בײַט זיך דער ליכטיקער שטאָל,
Glows the bright steel,
Work 158 of 440
Pages 197-198. 'Di Shtal' Sections Kh conclusion, T and Y: The steel of the khalofim (slaughter knives) glows, rings like a voice, smooth as limbs. 'There is no joy like the joy of stroking slaughter knives' — the older brothers contemplate suicide/martyrdom with 'smiling sorrow.' Section T: The younger brother erupts in rage — words like blows, cries of anger rain on the older brothers. He roars like a lion, gnashes like a tiger, stabs with an eagle's gaze, vanishes with a deer's leap — embodying all the Pirkei Avot virtues that have been caged. Section Y: He goes to the old marketplace where the 'shtal' (stable/synagogue) stands — tall and spacious like all holy buildings, yet darker, for its builders 'carried deep in their hearts the secret of fortresses' and carved their secret into the bricks. Heavy doors, narrow windows, sloped high ceiling. In the corners of the ceiling, in thick black circles, stand transfixed: the lion, leopard, eagle, deer — and between them... 'Di Shtal' Section Y conclusion and YA: Also hanging enchanted and mute like the symbolic animals are the fiddle, cymbal, and harp — King David's instruments (referring to Levitical Temple music, now silenced in the desecrated stable-synagogue). 'This is — the stable.' Section YA: The poem shifts dramatically into staccato militaristic rhythm — marching, trumpets, clarinets, harnessed horses, drums. Rifles on shoulders, sun on heads, galloping horses. 'Take over the world. Cut up the world. Shoot up the world. War. War. War.' Waving flags, cannon wheels, cannon mouths pointed upward. 'Boom. Boom. Boom.' This is the approaching army that will devastate the community — likely depicting the Civil War-era (1918-1921) violence in Ukraine/Belarus when multiple armies committed pogroms.
בײַט זיך דער ליכטיקער שטאָל,
קלינגט מיטן קלאַנג פֿון אַ קול,
גלאַט ווי די גלאַטקייט פֿון גלידער.
נישטאָ אַזאַ פֿרייד, ווי די פֿרייד
פֿון גלעטן חלפֿים:
נישטאָ אַזאַ פֿרייד, ווי די פֿרייד
פֿון די מידע און שמייכלענדע ברידער.
ט
ווערטער ווי קלעפּ,
געשרייען פֿון צאָרן,
פֿאַלן, באַהאָגלען די קעפּ
פֿון די עלטערע ברידער.
דאָס צאָרנט דער יינגערער ברודער,
ברומט מיט געברום פֿון אַ לייב,
קריצט מיט די ציין פֿון אַ טיגער,
שטעכט מיט אַ קוק פֿון אַן אָדלער
און פֿאַרשווינדט מיט אַ שפּרונג פֿון אַ הירש.
י
אויפֿן אַלטן מאַרק
מיט בלוי־רויט־גרינע שײַבלעך
ווינקענדיקע צו אַלע פֿיר זײַטן פֿון דער וועלט,
שטייט די שטאַל —
אַ געבײַדע — הויך און רחבֿותדיק,
ווי הויך און רחבֿותדיק עס זײַנען אַלע הייליקע געבײַדעס,
און טונקעלער פֿון אַלע הייליקע געבײַדעס אויף דער וועלט,
ווײַל די, וואָס זײַנען אירע אויפֿבויער געווען אַמאָל, אַמאָל,
געטראָגן האָבן טיף אין זייער האַרץ דעם סוד פֿון פֿעסטונגען,
און זייער סוד אַרײַנגעגראָבן אין די ציגל פֿון די ווענט.
שווערע טירן, שמאָלע אײַנגעטיפֿטע פֿענצטער,
אַ משופּעדיקער, הויך־אַרויפֿגעצויגענער סופֿיט.
אין די ווינקלען פֿון סופֿיט, אין דיקע שוואַרצע קרײַזן,
שטייען אײַנגערינגלט און פֿאַרכישופֿט, נישט צו רירן זיך,
דער גיבורדיקער לייב, דער בייגעוודיקער לעמפּערט,
דער פֿליגלדיקער אָדלער און דער אײַלנדיקער הירש,
און צווישן זיי אויף קעסטלדיקע טאָוולען
פֿאַרכישופֿטע און שטומע, ווי דער לייב און ווי דער לעמפּערט,
הענגט דאָס פֿידל און דער צימבל און די האַרף —
די כּלי־זמר פֿון דעם מלך דוד,
דאָס איז — די שטאַל.
יא
טראָט.
טראָט.
טראָט.
טרומפּייטן,
קלאַרנעטן.
פֿערד אין געשפּאַן.
פּויק, באַראַבאַן.
פּויק.
פּויק.
פּויק.
ביקס אויפֿן אַקסל,
זון אויפֿן קאָפּ.
פֿערד אין גאַלאָפּ.
האָפּ.
האָפּ.
האָפּ.
אײַננעמען די וועלט.
צעשנײַדן די וועלט.
צעשיסן די וועלט.
קריג.
קריג.
קריג.
ווייענדיקע פֿאָנען.
קײַלעכדיקע רעדער.
מײַלער פֿון קאַנאָנען —
מײַלער אַרויף.
קנאַל.
קנאַל.
קנאַל.
Bayt zikh der likhtiker shtol,
klingt mitn klang fun a kol,
glat vi di glatkayt fun glider.
Nishto aza frayd, vi di frayd
fun gletn khalofim:
nishto aza frayd, vi di frayd
fun di mide un shmeykhlendike brider.
