War Haiku.

sky

Mauthausen.

LURID LIGHT/DÜSTERES LICHT

The following poems have been written in the summer 03 after a visit in the former concentration camp Mauthausen, the largest in Austria, which is now a memorial place.

Mauthausen
über uns die Sonne
von damals
Mauthausen
above us the sun
of then
Sommerluft
ein Bauer düngt sein Feld
neben dem KZ
summer air
a farmer dungs his field
close to the camp
die dunkle Sommersonne
die dunkle Sommersonne
in den Baracken
the dark summer sun
the dark summer sun
in the Baracken
Hinter den Stacheldrähten
das weite weite Grün
beyond the barbed wire
the wide wide green
Ein Schild
vor dem Krematorium:
Bitte nicht rauchen
a sign
in front of the crematorium:
please don't smoke
Düsteres Licht
die schneeweißen Fliesen
der Gaskammer
lurid light
the snow-white tiles
of the gas chamber
Gaskammer
ein Mann hebt
sein Kind hoch
gas chamber
a man raises
his child
Windhauch
die Stelen
sprechen
breath of wind
the memorials
speaking
Jemand lacht
am Weg
zum Steinbruch
someone laughs
on the way
to the quarry
Todesstiege
Schritt für Schritt
mehr außer Atem
death's stairway
step by step
more out of breath
Abfahrt
das Auto verfolgt
von Staub
leaving the camp
the car chased
by dust
Mauthausen
am Ufer der Donau
ein Liebespaar
Mauthausen
at the Danube bank
two lovers
Mauthausen Day
a big dog
barks at me

DIETMAR TAUCHNER
Austria

Mauthausen lager - do not forget anymore

lager stones
for each one a name -
bodies in the wind

Moussia - Roma
6 Agosto 1945

Nel centro del lager di Mauthausen un grande sarcofago di pietra contiene le ceneri cui fu impossibile dare un nome. Sopra vi è incisa un'iscrizione in Latino:

DISCANT VIVENTES MORTUORUM SORTE
Credo che questo ammonimento valga anche per la tragedia di Hiroshima.

arde nel cielo
un sole sconosciuto
genera ombre

In the middle of Mauthausen's lager a great stone sarcophagus contains unknown ashes. Upon it there is a Latin inscription:

DISCANT VIVENTES MORTUORUM SORTE
i. e. May the living learn from the fate of the dead.

I believe that this admonishment is also right for Hiroshima's tragedy.

burning in the sky
an unknown sun
produces shadows

Moussia
Italy

Mauthausen: la scala della morte.
Mauthausen: death staircase.

scala di pietra
di tanti passi un soffio
tra i papaveri
stone staircase
of so many steps a breath
among the poppies
lager stones
for each one a name -
bodies in the wind

Moussia
Italy