in the northern wing of the unfinished
NSDAP congress hall
göring repeats on a
tape loop i knew nothing
i heard nothing i saw nothing
interpreters in the impro booths
who knew saw heard
repeat the words with trembling voices
out of their aquariums
nothing nothing nothing
the year is 2020
entry to the museum is free
the guard is a dark-skinned man
i wonder if it is because of a policy
of inclusive diversity
historical defiance to the place
or because of the lower pay grade
which disinclines the heirs of the interpreters and the interpreted
from the aquarium of the guard’s booth
a bat streaks past him into the museum
nobody yet knows that it will soon
become the next class enemy no. 1
it sees nothing it hears nothing
as it flies over left-right
in front of the projection of the reichsmarschall’s head
which knew at that moment
that the noose was growing tight
hermann pulls the earphones off
the interpreters like fish out of water
speaking into emptiness
what he does not
know
(the billyclub is the interpreter
it was said in the camps
all bodies understand the language of violence)
i pull the earphones with the audio guide off
my eyes follow
the restless flight of the trapped animal
that cannot find its way out
just as very soon
we will not be able to find it
and i hold closer to me
the love which the field marshal
would forbid all ways out
(touch is the interpreter
all bodies understand
the language of love)
Translated by Erica Johnson Debeljakv severnem krilu nedokončane
kongresne palače NSDAP
göring na posnetku v zanki
ponavlja nič nisem vedel
nič slišal nič videl nič nisem
tolmači v impro kabinah
ki so vedeli slišali videli
ponavljajo s tresočimi se glasovi
ven iz akvarijev
nič nič nič nič
leto je 2020
vstop v muzej je prost
varnostnik je temnopolt
sprašujem se ali zaradi politik
inkluzivnosti diverzitete
zgodovinskega kljubovanja kraju
ali pa zaradi nizkega plačnega razreda
ki dediče tolmačev in tolmačenih
odvrne od akvarija varnostnikove kabine
v muzej je mimo njega švignil netopir
nihče še ne ve da bo prav on
kmalu postal državni sovražnik št. 1
nič ne vidi nič ne sliši
ko preletava levo-desno
pred platnom z glavo rajhmaršala
ki je v tistem trenutku vedela
da je zanka že zategnjena
hermann potegne slušalke z ušes
tolmači v prazno kot ribe na suhem
izgovarjajo česar ne
ve
(pendrek je tolmač
je veljalo v taborišču
jezik nasilja razume vsako telo)
z ušes potegnem zvočni vodnik
s pogledom sledim
nemirnemu letu ujete živali
ki ne najde izhoda
kot ga prav kmalu
tudi sami ne bomo več našli
in le še močneje stisnem
ljubezen ki bi jo feldmaršal
bil spremenil v brezizhodno
(dotik je tolmač
jezik ljubezni
razume vsako telo)