eliewiesel-nightfulltext_3_26_2014_3_23_04_pm

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ers crowded the area. The guards seemed unable to restore order. They were lashing out, left and right, to no avail. Some prisoners who didn't have the strength to jostle, or even to stand, sat down in the snow. My father wanted to do the same. He was moaning: "I can't a n y m o r e … I t ' s o v e r … I shall die right h e r e … " He dragged me toward a pile of snow from which protruded human shapes, torn blankets. "Leave me," he said. "I can't go on anymore…Have pity on me…I'll wait here until we can go into the showers…You'll come and get me." I could have screamed in anger. To have lived and endured so much; was I going to let my father die now? Now that we would be able to take a good hot shower and lie down? "Father!" I howled. "Father! Get up! Right now! You will kill yourself…" And I grabbed his arm. He continued to moan: "Don't yell, my s o n … H a v e pity on your old f a t h e r … L e t me rest h e r e … a l i t t l e … I beg of you, I'm so t i r e d … n o more strength…" He had become childlike: weak, frightened, vulnerable. "Father," I said, "you cannot stay here." I pointed to the corpses around him; they too had wanted to rest here. "I see, my son. I do see them. Let them sleep. They haven't closed an eye for so l o n g … They're e x h a u s t e d … e x h a u s t e d … " His voice was tender. I howled into the wind: "They're dead! They will never wake up! Never! Do you understand?" This discussion continued for some time. I knew that I was no longer arguing with him but with Death itself, with Death that he had already chosen. 105
The sirens began to wail. Alert. The lights went out in the entire camp. The guards chased us toward the blocks. In a flash, there was no one left outside. We were only too glad not to have to stay outside any longer, in the freezing wind. We let ourselves sink into the floor. The cauldrons at the entrance found no takers. There were several tiers of bunks. To sleep was all that mattered. WHEN I WOKE UP, it was daylight. That is when I remembered that I had a father. During the alert, I had followed the mob, not taking care of him. I knew he was running out of strength, close to death, and yet I had abandoned him. I went to look for him. Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind: If only I didn't find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself…Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever. I walked for hours without finding him. Then I came to a block where they were distributing black "coffee." People stood in line, quarreled. A plaintive voice came from behind me: "Eliezer, my son…bring m e … a little coffee…" I ran toward him. "Father! I've been looking for you for so l o n g … W h e r e were you? Did you sleep? How are you feeling?" He seemed to be burning with fever. I fought my way to the coffee cauldron like a wild beast. And I succeeded in bringing back a cup. I took one gulp. The rest was for him. I shall never forget the gratitude that shone in his eyes when he swallowed this beverage. The gratitude of a wounded animal. 106
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Also by Elie Wiesel DAWN DAY (previ
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ELIE W I E S E L TRANSLATED FROM TH
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In memory of my parents and of my l
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why not for others more deserving t
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the wisdom of their elders understa
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"Well?" The SS had flown into a rag
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were alive when they were thrown in
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Foreword by François Mauriac FOREI
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man—this set of circumstances wou
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Almighty to whom my life had been b
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2
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One day I asked my father to find m
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AND THEN, one day all foreign Jews
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news: the daily bombings of Germany
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made no offensive remarks, and some
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small Jewish r e p u b l i c … A
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"There are rumors," my father said,
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By eight o'clock in the morning, we
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My father had accompanied the depor
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We finally arrived at our destinati
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and the wine and swallowed the food
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German Army. Anyone who still owns
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Our nerves had reached a breaking p
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strolling down the platform, asking
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Behind me, an old man fell to the g
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Tell him that I was a student? "Far
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mained of my strength in order to b
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Suddenly someone threw his arms aro
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"And now, stop moving!" There was n
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"EVERYBODY outside!" A dozen or so
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NO SOONER HAD WE CLIMBED into our b
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I knew nothing about them…Since 1
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"Mother is still a young woman," my
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most important thing is not to be a
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gerous. Only Idek, the Kapo, occasi
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"What are you going to do, sir?" "I
Page 79 and 80: "Idek, the Kapo…the young Jewish
Page 81 and 82: This went on for two weeks. It was
Page 83 and 84: "Ten…eleven!…" His voice was ca
Page 85 and 86: and, with open mouth, thrust his he
Page 87 and 88: frightened. His manacled hands did
Page 89 and 90: The Oberkapo was arrested on the sp
Page 91 and 92: THE SUMMER was coming to an end. Th
Page 93 and 94: them from paradise. When You were d
Page 95 and 96: transferred me to another Kommando,
Page 97 and 98: Yes, we were ready. So were the SS
Page 99 and 100: "Let's have a moment of quiet. I ha
Page 101 and 102: quickly or not. I was afraid of fin
Page 103 and 104: We went off to work as usual, our b
Page 105 and 106: "Doctor?" "Yes?" "Will I be able to
Page 107 and 108: As for me, I was thinking not about
Page 109 and 110: TWO O'CLOCK in the afternoon. The s
Page 111 and 112: "Don't think, don't stop, run!" Nea
Page 113 and 114: a single bark. Houses with gaping w
Page 115 and 116: he lay down too, next to the corpse
Page 117 and 118: There was shouting outside, in the
Page 119 and 120: I thought he'd lost his mind. His v
Page 121 and 122: think that the Germans would run ou
Page 123 and 124: PRESSED TIGHTLY AGAINST one another
Page 125 and 126: WE RECEIVED no food. We lived on sn
Page 127 and 128: him. They jumped him. Others joined
Page 129: AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAMP, SS off
Page 133 and 134: worldly, the face of a stranger. It
Page 135 and 136: THE FOLLOWING DAY, he complained th
Page 137 and 138: When I came down from my bunk after
Page 139 and 140: This was the end! Hitler was about
Page 141 and 142: 116
Page 143 and 144: perished? Do I have the right to ac
Page 145 and 146: Holy Land. Please understand my dee
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