Abstract Paul Celan was undoubtedly the greatest post-World War II German-writing poet, and Anselm Kiefer one of the greatest living German artists. These two giants can be seen to meet through a series of artworks that Kiefer dedicates to the depiction of Celan’s Todesfugue (Fugue of Death). Bringing together the verbal and the visual, the color of gold symbolizes life, while ashes symbolize exile and death. In a melancholic gesture of thought, Germany claims ownership of the gold and by extension over Origin. In this way, the Jews are reduced to ashes. Behind this traumatic encounter between gold and ashes, that appears in both Celan’s and Kiefer’s work, there looms a no less traumatic encounter between fire and spirit: the German soul is metaphorically identified with the inflaming and illuminating element of fire, while the Jewish soul is aligned with the element of spirit, or ether. The values of gold and ashes on the one hand, and of fire and spirit on the other, are intrinsically connected; and following Heidegger and Derrida, it can be said that the identification of the German soul with fire is precisely what gives it the claim of sovereignty over gold, and ultimately over Origin. This is also the source of Germany’s philosophical justification for expelling the Jews to exile and death. The Judeo-German differend, with all its horrific violence, so this article argues, is locked within this quadrangle chest of gold, ashes, fire and spirit.

中文翻译：

---

玛格丽特和她的幽灵

摘要保罗·塞兰（Paul Celan）无疑是二战后最伟大的德国写作诗人，而安塞尔姆·基弗（Anselm Kiefer）是现存最伟大的德国艺术家之一。可以看到这两个巨人通过一系列一系列的艺术作品相遇，这些艺术作品是基弗（Kiefer）专为塞拉（Celan）的《死亡之塔》（Todesfugue）创作的。金色将语言和视觉融合在一起，象征着生命，而灰烬则象征着流亡和死亡。德国以忧郁的思想姿态宣称拥有黄金的所有权，并因此扩展了对原产地的所有权。这样，犹太人沦为灰烬。在塞兰（Celan）和基弗（Kiefer）的作品中，黄金和灰烬之间的这种痛苦相遇的背后，隐约可见火与灵之间的相遇创伤：德国灵魂被比喻为火的炽烈而有启发性的元素，而犹太人的灵魂则与精神或以太相一致。一方面，黄金和灰烬的价值，另一方面与火和精神的价值有着内在的联系。继海德格尔和德里达之后，可以说，用火来识别德国人的灵魂恰恰是赋予其对黄金以及最终对起源的主权的要求。这也是德国驱逐犹太人流亡和死亡的哲学依据。这篇文章认为，犹太人与德国人的分歧，及其所有可怕的暴力，都被锁在这个四边形的金色，灰烬，火光和精神之中。可以说，将德国灵魂识别为火正好使它拥有对黄金以及最终对起源的主权的主张。这也是德国驱逐犹太人流亡和死亡的哲学依据。这篇文章认为，犹太人与德国人的分歧，及其所有可怕的暴力，都被锁在这个四边形的金，灰，火和精神的箱子里。可以说，将德国灵魂识别为火正好使它拥有对黄金以及最终对起源的主权的主张。这也是德国驱逐犹太人流亡和死亡的哲学依据。这篇文章认为，犹太人与德国人的分歧，及其所有可怕的暴力，都被锁在这个四边形的金色，灰烬，火光和精神之中。