פֿײַערן שלאַנגיקע, גרינע —
Fires snaky, green —
Work 186 of 440
Page 229. 'Lider fun Umkum' poems YUD-DALED conclusion and TES-VAV. Poem YUD-DALED concludes: 'Fires snaky, green — I cannot recognize myself.' His own hands slap, rasping 'oh Jew, oh fine one' — to shatter his own face. Self-destruction inherited from the father. Poem TES-VAV, 'Vi kolirndik' (How Colorful): 'How colorful you are, death of ours: how smiling you are, our late one.' Death's fragrances enter 'our opened lungs.' 'We carry in lifted hands our own heads freshly slaughtered.' Death greets them with light-blessing, spreads the world-table with tablecloths. They sit spaciously, celebrate 'a holy-Sabbath-like feast.' The sun pours light 'on us and on heads the noodle-strewn' — grotesque image of severed heads covered with food, a macabre Sabbath meal. The victims serve themselves as their own sacrifice.
פֿײַערן שלאַנגיקע, גרינע —
איך קען זיך אַליין נישט דערקענען:
אייגענע הענט מײַנע פֿראַסקען
און כאָרכל: — אָ זשיד, אָ שייני — —
מײַן אייגענעם פּרצוף צעטראַסקען.
טו
ווי קאָלירנדיק
ווי קאָלירנדיק דו ביסט,
טויט אונדזעריקער:
ווי שמייכלענדיק דו ביסט,
אונדזער שפּעדיקער.
ווי דו טעמסט אַרײַן
דײַנע ריחות
אין אונדזערע לונגען
די צעעפֿנטע.
ווי מיר טראָגן אין הענט
אויפֿגעהויפֿנטע
אונדזערע אייגענע קעפּ
פֿריש־געשעכטענע.
גייסט אַרויס אונדז אַנטקעגן
מיט ליכט־בענטשונג,
פֿאַרשפּרייטסט אונדז דעם וועלט־טיש
מיט טישטוכער.
און מיר זעצן אַוועק זיך
הרחבהדיק,
און מיר פּראַווען אַ טיש
שבת־קודשדיק.
און די זון גיסט מיט שײַן
מיט געביימלטער
אויף אונדז און אויף קעפּ
די צעלאָקשנטע.
Fayern shlangike, grine —
ikh ken zikh aleyn nisht derkenen:
eygene hent mayne frasken
un khorkhl: — o zhid, o sheyni — —
mayn eygenem partsuf tsetrasken.
TES-VAV
Vi kolirndik
Vi kolirndik du bist,
toyt undzeriker:
vi shmeykhlendik du bist,
undzer shpediker.
Vi du temst arayn
dayne reуkhes
in undzere lungen
di tseefnte.
Vi mir trogn in hent
oyfgehoyfnte
undzere eygene kep
frish-geshekhtene.
Geyst aroys undz antkegn
mit likht-bentshung,
farshpreytst undz dem velt-tish
mit tishtikher.
Un mir zetsn avek zikh
harkhоvedik,
un mir prаven a tish
shabes-koydeshdik.
Un di zun gist mit shayn
mit gebeymter
oyf undz un oyf kep
di tselokshnente.
Fires snaky, green —
I cannot recognize myself:
my own hands slap
and rasp: — oh Jew, oh fine one — —
shatter my own face.
TES-VAV
How Colorful
How colorful you are,
death of ours:
how smiling you are,
our late one.
How you taste into
your fragrances
into our lungs
the opened ones.
How we carry in hands
lifted up
our own heads
freshly slaughtered.
You come out to greet us
with light-blessing,
you spread for us the world-table
with tablecloths.
And we sit down
spaciously,
and we celebrate a feast
holy-Sabbath-like.
And the sun pours with shine
with treed light
on us and on heads
the noodle-strewn.
Page 229. 'Lider fun Umkum' poems YUD-DALED conclusion and TES-VAV. Poem YUD-DALED concludes: 'Fires snaky, green — I cannot recognize myself.' His own hands slap, rasping 'oh Jew, oh fine one' — to shatter his own face. Self-destruction inherited from the father. Poem TES-VAV, 'Vi kolirndik' (How Colorful): 'How colorful you are, death of ours: how smiling you are, our late one.' Death's fragrances enter 'our opened lungs.' 'We carry in lifted hands our own heads freshly slaughtered.' Death greets them with light-blessing, spreads the world-table with tablecloths. They sit spaciously, celebrate 'a holy-Sabbath-like feast.' The sun pours light 'on us and on heads the noodle-strewn' — grotesque image of severed heads covered with food, a macabre Sabbath meal. The victims serve themselves as their own sacrifice.
← / → previous & next poem·1–4 toggle columns·hover a line to align all versions