The Sorrowful Songs
they haunt,
these drops that fall from the sky,
echoed in the gaunt,
tears wrapping each soul lost
upon the tides
of man's cruelty.
they bury themselves
inside sinew and bone
these words found
etched in walls
by hands that have lost the sun.
by these hands that chose love
in the dark,
that cried to the Queen of Heaven
to a mother
whose heart weeps even now,
even now.
copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2014
This is in response to BillyBuc's Challenge for music that inspires.
My poem is a reflection on the second movement of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, a work in three movements. This was inspired by the text found on one of the walls a Gestapo cell by an eighteen year old girl. This work and composer were little known until 1992 when this recording was released. It is one of the most moving pieces of music I have heard and has sold millions of copies.
Here is a translation of the text:
No, Mother, do not weep,
Most chaste Queen of Heaven
Support me always.
"Zdrowas Mario." (*)
(Prayer inscribed on wall 3 of cell no. 3 in the basement of "Palace," the Gestapo's headquarters in Zadopane; beneath is the signature of Helena Wanda Blazusiakówna, and the words "18 years old, imprisoned since 26 September 1944.")
(*) "Zdrowas Mario" (Ave Maria)—the opening of the Polish prayer to the Holy Mother
Note: if you aren’t a member of Hubpages, you can still leave a comment below without having to “sign in or sign up and post using a Hubpages account.” All you have to do is type in your comment and a name in the fields provided. Visitors are always welcome. :-)
