April 13, 2015

Repost: Günter Grass - What Has To Be Said

The German poet and writer Günter Grass died today. In his honer a repost from April 4 2012.

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Today the German Süddeutsche Zeitung published a poem by Günter Grass about the conflict between Israel and Iran. The usual subjects immediately condemned the writer.

The following is my unauthorized (amateur) translation of the complete poem into English. I tried to stay as near as possible to the, sometimes seemingly awkward but certainly intended, original line breaks and punctuation.

What has to be said

Why am I silent, conceal too long,

what is obvious and in war games

has been trained, at whose end we as survivors

will at the most be footnotes.

It is the alleged right of first strike,

with which the Iranian people,

subjugated by a loudmouth

and steered towards organized elation,

could be snuffed out with,

because the building of a nuclear bomb

within its fiefdom is assumed.

But why do I prohibit myself,

to name that other country,

in which for years - though kept secret -

a growing capability exists

though out of control as

not open for audit?

The general concealment of this fact,

to which my silence subjugated,

feels for me like a burdoning lie

and a coercion, which promises punishment;

the verdict "antisemitism" is commonly used.

But now, because from my country,

which for its very own crimes,

which are incomparable,

is called up again and again and taken to task,

repeatedly and businesslike, though

by slippy lips declared as reparation,

another submarine to Israel

shall be delivered, whose specialty

consists of, steering all-annihilating warheads

whereto, the existence

of a single bomb is unproven,

but as a fear shall be conclusiveness,

I say, what has to be said.

But why my silence so far?

Because I though, my origin,

which has a not redeemable taint,

prohibited me, to strain,

with this fact as spoken truth,

the country Israel, to which I am

and want to stay beholden.

Why do I speak only now,

aged and with my last ink:

The nuclear power Israel endangers

an already fragile world peace?

Because it has to be said,

what already tomorrow could be too late;

also because we - as Germans burdened enough -

could become supplier for a crime,

which is foreseeable, which is why our complicity

could not be redeemed

with the usual subterfuges.

And admittedly: I no longer remain silent,

because I am disgusted with

the hypocrisy of the west; additionally there is hope

that many may liberate themselves from their silence,

to request the originator of the discernible danger

to abstain from force

and also insist,

that unhindered and permanent control

of the Israeli capability

and the Iranian nuclear installations

through an international authority

shall be allowed by both countries governments.

Only this way can all, the Israelis and the Palestinians,

even more, all people who live in the delusion occupied region

near by near as enemies and in the end even us,

be helped.

Posted by b on April 13, 2015 at 18:17 UTC | Permalink

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