Schwarze Milch der Frühe wir trinken sie abends
wir trinken sie mittags und morgens wir trinken sie nachts
wir trinken und trinken
This haunting poem by Paul Celan gives us pause. Titled "Deathfugue," the author references a musical term: fuge in the German, fuga in the Italian, or fugue in the English. Understanding the meaning of the word fugue will help us understand the structure of the poem.
A fugue introduces a musical theme, which is then repeated in multiple "voices" throughout the piece. By "voice," I mean a melodic line, not necessarily someone singing. To understand this, we might first look at a fugue written by J.S. Bach, an incredibly prolific composer whose musical works help define the very nature of Western music.
What does a fugue sound like? That may not help some of you. So, lets both look and listen. The following is Bach's Fugue in G minor, or the "Little Fugue."
You are probably more familiar with the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, also by Bach. The fugue comes in at 2:45 into the piece. You can either listen/watch your way through (it's fun), or just jump ahead.
These movies should give you some deeper insights into the nature of the fugue, and what it means for Celan to call his poetic work a "death fugue." I highly recommend you read more about Bach's life as well as the musical structure of the fugue if you want to relate these ideas to your writing about Celan's poetic work.
