, as they were forced to participate in the work of the camp.
The poem's imagery is powerful and evocative, and it creates a sense of horror and despair that is difficult to shake. The repetition of the phrase "black milk" throughout the poem is particularly effective, as it suggests both the darkness of the concentration camp and the perversion of nature that occurred there. The use of the fugue form is also effective, as it creates a sense of inevitability and repetition that mirrors the horrors of the Holocaust.
In conclusion, Paul Celan's "Death Fugue" is a masterpiece of modernist poetry that explores the horrors of the Holocaust. The poem's complex structure and imagery create a sense of horror and despair that is difficult to shake, and its use of the fugue form is particularly effective. The poem is a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the impact they had on the Jewish people, and it continues to be studied and analyzed by scholars and readers around the world.
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