T
Verter vi klep,
geshrayen fun tsorn,
faln, bahoglen di kep
fun di eltere brider.
Dos tsornt der yingerer bruder,
brumt mit gebrum fun a leyb,
kritst mit di tseyn fun a tiger,
shtekht mit a kuk fun an odler
un farshvindt mit a shprung fun a hirsh.
Y
Oyfn altn mark
mit bloy-royt-grine shayblekh
vinkendike tsu ale fir zaytn fun der velt,
shteyt di shtal —
a gebayde — hoykh un rekhvesdik,
vi hoykh un rekhvesdik es zaynen ale heylike gebaydes,
un tunkeler fun ale heylike gebaydes oyf der velt,
vayl di, vos zaynen ire oyfboyer geven amol, amol,
getrogn hobn tif in zeyer harts dem sod fun festungen,
un zeyer sod arayngеgrobn in di tsigl fun di vent.
Shvere tirn, shmole ayngetiffte fentster,
a meshupediker, hoykh-aroyfgetsоygener sufit.
In di vinklen fun sufit, in dike shvartse krayzn,
shteyen ayngeringlt un farkisheft, nisht tsu rirn zikh,
der gibordiker leyb, der beygevdiker lempert,
der fligldiker odler un der aylndiker hirsh,
un tsvishn zey oyf kestldike tovlen
Farkishefute un shtume, vi der leyb un vi der lempert,
hengt dos fidl un der tsimbl un di harf —
di kley-zemer fun dem meylekh Dovid,
dos iz — di shtal.
YA
Trot.
Trot.
Trot.
Trumpeytn,
klarnеtn.
Ferd in geshpan.
Poyk, baraban.
Poyk.
Poyk.
Poyk.
Biks oyfn aksl,
zun oyfn kop.
Ferd in galop.
Hop.
Hop.
Hop.
Aynemen di velt.
Tseshnaydn di velt.
Tseshisn di velt.
Krig.
Krig.
Krig.
Veyendike fonen.
Kayleekhdike reder.
Mayler fun kanonen —
mayler aroyf.
Knal.
Knal.
Knal.
Glows the bright steel,
rings with the sound of a voice,
smooth as the smoothness of limbs.
There is no such joy as the joy
of stroking slaughtering knives:
there is no such joy as the joy
of the weary and smiling brothers.
T
Words like blows,
cries of anger,
fall, hail upon the heads
of the older brothers.
This rages the younger brother,
roars with the roar of a lion,
gnashes with the teeth of a tiger,
stabs with a gaze of an eagle
and vanishes with a leap of a deer.
Y
On the old marketplace
with blue-red-green windowpanes
beckoning to all four sides of the world,
stands the stable —
a building — tall and spacious,
as tall and spacious as all holy buildings,
and darker than all holy buildings in the world,
because those who were its builders once, once,
carried deep in their hearts the secret of fortresses,
and their secret carved into the bricks of the walls.
Heavy doors, narrow sunken windows,
a sloped, high-drawn ceiling.
In the corners of the ceiling, in thick black circles,
stand encircled and enchanted, not to stir,
the heroic lion, the supple leopard,
the winged eagle and the swift deer,
and between them on chest-like tablets
Enchanted and mute, like the lion and like the leopard,
hang the fiddle and the cymbal and the harp —
the musical instruments of King David,
this is — the stable.
YA
Trot.
Trot.
Trot.
Trumpets,
clarinets.
Horses in harness.
Drum, kettledrum.
Drum.
Drum.
Drum.
Rifle on shoulder,
sun on head.
Horses in gallop.
Hop.
Hop.
Hop.
Take over the world.
Cut up the world.
Shoot up the world.
War.
War.
War.
Waving flags.
Round wheels.
Mouths of cannons —
mouths upward.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Pages 197-198. 'Di Shtal' Sections Kh conclusion, T and Y: The steel of the khalofim (slaughter knives) glows, rings like a voice, smooth as limbs. 'There is no joy like the joy of stroking slaughter knives' — the older brothers contemplate suicide/martyrdom with 'smiling sorrow.' Section T: The younger brother erupts in rage — words like blows, cries of anger rain on the older brothers. He roars like a lion, gnashes like a tiger, stabs with an eagle's gaze, vanishes with a deer's leap — embodying all the Pirkei Avot virtues that have been caged. Section Y: He goes to the old marketplace where the 'shtal' (stable/synagogue) stands — tall and spacious like all holy buildings, yet darker, for its builders 'carried deep in their hearts the secret of fortresses' and carved their secret into the bricks. Heavy doors, narrow windows, sloped high ceiling. In the corners of the ceiling, in thick black circles, stand transfixed: the lion, leopard, eagle, deer — and between them... 'Di Shtal' Section Y conclusion and YA: Also hanging enchanted and mute like the symbolic animals are the fiddle, cymbal, and harp — King David's instruments (referring to Levitical Temple music, now silenced in the desecrated stable-synagogue). 'This is — the stable.' Section YA: The poem shifts dramatically into staccato militaristic rhythm — marching, trumpets, clarinets, harnessed horses, drums. Rifles on shoulders, sun on heads, galloping horses. 'Take over the world. Cut up the world. Shoot up the world. War. War. War.' Waving flags, cannon wheels, cannon mouths pointed upward. 'Boom. Boom. Boom.' This is the approaching army that will devastate the community — likely depicting the Civil War-era (1918-1921) violence in Ukraine/Belarus when multiple armies committed pogroms.
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