Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1598-99
They won't say: when the walnut tree shook in the wind
But: when the house painter crushed the workers.
They won't say: when the child skimmed a flat stone across the rapids
But: when the great wars were being prepared for.
They won't say: when the woman came into the room
But: when the great powers joined forces against the workers.
However, they won't say: the times were dark
Rather: why were their poets silent?
What kinds of times are they, when
A talk about trees is almost a crime
Because it implies silence about so many horrors?
What kinds of times are they, when
A talk about trees is almost a crime
Because it implies silence about so many horrors?
Bertolt Brecht
