At War . . .

Mauthausen

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.

LURID LIGHT/DÜSTERES LICHT

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

At War . . .

Mauthausen

6 Agosto 1945

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