"Encounter" Poem, June 1942

An poem by Thekla Stoll circulated among the Jews in Berlin, Germany. The poem speaks of the despair of the Jews' condition and the hope the author sees in the spirit of the Jews. Translation from Henry Lowenstein: "Today I saw 1,000 disturbed people, Today I saw 1,000 Jews, wandering into oblivion, Into the gray of the cold morning drew the condemned Leaving behind what once was their life. They stepped through the gates, glancing back, As they left everything outside, their homeland, their belongings and their happiness, Where will you be led, where ends your path? They only know this: The destination is called barbed wire! And what awaits you is misery, torture and distress, Suffering, hunger, disease; for many soon-to-follow: death. I search your eyes with a brother’s look Expecting deepest grief in this misfortune. Instead of despair one sees a deep, deep strength. And bearing and composure glows in their eyes One sees a burning will to live, sees faith and courage And sees in some faces a smile, strong and good. I am strongly moved to recognize the spirit of the people, Selected for suffering that will be overcome, That lifts itself out of misery and need, banishment, forced labor And imprisonment, with unbroken strength. Today I saw 1,000 people with disturbed faces, And saw in the grey of the morning the rays of everlasting light!"