Six Million Yellow Stars

Six Million Yellow Stars ( — C Major)

Let us remember them in the time of the Christian Martyrs of Arabia or Shabbat Zachor / שבת זכור / which is the Sabbath of remembrance — שבת זכור. The Shabbat immediately preceding Purim / פורים.

“ Who are these like stars appearing, These before God’s throne who stand?” — Translated from the German by Frances Elizabeth Cox.

There are six million yellow stars In the firmament of sadness, If you touch their light it shines On the hatred and the madness.

There are a million dancing Gypsies The Sinti and the Roma who roam the constellations Of the scapegoat and the pain.

Their souls like little campfires Their violins contorted Like the wood of cruifixion — Their music, ancient rain.

Chorus And it falls like the tears that have wet six million pillows. It seeps into the hearts of the murdered and the maimed. But it cannot wash away the loss, the ink of tattoo: Those numbers growing dim on flesh that bore the pain.

There are five million souls abused In the State of Palestine Who see six million yellow stars And hear the gypsy music

And they wonder why those yellow stars Like them, have been forgotten, In the madness and the hatred That falls like ancient rain.

Chorus And they say: “O who are these, whose sorrow we are living, These stars that in the firmament of sadness we can name. Will the wild and ancient music be the one song of our singing Will we roam the constellations of the scapegoat and the pain”.

— © Frank Callery, February 22nd, 2017.