איינער גיט זיך אַוועק
One Gives Himself Away
Work 328 of 440
Page 385. 'Eyner git zikh avek' (One Gives Himself Away): contrast between those giving themselves to warmth/clarity vs. cold/snow; one sways like 'tsaytike zang fun korn' (ripe song of grain), another like a tree knowing 'dem tem fun hek' (the taste of axes). Words drown out snow's crunch; 'a tsofndiker... vint' (a northern wind) spins day and poet. Evening, night — 'di levone varft zikh in angstn' (the moon tosses in anguish — Hebrew 'levone'). Light like steel touches cheek. A voice asks what he desires; answer comes as 'ophilkh fun a hak' (echo of an axe). 'Lid' (Song): how can one be guilty who carries life 'ofn... oyf flaterdike strupes' (openly on fluttering rags)? Bad deeds done 'in midkayt, in yeride' (in weariness, in decline — Hebrew 'yeride') transform to 'freyd derheybene durkh lider' (exalted joy through songs). Approaching his grave, he bends his song: 'mayn shtub, / mayn eybike fun shtiber' (my home, my eternal one of houses). Four walled walls 'vi eltere fir brider' (like four elder brothers) will sing 'dos lid fun mayne lider' (the song of my songs — echoing Song of Songs).
איינער גיט זיך אַוועק
איינער גיט זיך אַוועק צום וואַרעמען לײַב, צום קלאָרן,
אַ צווייטער גיט זיך צום קאַלטן, ווײַסן שניי אַוועק;
איינער וויגט זיך אום ווי אַ צײַטיקע זאַנג פֿון קאָרן,
אַ צווייטער — ווי אַ בוים וואָס ווייסט שוין דעם טעם פֿון העק.
אַזוינע ווערטער קלינגען מיר נאָכאַנאָנד אין אויער,
זיי פֿאַרקלינגען פֿון אונטער מײַנע פֿיס דעם סקריפּ פֿון שניי;
אַ ווינט יאָגט אָן מיטאַמאָל אַ צפֿונדיקער, אַ רויער,
און דרייט צוזאַמען דעם טאָג און אויך מיך אין געדריי.
אָוונט. נאַכט. די לבֿנה וואַרפֿט זיך אין אַנגסטן.
איר ליכט ווי אַ שאַרפֿער שטאָל רירט אָן מײַן באַק.
איך הער אַ קול איבער זיך: מײַן ליבער, וואָס פֿאַרלאַנגסטו?
און אַן ענטפֿער קומט — אַ הילך, אַן אָפּהילך פֿון אַ האַק.
ליד
ווי קען זײַן שולדיק דער,
וואָס טראָגט זײַן לעבן אָפֿן
דורך אויסגעשנייטער ערד
אויף פֿלאַטערדיקע סטרופּעס?
און שלעכטס, וואָס ער באַגייט,
אין מידקייט, אין ירידה —
פֿאַרוואַנדלט ער אין פֿרייד
דערהייבענע דורך לידער.
ער געגנט אָן זײַן גרוב
און בייגט זײַן ליד אַריבער:
— מײַן וואַרעמע, מײַן שטוב,
מײַן אייביקע פֿון שטיבער.
געמויערטע פֿיר ווענט,
ווי עלטערע פֿיר ברידער,
דערזינגען ביז צו ענד
דאָס ליד פֿון מײַנע לידער.
Eyner git zikh avek
Eyner git zikh avek tsum varemen layb, tsum klorn,
a tsveyter git zikh tsum kaltn, vaysn shney avek;
eyner vigt zikh um vi a tsaytike zang fun korn,
a tsveyter — vi a boym vos veyst shoyn dem tem fun hek.
Azoyne verter klingen mir nokhonond in oyer,
zey farklingen fun unter mayne fis dem skrip fun shney;
a vint yogt on mitamol a tsofndiker, a royer,
un dreyt tsuzamen dem tog un oykh mikh in gedrey.
Ovnt. Nakht. Di levone varft zikh in angstn.
Ir likht vi a sharfer shtol rirt on mayn bak.
Ikh her a kol iber zikh: mayn liber, vos farlangstu?
Un an entfer kumt — a hilkh, an ophilkh fun a hak.
Lid
Vi ken zayn shuldik der,
vos trogt zayn lebn ofn
durkh oysgeshneytr erd
oyf flaterdike strupes?
Un shlekhts, vos er bageyt,
in midkayt, in yeride —
farvandlt er in freyd
derheybene durkh lider.
Er gegnt on zayn grub
un beygt zayn lid aribert:
— mayn vareme, mayn shtub,
mayn eybike fun shtiber.
Gemoyerte fir vent,
vi eltere fir brider,
derzingen biz tsu end
dos lid fun mayne lider.
One Gives Himself Away
One gives himself away to the warm body, to the clear,
another gives himself to the cold, white snow;
one sways like a ripe song of grain,
another — like a tree that already knows the taste of axes.
Such words ring one after another in my ear,
they drown out from under my feet the crunch of snow;
a wind chases in suddenly from the north, raw,
and spins together the day and also me in a whirl.
Evening. Night. The moon tosses in anguish.
Her light like a sharp steel touches my cheek.
I hear a voice above me: my dear one, what do you desire?
And an answer comes — an echo, a response of an axe.
Song
How can he be guilty,
who carries his life openly
through snow-covered earth
on fluttering rags?
And bad things, that he commits,
in weariness, in decline —
he transforms into joy
exalted through songs.
He approaches his grave
and bends his song over it:
— my warm one, my home,
my eternal one of houses.
Walled four walls,
like four elder brothers,
will sing to the end
the song of my songs.
Page 385. 'Eyner git zikh avek' (One Gives Himself Away): contrast between those giving themselves to warmth/clarity vs. cold/snow; one sways like 'tsaytike zang fun korn' (ripe song of grain), another like a tree knowing 'dem tem fun hek' (the taste of axes). Words drown out snow's crunch; 'a tsofndiker... vint' (a northern wind) spins day and poet. Evening, night — 'di levone varft zikh in angstn' (the moon tosses in anguish — Hebrew 'levone'). Light like steel touches cheek. A voice asks what he desires; answer comes as 'ophilkh fun a hak' (echo of an axe). 'Lid' (Song): how can one be guilty who carries life 'ofn... oyf flaterdike strupes' (openly on fluttering rags)? Bad deeds done 'in midkayt, in yeride' (in weariness, in decline — Hebrew 'yeride') transform to 'freyd derheybene durkh lider' (exalted joy through songs). Approaching his grave, he bends his song: 'mayn shtub, / mayn eybike fun shtiber' (my home, my eternal one of houses). Four walled walls 'vi eltere fir brider' (like four elder brothers) will sing 'dos lid fun mayne lider' (the song of my songs — echoing Song of Songs).
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