ArchivesSpace at the University of Iowa

Benir is the French word for bless. To see the mirror image must place poem in front of a mirro. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

This drawing consists of the handwritten word, breath and its mirror image repeated in three columns. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Jan Palach doused himself in petrol and set himself alight on 16 January 1969. He eventually died of his horrific injuries three days later. The 20-year-old history student took this drastic action in an attempt to spur his fellow Czechs and Slovaks into actively resisting a return to hard-line communist rule in the country after the invasion of Warsaw Pact forces five months previously. Palach's extreme act of resistance briefly became a focal point for opposition to the Soviet-led occupation of Czechoslovakia and his funeral was attended by tens of thousands of people. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

In order to be able to read this poem Houedard has drawn a diagram with the opened card that is to be set on a mirror. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

The text is written in red and black capital letters. The text reads both right to left (black) and right to left (red) if the paper is turned over and read on the reverse side. It states,"Welcome to days to come! Shall we forfeit much? Sight, hearing, speech perhaps and thought? In the end our loss is self, the glory our gain." The appropriate punctuation marks are written in red and black as are directional arrows. The letters are written written twice, text over text or mirror image. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.