ביז מיר אַנטפּלעקן —
Until we reveal —
Work 174 of 440
Page 215. 'Di Shtal' Section LAMED-BET continued — the knives' victory song: 'The time has come for our longed-for victory-song, praise and song of enchanted blue slaughter knives.' Everything passes by — houses, stables, barracks, trenches, lands, seas, 'all, all, all worlds pass by.' 'What we weep is our weeping — no one's weeping. What we sing is no one's song — our song.' The knives call: 'Only those go out toward us whose eyes have seen our gleam on the smooth-stone, whose pale dreaming throats long for our gleaming edge.' The victims are described as seeking the knives: 'Go out to join with us, to fall upon, to be cut, like fallen pieces of heaven upon our gleaming edge.' The refrain: 'Edge! Victory and edge, victory and edge of slaughter knives.' Finally: 'Who blesses us? Who goes before us in holiness?' The grotesque inversion — the murder weapons asking for blessing, the victims portrayed as longing for death.
ביז מיר אַנטפּלעקן —
די צײַט איז געקומען
פֿאַר אונדזער געגאַרטן, געוואַרטן נצחון־געזאַנג,
געזאַנג פֿון חלפֿים,
לויב און געזאַנג פֿון חלפֿים,
לויב און געזאַנג פֿון פֿאַרכישופֿטע בלויע חלפֿים.
הײַזער פֿאַרבײַ
שטאַלן און שענקען פֿאַרבײַ
קאַזאַרמעס, טראַנשייען פֿאַרבײַ
לענדער און ימען פֿאַרבײַ —
וועלטן פֿאַרבײַ —
אַלע, אַלע, אַלע וועלטן פֿאַרבײַ
דאָס וואָס מיר וויינען איז אונדזער געוויין.
אונדזער געוויין — קיינעמס געוויין:
דאָס וואָס מיר זינגען איז קיינעמס געזאַנג,
קיינעמס געזאַנג — אונדזער געזאַנג.
גייען אַרויס אונדז אַנטקעגן.
גייען אַרויס זיך מיט אונדז צו באַהעפֿטן
נאָר די —
וועמענס אויגן עס האָבן געזען אונדזער שײַן אויפֿן גלאַטשטיין.
וועמענס בלייכע פֿאַרחלומטע העלדזער
גאָרן נאָך אונדזער אָפּגימהדיקער שאַרף:
נאָר זיי
גייען אַרויס אונדז אַנטקעגן.
גייען אַרויס זיך מיט אונדז צו באַהעפֿטן,
אַרויפֿפֿאַלן, ווערן צעשניטן,
אַזוי ווי די שטיקער צעפֿאַלענע הימלען
אויף אונדזער אָפּגימהדיקער שאַרף. —
שאַרף!
נצחון און שאַרף,
נצחון און שאַרף פֿון חלפֿים,
נצחון און שאַרף און געזאַנג פֿון חלפֿים.
ווער בענטשט אונדז?
ווער גייט אונדז פֿאָראויס אין הייליקייט?
Biz mir antplekn —
di tsayt iz gekumen
far undzer gegartn, gevartn nitsokhn-gezang,
gezang fun khalofim,
loyb un gezang fun khalofim,
loyb un gezang fun farkishуfte bloye khalofim.
Hayzer farbay
shtaln un shenken farbay
kazarmes, transheyеn farbay
lender un yamen farbay —
veltn farbay —
ale, ale, ale veltn farbay
Dos vos mir veynen iz undzer geveyn.
Undzer geveyn — keynems geveyn:
dos vos mir zingen iz keynems gezang,
keynems gezang — undzer gezang.
Geyen aroys undz antkegn.
Geyen aroys zikh mit undz tsu baheftn
nor di —
vemens oygn es hobn gezen undzer shayn oyfn glatshteyn.
Vemens bleykhe farkhlumte heldzer
gorn nokh undzer opgimhdiker sharf:
nor zey
geyen aroys undz antkegn.
Geyen aroys zikh mit undz tsu baheftn,
aroyffаln, vern tseshnitn,
azoy vi di shtiker tsefalene himlen
oyf undzer opgimhdiker sharf. —
Sharf!
Nitsokhn un sharf,
nitsokhn un sharf fun khalofim,
nitsokhn un sharf un gezang fun khalofim.
Ver bentsht undz?
Ver geyt undz foroys in heylikeyt?
Until we reveal —
the time has come
for our longed-for, awaited victory-song,
song of slaughter knives,
praise and song of slaughter knives,
praise and song of enchanted blue slaughter knives.
Houses pass by
stables and taverns pass by
barracks, trenches pass by
lands and seas pass by —
worlds pass by —
all, all, all worlds pass by
What we weep is our weeping.
Our weeping — no one's weeping:
what we sing is no one's song,
no one's song — our song.
They go out toward us.
They go out to join with us
only those —
whose eyes have seen our gleam on the smooth-stone.
Whose pale dreaming throats
long for our gleaming edge:
only they
go out toward us.
Go out to join with us,
to fall upon, to be cut,
just like the fallen pieces of heaven
upon our gleaming edge. —
Edge!
Victory and edge,
victory and edge of slaughter knives,
victory and edge and song of slaughter knives.
Who blesses us?
Who goes before us in holiness?
Page 215. 'Di Shtal' Section LAMED-BET continued — the knives' victory song: 'The time has come for our longed-for victory-song, praise and song of enchanted blue slaughter knives.' Everything passes by — houses, stables, barracks, trenches, lands, seas, 'all, all, all worlds pass by.' 'What we weep is our weeping — no one's weeping. What we sing is no one's song — our song.' The knives call: 'Only those go out toward us whose eyes have seen our gleam on the smooth-stone, whose pale dreaming throats long for our gleaming edge.' The victims are described as seeking the knives: 'Go out to join with us, to fall upon, to be cut, like fallen pieces of heaven upon our gleaming edge.' The refrain: 'Edge! Victory and edge, victory and edge of slaughter knives.' Finally: 'Who blesses us? Who goes before us in holiness?' The grotesque inversion — the murder weapons asking for blessing, the victims portrayed as longing for death.
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