44
And on a windowpane blazes
Work 409 of 440
Page 478. Continuation of 'Di natur': butterfly on windowpane. Between 'shoyb un turem' (pane and tower) stands 'slup' (pole — Slavic). Wants to know connection between pole, boy, heat, butterfly — 'tsi s'iz do a knup' (is there a connection — 'knup' = knot). 'Hayšerikn-springer' (grasshopper-jumpers) dance in grass. Blue sea at horizon. On 'zinkendikn kishn' (sinking pillow) — 'finger, finger' like painted, set 'in a rom' (in a frame). Automobile passes. Why shouldn't pole leap, tower jump, white hands of young man? Such question never had answer. Would therefore 'tseshpaltn' (split) nature, turn it 'mitn same harts aroyf' (with the very heart up). Would 'antfuremet' (de-form — reverse of 'furem') God himself. Make 'oyto' (auto) from his tongue. Radical questioning of nature and God in face of dying sanatorium patient.
44
און אויף אַ שויב צעפלאַקערט זיך
א שמעטערלינגל,
און צווישן שויב און טורעבט
שטייט אַ סלופ +
און וויסן וואָלט איך וועלן --
צווישן סלופ און יינגל
און היץ און שמעטערלינג?-
צי ס'צתיז דאָ אַ קנופ 1
אין גראָזן טאַנצן
היישעריקן-שפרינגער,
און ווייט ביים האָריזאָנט --
א בלויער ים/
און אויף אַ זינקענדיקן קיש[ --
פינגער, פינגער,
ווי אויסגעמזמלטע, איינגעפאַסטע
אין אַ ראֶם.
און אָט לויפט דורך
אַן אויטזממאָביל מיט שטורעם --
פּאַרוואָס זאֶל אויך דער סלופ
גישט טאָן אַ שפרונג1
פאַרוואָס זאָל אויך
ניט אויפשפרינגען דער טורעם,
און אויך אַזוי
די ווייסע הענט פון יונגד
ַא מין פרעג, איך ווייס,
האָט קיינמאָל נישט געגאָלטן
קיון ענטפער זתיז נישטאָ
און וועט נישט זיין דערויף:
איך וואָלט דערפאַר גענומען
די נאַטור און זי צעשפזמזלטן
און אויסגעקערט זי
מיטן סאַמע האַרץ אַרויףי
און גאָט אַליין ליט איך
גענומען און אַנטפורעמט,
איך וואלט געמאַכט
אַן אויטאָ פון זיין צונג,
Un oyf a shoyb tseflakert zikh
a shmeterlingl,
un tsvishn shoyb un turem
shteyt a slup;
un visn volt ikh veln —
tsvishn slup un yingl
un hits un shmeterling —
tsi s'iz do a knup?
In grozn tantsn
hayšerikn-springer,
un vayt baym horizont —
a bloyer yam;
un oyf a zinkendikn kishn —
finger, finger,
vi oysgemolte, ayngepafte
in a rom.
Un ot loyft durkh
an otomobil mit shturem —
farvos zol oykh der slup
nisht ton a shprung?
farvos zol oykh
nit oyfshpringen der turem,
un oykh azoy
di vayse hent fun yung?
A min freg, ikh veys,
hot keynmol nisht gegoltn
keyn entfer iz nishto
un vet nisht zayn deroyf;
ikh volt derfar genumen
di natur un zi tseshpaltn
un oysgekert zi
mitn same harts aroyf.
Un got aleyn volt ikh
genumen un antfuremet,
ikh volt gemakht
an oyto fun zayn tsung,
And on a windowpane blazes
a little butterfly,
and between pane and tower
stands a pole;
and I would want to know —
between pole and boy
and heat and butterfly —
is there a connection?
In the grass dance
grasshopper-jumpers,
and far at the horizon —
a blue sea;
and on a sinking pillow —
fingers, fingers,
like painted ones, set
into a frame.
And here runs through
an automobile with storm —
why shouldn't the pole
also make a leap?
why shouldn't also
the tower jump up,
and also so
the white hands of the young man?
A kind of question, I know,
has never been worth
any answer there is not
and will not be to it;
I would therefore take
nature and split it
and turn it out
with the very heart up.
And God himself I would
have taken and de-formed,
I would have made
an auto from his tongue,
Page 478. Continuation of 'Di natur': butterfly on windowpane. Between 'shoyb un turem' (pane and tower) stands 'slup' (pole — Slavic). Wants to know connection between pole, boy, heat, butterfly — 'tsi s'iz do a knup' (is there a connection — 'knup' = knot). 'Hayšerikn-springer' (grasshopper-jumpers) dance in grass. Blue sea at horizon. On 'zinkendikn kishn' (sinking pillow) — 'finger, finger' like painted, set 'in a rom' (in a frame). Automobile passes. Why shouldn't pole leap, tower jump, white hands of young man? Such question never had answer. Would therefore 'tseshpaltn' (split) nature, turn it 'mitn same harts aroyf' (with the very heart up). Would 'antfuremet' (de-form — reverse of 'furem') God himself. Make 'oyto' (auto) from his tongue. Radical questioning of nature and God in face of dying sanatorium patient.
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