זיך אַוועקגעלייגט האָב איך
I lay myself down
Work 54 of 440
Page 62. The conclusion of 'In shney' (In the Snow) — the speaker lies down with face uncovered, a bright pure light shines on him, he says 'good night,' someone kisses him and closes his eyes. The ambiguity is profound: is this death in the snow, rescue, or mystical vision? The kiss and closed eyes suggest both death's embrace and tender salvation. This ends the great escape poem cycle documenting Leivick's 1913 flight from Siberian exile.
זיך אַוועקגעלייגט האָב איך
מיט אַן אָפּגעדעקט געזיכט,
האָט אַ לויכט געטאָן אויף מיר
אַזאַ העל און לויטער ליכט.
זיך אַ הייב האָב איך געטאָן
און געזאָגט: אַ גוטע נאַכט!
האָט אַ קוש געטאָן מיך ווער,
און די אויגן מיר פֿאַרמאַכט.
Zikh avekgeleygt hob ikh
mit an opgedekt gezikht,
hot a loykht geton oyf mir
aza hel un loyter likht.
Zikh a heyb hob ikh geton
un gezogt: a gute nakht!
Hot a kush geton mikh ver,
un di oygn mir farmakht.
I lay myself down
with face uncovered,
and there shone upon me
such a bright and pure light.
I raised myself up
and said: good night!
Someone kissed me,
and closed my eyes.
Page 62. The conclusion of 'In shney' (In the Snow) — the speaker lies down with face uncovered, a bright pure light shines on him, he says 'good night,' someone kisses him and closes his eyes. The ambiguity is profound: is this death in the snow, rescue, or mystical vision? The kiss and closed eyes suggest both death's embrace and tender salvation. This ends the great escape poem cycle documenting Leivick's 1913 flight from Siberian exile.
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