Page 27 - GALIET BEAUTY´S LURE: WAR Helen of Troy and Margareta of Germany IV

while beautiful Helen of Troy weaves the atrocities of the Trojan War in her loom in their room, mirroring a future abyss, that, too, Lady Margareta of Germany weaves; while they, as Masters and Mistresses of Death, whistle Trojans and Argives, and Nazi infantries in rows to go on fighting in the open fields, and for Jews, to go on shoveling graves in the ground or air, and play up for the dance for golden-haired or lovely-haired Lady Beauty’s sake, in ways that do not greatly differ from Auschwitz’ tenebrous Commandant or Man, who too
From Stanza 1
“... lives in the house he plays with his vipers
he writes he writes when it grows dark to Deutschland your golden hair Margareta
he writes it and steps out of doors and the stars are all sparkling,
he whistles his hounds to come close
he whistles his Jews into rows has them shovel a grave in the ground
he commands us to play up for the dance.”
Celan, Death Fugue
The Commandant, or Beast-Man, not only darkly mirrors King Priam, Prince Paris and King Menelaus, but also Himmler, lord of the crematorium,43 in their cruel strategies, idylls and daydreaming, while death fugues sing. They retire to their houses, palaces, bedrooms, or ships to play with their vipers, amidst the other men’s monstrosities. They burn life to ashes while they daydream of beauty, of eternal ideals, or think,
43 Felstiner, John. Paul Celan. Poet, Survivor, Jew. London: New Haven, 1995. 39.
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