The holocaust is a practice that was well known in Germany during the colonial periods. The word holocaust is derived from two Greek words, ‘holos’ meaning whole and ‘kaustos’ meaning burnt. Holocaust historically meant a sacrificial offering made on the altar to appease the ancestors and the gods, but since 1944, it took a whole different meaning ( Mariot, 2020). Under the the German Nazis’rule, Germany became a state-sponsored mass murder and persecution of millions of European Jews, including Romani people, dissidents, intellectually disabled, and homosexuals. It is said to have occurred in their regime from 1933 to 1945 with Adolf Hitler as the spearhead.
Bronislawa Wajs was a Romani poet who wrote the poem titled 'Bloody Tears.' She came from the Polska Roma ethnic group, the Polish lowland Roma. She vocalizes the horrors of the holocaust during the colonial period as the Romani people were suffering under the German soldiers in Voyan. This occurred between 1943 and 1944 ( Wawrzeniuk, 2015) . She felt remorse for the Romani people, who seemed to have no peace at all. The Nazi Germans forced them to go through adverse conditions and, in the end, even persecuted them.
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The poem begins by highlighting the harsh conditions faced by the Romani people. They were forced into hiding in the woods where they lacked food, shelter, and clothing, including shoes. What appears to be ironic is that the Nazi officers came to inform them that one of them would be sacrificed. This news tormented them for days, and their only hope was to return to the High Deity, a prayer that went without being answered. A sad tone prevails throughout the poem, and it is noted that she feels deeply remorseful for the children. The mothers are troubled as their children succumb to the unfavorable conditions ( Wawrzeniuk, 2015) . She recalls an incident with a young Jewish girl, knocking on her door asking for food while shivering in the cold. She felt compassionate and offered her anything she could, food and clothing.
The 'Bloody Tears' has brought in a significant aspect of the holocaust. It has depicted the cruel hardship underwent by the European Jews during the period. Bronislawa Wajs presents the atmosphere of the holocaust, including the adverse condition s they were exposed to. A Nazi officer mockingly tells them that one of them would be offered to the altar, leaving them troubled added to their hunger. The adverse climatic conditions they faced only adds to their misery. They lived in the woods, and during snowing, they had to shiver through it. Some children are said to have been covered by snow death. The mothers were burying one child after the other. These unfriendly environmental conditions, added with the lack of basic needs, worsened the severity of the holocaust ( Wawrzeniuk, 2015) . The poem brings a deep and clear understanding to the reader of the prevailing atmosphere, setting, and temperature of the holocaust. The physical and emotional trauma faced by the victims has been clearly outlined.
Mary Elizabeth Frye was an American poet who brought hope during the heat of the holocaust. Being an orphan at the age of three gave her a lot of insight and hope in life. Thus, she mirrored hope during the holocaust period. The German Nazis killed the European Jews who appeared hopeless hence the title ‘Do not stand at my grave and weep’ ( Frye, 1932). The poem is her own words expressing how she felt about life and death. This is deeply tied to the holocaust.
The prevailing theme of the poem is hope. She consoles the people using a twelve-lined poem going against all odds of poetry. She echoes that no one should weep for her as she would not have died in the event of her death. Mary utilizes metaphors to note perpetual existence. She claims she is a thousand winds that blow, diamond glitz of snow, sun on ripened grain among others ( Frye, 1932) . This appears to be symbolic of her parents’ death as she still feels their presence. This she means to give courage to those she would leave behind in the event of her death.
‘ Do not stand at my grave and weep’ reflects on the unique aspect of the holocaust among the victims; resilience and hope. However, the situation seemed to be difficult; Mary Elizabeth instills a positive drive in them. Elizabeth retorts that despite Nazis killing and maiming European Jews, they still live on. Listening to the sounds of nature is where they can obtain their counsel ( Frye, 1932) . In turn, the victims did not tire, and in the face of the hardships, they continued anticipating the best. The readers can acquaint themselves with the mood of the European Jews who seemed to despair initially but never waved a white flag.
In conclusion, the ambiguity of the two poems described remains puzzling as the holocaust itself. From the title ‘Bloody Tears’ itself, it is thought-provoking. For instance, one can only shed bloody tears in the face of a situation that is catastrophic. This has been reflected in the holocaust as the European Jews indeed shed bloody tears. In the poem ‘Do not stand in my grave and weep,’ Mary Elizabeth Fyre tries to turn the situation around by instilling a sense of hope in the holocaust victims. They can crave for a good end.
References
Frye, M. E. (1932). Do not stand at my grave and weep . FFP Inc. https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/do-not-stand-by-my-grave-and-weep-by-mary-elizabeth-frye
Mariot N. (2020). On the role of dehumanization of victims in the perpetration of mass killings: Research notes. Violence: An International Journal, 1(1), 102-122. https://doi.org/10.1177/2633002420916979
Wawrzeniuk, P. (2015). Papusza: The story of a Polish Roma poet Bronislawa Wajs ("Papusza") . Baltic Worlds. http://balticworlds.com/papusza/
