"Reveille"

Reveille

In the brutal nights we used to dream
Dense violent dreams,
Dreamed with soul and body:
To return; to eat; to tell the story.

Until the dawn command
Sounded brief, low
'Wstawac'
And the heart cracked in the breast.

Now we have found our homes again,
Our bellies are full,
We're through telling the story.

It's time.
Soon we'll hear again
The strange command:
'Wstawac'

-Primo Levi, 1944

Discussion Questions

1. Of what did the people imprisoned at Auschwitz dream?

2. What reveille, or morning wake-up call, startled the people in the camps?

3. What is the significance of “’wastawac’”? Why is it so traumatizing?

4. What is the most difficult aspect of their freedom from Auschwitz? Are they ever free from the horrors of life there?

Sources

Levi, P. (1995). “Reveille.” Holocaust Poetry, edited by Hilda Schiff. St. Martins Griffin, New York. p. 117