Praistorijska gospođa pred crkvom u Chełmnu
palaca jezikom o grijehu i o kazni, poziva se na
nekakvog sudiju Pontija Pilata. Sad znate sve,
kaže, sve znate sad i ne pitajte da li smo šta
osjećali kad su odvozili komšije u dušegupkama!
Snimak je iz doba hladnog rata i kaljava je jesen
u nesretnoj zemlji Poljskoj, nesretna i kaljava.
Čini se da pepeo mrtvih još uvijek pada po
reverima kao čađ po selima oko cementare.
Prejak je ili preslab onaj ko može ugasit lampu
i zaspati. Budan, osjećam da tumor svijeta je
u metastazi ali ne mogu da dokučim odakle
crpi snagu jer stalno se mijenjaju uloge i žrtva se,
s vremena na vrijeme, naslađuje sjekirom dželata.
Jutros je, nekim slučajem, repriza istorije išla u
direktnom prenosu. Kroz bodljikavu žicu izronio je
na ekranu biblijski lik mlade žene koja pokriva
grudi djetetom u naručju kao živim peškirom.
Iz njenih očiju izlapila je nada i sad može da gleda
pravo i bez straha u milione uposlenika Holokausta.
Njima su kič-demokratije ispunile želju da budu
suci iz Judeje i da, dokopavši se božije vlasti,
odlučuju o tome ko će živjeti a ko ne pokazuje
dovoljnu poniznost. Sad znadem sve i ne moram
više da pitam odakle tumor svijeta crpi toliku
snagu.
*
Shoah
A prehistoric lady outside the church in Chełmno, her tongue darting in and out, speaks of sin and
punishment and invokes some judge Pontius Pilate. Now you know everything, she says, you know
everything now, and don’t ask if we felt anything
when they were taking away our neighbors in gas
vans! The snapshot is from the Cold War era, and
muddy is the autumn in the unhappy land of Poland,
unhappy and muddy. It seems as if the ash of the
dead were still falling on lapels like soot on the
villages around the cement plant.
Too strong or too weak is he who can turn off
the lamp and fall asleep. Awake, I feel the tumor
of the world has metastasized, but I can’t grasp
where it draws its strength, for roles are constantly
changing and the victim, from time to time, delights
in the executioner’s axe.
This morning, by some chance, a rerun of history
unfolded in a live cast. Through barbed wire,
a biblical figure of a young woman popped on the
screen, covering her breasts with a child in her
arms like with a live towel. Hope has evaporated
from her eyes and she can now stare straight
ahead and without fear at millions of employees
of the Holocaust. The kitsch democracies have
fulfilled their wish to be judges from Judea and, taking hold of God’s power, to decide who will live
and who does not show sufficient humility. Now
I know everything and no longer have to wonder
where the tumor of the world draws such strength.
Shoah
Shoah
Praistorijska gospođa pred crkvom u Chełmnu
palaca jezikom o grijehu i o kazni, poziva se na
nekakvog sudiju Pontija Pilata. Sad znate sve,
kaže, sve znate sad i ne pitajte da li smo šta
osjećali kad su odvozili komšije u dušegupkama!
Snimak je iz doba hladnog rata i kaljava je jesen
u nesretnoj zemlji Poljskoj, nesretna i kaljava.
Čini se da pepeo mrtvih još uvijek pada po
reverima kao čađ po selima oko cementare.
Prejak je ili preslab onaj ko može ugasit lampu
i zaspati. Budan, osjećam da tumor svijeta je
u metastazi ali ne mogu da dokučim odakle
crpi snagu jer stalno se mijenjaju uloge i žrtva se,
s vremena na vrijeme, naslađuje sjekirom dželata.
Jutros je, nekim slučajem, repriza istorije išla u
direktnom prenosu. Kroz bodljikavu žicu izronio je
na ekranu biblijski lik mlade žene koja pokriva
grudi djetetom u naručju kao živim peškirom.
Iz njenih očiju izlapila je nada i sad može da gleda
pravo i bez straha u milione uposlenika Holokausta.
Njima su kič-demokratije ispunile želju da budu
suci iz Judeje i da, dokopavši se božije vlasti,
odlučuju o tome ko će živjeti a ko ne pokazuje
dovoljnu poniznost. Sad znadem sve i ne moram
više da pitam odakle tumor svijeta crpi toliku
snagu.
*
Shoah
A prehistoric lady outside the church in Chełmno,
her tongue darting in and out, speaks of sin and
punishment and invokes some judge Pontius Pilate.
Now you know everything, she says, you know
everything now, and don’t ask if we felt anything
when they were taking away our neighbors in gas
vans! The snapshot is from the Cold War era, and
muddy is the autumn in the unhappy land of Poland,
unhappy and muddy. It seems as if the ash of the
dead were still falling on lapels like soot on the
villages around the cement plant.
Too strong or too weak is he who can turn off
the lamp and fall asleep. Awake, I feel the tumor
of the world has metastasized, but I can’t grasp
where it draws its strength, for roles are constantly
changing and the victim, from time to time, delights
in the executioner’s axe.
This morning, by some chance, a rerun of history
unfolded in a live cast. Through barbed wire,
a biblical figure of a young woman popped on the
screen, covering her breasts with a child in her
arms like with a live towel. Hope has evaporated
from her eyes and she can now stare straight
ahead and without fear at millions of employees
of the Holocaust. The kitsch democracies have
fulfilled their wish to be judges from Judea and,
taking hold of God’s power, to decide who will live
and who does not show sufficient humility. Now
I know everything and no longer have to wonder
where the tumor of the world draws such strength.
(Prevod na engleski Omer Hadžiselimović)