What must be said
4
[Günter Grass's poem “Was gesagt werden muss,” published in the Süddeutschen Zeitung on April 4, 2012, was greeted in the international media with howls of execration. As he had anticipated in his fourth verse paragraph, Grass was widely denounced as an antisemite—and also as a political naïf with a dubious political past of his own, and a poetic incompetent. I thought, in contrast, that Grass's text was courageous, carefully nuanced, and moving. I thought he was quite right to draw attention to the shameful complicity of his own country in building up Israel's stock of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, and right as well to denounce the hypocrisy of the West, and to note that Israeli and American threats of nuclear attacks on Iran have been based on no more than “suspicion” that Iran might be developing a nuclear weapon. Nowhere among the outcries prompted by this text did I see any acknowledgment that Grass's reputation as a writer had included early international recognition of his talents as a poet (translations of a selection of poems from his first three collections of verse were published in the mid- 1960s in the Penguin Modern European Poets series). Many of the journalists who denounced Grass's poem had clearly not read it, and by April 6 the only English translation available was a wretched error-laden version published on the website of The Guardian. Nica Mintz and I tried in our rendering to achieve both literal accuracy and a sense of the cadences of Grass's poem. Our version was published on April 7, 2012 at the websites of PULSE Media, http://pulsemedia.org/2012/04/07/what-must- be-said/ , and of Mondoweiss. It was subsequently reproduced at twenty-five other websites.] [Index: Günter Grass, Israel, Iran] [Date: April 2012] What must be said Günter Grass Why have I kept silent, silent for too long over what is openly played out
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Günter Grass's poem “Was gesagt werden muss,” published in the Süddeutschen Zeitung on April 4, 2012, was greeted in the international media with howls of execration. As he had anticipated in his fourth verse paragraph, Grass was widely denounced as an antisemite—and also as a political naïf with a dubious political past of his own, and a poetic incompetent.I thought, in contrast, that Grass's text was courageous, carefully nuanced, and moving. I thought he was quite right to draw attention to the shameful complicity of his own country in building up Israel's stock of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, and right as well to denounce the hypocrisy of the West, and to note that Israeli and American threats of nuclear attacks on Iran have been based on no more than “suspicion” that Iran might be developing a nuclear weapon.Nowhere among the outcries prompted by this text did I see any acknowledgment that Grass's reputation as a writer had included early international recognition of his talents as a poet (translations of a selection of poems from his first three collections of verse were published in the mid-1960s in the Penguin Modern European Poets series).Many of the journalists who denounced Grass's poem had clearly not read it, and by April 6 the only English translation available was a wretched error-laden version published on the website of The Guardian.Nica Mintz and I tried in our rendering to achieve both literal accuracy and a sense of the cadences of Grass's poem. Our version was published on April 7, 2012 at the websites of PULSE Media, http://pulsemedia.org/2012/04/07/what-must-be-said/, and of Mondoweiss. It was subsequently reproduced at twenty-five other websites.
Transcript of What must be said
[Günter Grass's poem “Was gesagt werden muss,” published in the Süddeutschen Zeitung on April 4, 2012, was greeted in the international media with howls of execration. As he had anticipated in his fourth verse paragraph, Grass was widely denounced as an antisemite—and also as a political naïf with a dubious political past of his own, and a poetic incompetent.
I thought, in contrast, that Grass's text was courageous, carefully nuanced, and moving. I thought he was quite right to draw attention to the shameful complicity of his own country in building up Israel's stock of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, and right as well to denounce the hypocrisy of the West, and to note that Israeli and American threats of nuclear attacks on Iran have been based on no more than “suspicion” that Iran might be developing a nuclear weapon.
Nowhere among the outcries prompted by this text did I see any acknowledgment that Grass's reputation as a writer had included early international recognition of his talents as a poet (translations of a selection of poems from his first three collections of verse were published in the mid-1960s in the Penguin Modern European Poets series).
Many of the journalists who denounced Grass's poem had clearly not read it, and by April 6 the only English translation available was a wretched error-laden version published on the website of The Guardian.
Nica Mintz and I tried in our rendering to achieve both literal accuracy and a sense of the cadences of Grass's poem. Our version was published on April 7, 2012 at the websites of PULSE Media, http://pulsemedia.org/2012/04/07/what-must-be-said/, and of Mondoweiss. It was subsequently reproduced at twenty-five other websites.]
[Index: Günter Grass, Israel, Iran][Date: April 2012]
What must be said
Günter Grass
Why have I kept silent, silent for too longover what is openly played outin war games at the end of which wethe survivors are at best footnotes.
It’s that claim of a right to first strikeagainst those who under a loudmouth’s thumbare pushed into organized cheering—a strike to snuff out the Iranian peopleon suspicion that under his influencean atom bomb’s being built.
But why do I forbid myselfto name that other land in which
for years—although kept secret—a usable nuclear capability has grownbeyond all control, becauseno scrutiny is allowed.
The universal silence around this fact,under which my own silence lay,I feel now as a heavy lie, a strong constraint, which to dismiss courts forceful punishment:the verdict of “Antisemitism” is well known.
But now, when my own country,guilty of primal and unequalled crimesfor which time and again it must be tasked—once again, in pure commerce,though with quick lips we declare itreparations, wants to sendIsrael yet another submarine— one whose speciality is to deliverwarheads capable of ending all life where the existence of even one nuclear weapon remains unproven, but where suspicion serves for proof—now I say what must be said.
But why was I silent for so long? Because I thought my origin,marked with an ineradicable stain,forbade mention of this factas definite truth about Israel, a countryto which I am and will remain attached.
Why is it only now I say,in old age, with my last drop of ink, that Israel’s nuclear power endangersan already fragile world peace? Because what by tomorrow might betoo late, must be spoken now,and because we—as Germans, alreadyburdened enough—could becomeenablers of a crime, foreseeable and thereforenot to be eradicatedwith any of the usual excuses.
And admittedly: I’m silent no more
because I’ve had it with the West’s hypocrisy—and one can hope that many others toomay free themselves from silence,challenge the instigator of known dangerto abstain from violence,and at the same time demanda permanent and unrestrained controlof Israel’s atomic powerand Iranian nuclear plantsby an international authorityaccepted by both governments.
Only thus can one give helpto Israelis and Palestinians—still more,all the peoples, neighbour-enemiesliving in this region occupied by madness—and finally, to ourselves as well.
“Was gesagt werden muss” published in Süddeutschen Zeitung (4 April 2012) Translation by Michael Keefer and Nica Mintz
