Tadeusz Rozewicz is of that generation of Polish poets who wrote their best work in the aftermath of World War 2, others of whom I’ll get round to mentioning. I like this poem because it echoes findings on the practicalities of evil that were published by Jay Lifton in his study of evil called The Nazi Doctors. The question Lifton addressed was, why and how did medical doctors take part in the Final Solution in the numbers they did? One of his conclusions was that they did so by constructing what he called an Auschwitz Self that treated morality as context dependant, relative, and that prioritised technical expertise above moral judgement. In this sense, a ‘good’ doctor was one who implemented the Final Solution with efficiency. Rosewicz predates Lifton’s work, but this poem zeroes in on that psychological state that allows a man to perform evil whilst still still laying claim to prestige. But just because a man is good at doing something doesn’t mean he is a good man, nor does a narrow focus on technicalities excuse one from wider moral responsibilities. The title is ironic, and not.

(To The Heart)