Scientists create darkest color out of carbon nanotubes, hundreds of times darker than black.[1]
| Paul Celan (1945) “Todesfuge” | Paul Celan (1945) “Deadfugue” (John Felstiner, trans.) |
| Schwarze Milch der Frühe wir trinken sie abends wir trinken sie mittags und morgens wir trinken sie nachts wir trinken und trinken wir schaufeln ein Grab in den Lüften da liegt man nicht eng Ein Mann wohnt im Haus der spielt mit den Schlangen der schreibt der schreibt wenn es dunkelt nach Deutschland dein goldenes Haar Margarete er schreibt es und tritt vor das Haus und es blitzen die Sterne er pfeift seine Rüden herbei er pfeift seine Juden hervor läßt schaufeln ein Grab in der Erde er befiehlt uns spielt auf nun zum Tanz Schwarze Milch der Frühe wir trinken dich nachts Er ruft stecht tiefer ins Erdreich ihr einen ihr andern singet und spielt Schwarze Milch der Frühe wir trinken dich nachts Er ruft spielt süßer den Tod der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland Schwarze Milch der Frühe wir trinken dich nachts | Black milk of daybreak we drink it at evening we drink it at midday and morning we drink it at night we drink and we drink we shovel a grave in the air where you won’t lie too cramped A man lives in the house he plays with his vipers he writes he writes when it grows dark to Deutschland your golden hair Margareta he writes it and steps out of doors and the stars are all sparkling he whistles his hounds to stay close he whistles his Jews into rows has them shovel a grave in the ground he commands us play up for the dance Black milk of daybreak we drink you at night He shouts dig this earth deeper you lot there you others sing up and play He shouts play death more sweetly this Death is a master from Deutschland Black milk of daybreak we drink you at night |
Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee
Our life is ruled by enmity
And I can’t weaken that
The only way that I can see
Is to hold you close to me
To love you for it’s meant to be
I weaken your attack
Everything was lucked and downy
What was good was up from under
Until black, that awful tender
Came and popped my sense of wonder
All at once all eyes turned at him
Leaving me an unwatched body
And it sagged, my body’s rib cage
Out from under ogler’s study
Black was decomposing quickly
This was found offensive to me
His disrespect for life’s proprieties
Made me scared he would destroy me
Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee
Our life is ruled by enmity
And I can’t weaken that
The only way that I can see
Is to hold you close to me
To love you for it’s meant to be
I weaken your attack
So I thought I’d try to cut him
Try to force him ‘neath my level
The only way to equal to him
Would be hit him with a shovel
But to really rise above him
That would be the final evil
So instead I asked the sucker
If he’d care to see my rooms
And as a friend and as a comrade
And all the things that these implied
I made him leave what it was that he had
Used to keep us unallied
Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee
Our life is ruled by enmity
And I can’t weaken that
The only way that I can see
Is to hold you close to me
To love you for it’s meant to be
I weaken your attack
Now black and I we are together
Fairly just inseparable
And in the terriblest of weather
Our bonds are incorruptible
Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee
Our life is ruled by enmity
And I can’t weaken that
The only way that I can see
Is to hold you close to me
To love you for it’s meant to be
I weaken your attack
--Bonnie Prince Billy