און אונדזער בענקשאַפֿט איז געשטילט:
And our longing is stilled:
Work 157 of 440
Page 196. 'Di Shtal' Sections Z continuation and Kh: The older brothers continue: 'Our longing is stilled' — the last summer leaf wraps itself in silence, evening spreads its cloudy wings everywhere. 'Let them stand in their place, mute, sealed with seals, above the stench of horses' — the symbolic animals remain trapped in the desecrated synagogue. The devastating rhetorical questions: 'If the lion wants to roar — at whom should he roar? If the eagle longs to fly — to whom should he fly? The gentle eyes of the deer — at whom should they gaze? The tiger's sharp claws — whom should they tear?' All action is pointless: 'Fly, tear, gaze, roar — evening everywhere.' Section Kh: The shocking revelation — the older brothers hold 'khalofim' (ritual slaughter knives) hidden in their sheaths! The younger brother sits mute, blinded by the gleam of the blades. The older ones smile their sorrowful smile, stroking 'the pure steel on the palms of their hands. White as a throat, blue as a vein.' The image suggests ritualized self-destruction — the same knives used for kosher slaughter now contemplated for suicide.
און אונדזער בענקשאַפֿט איז געשטילט:
דער לעצטער זומערדיקער בלאַט
האָט זיך אויך שוין אין זײַן שטילקייט אײַנגעהילט,
ווײַל דער טאָג פֿאַרגייט,
און דער אָוונט שפּרייט
זײַנע דיקע, זײַנע וואָלקנדיקע פֿליגלען.
אָוונט דאָ, און אָוונט — דאָרט,
אומעטום, אומעטום.
זאָלן שטיין אויף זייער אָרט,
ווי זיי דאַרפֿן — שטום —
אײַנגעשלאָסן, צוגעזיגלטע מיט זיגלען,
אין דער הייכקייט, איבער דעם געשטאַנק פֿון פֿערד, אין שטויב,
דער אָדלער און דער הירש, דער טיגער און דער לייב.
דעם בת־קול פֿון דער שטאַל
האָבן מיר, אָן אויסנאָם, גלײַך ווי דו פֿאַרנומען. —
אויב דער לייב וויל ברומען —
אויף וועמען זאָל ער ברומען?
אויב דער אָדלער בענקט נאָך פֿליען —
צו וועמען זאָל ער פֿליען?
די מילדע אויגן פֿונעם הירש
אויף וועמען זאָלן זיי זיך — און וואוהין — פֿאַרקוקן?
און די שאַרפֿע נעגל פֿונעם טיגער
וועמען זאָלן זיי פֿאַרצוקן?
פֿלי, פֿאַרצוק, פֿאַרקוק זיך, ברום —
אָוונט דאָ, און דאָרט, און אומעטום.
ח
... אוי, וואָס רעדן
די ברידער, די עלטערע ברידער!
אוי, וואָס האַלטן באַהאַלטן אין שיידן
די ברידער, די עלטערע ברידער!
חלפֿים!
דער יינגערער ברודער בלײַבט זיצן אַ שטומער,
פֿון דער שײַן פֿון חלפֿים פֿאַרבלענדט:
און די עלטערע שמייכלען מיטן שמייכלענדיקן קומער,
און גלעטן דעם לויטערן שטאָל אויף דער פֿלאַך פֿון די הענט.
ווײַס ווי אַ האַלדז,
בלוי ווי אַן אָדער,
Un undzer benkshaft iz geshtilt:
der letster zumerdiker blat
hot zikh oykh shoyn in zayn shtilkayt ayngehilt,
vayl der tog fargeyt,
un der ovnt shpreyt
zayne dike, zayne volkndike fligl.
Ovnt do, un ovnt — dort,
umetum, umetum.
Zoln shteyn oyf zeyer ort,
vi zey darfn — shtum —
ayngeshlоsn, tsugeziglt mit zigln,
in der heykhkayt, iber dem geshtank fun ferd, in shtoyb,
der odler un der hirsh, der tiger un der leyb.
Dem bas-kol fun der shtal
hobn mir, on oysnam, glaykh vi du farnumen. —
Oyb der leyb vil brumen —
oyf vemen zol er brumen?
Oyb der odler benkt nokh flien —
tsu vemen zol er flien?
Di milde oygn funem hirsh
oyf vemen zoln zey zikh — un vuhin — farkukn?
Un di sharfe negl funem tiger
vemen zoln zey fartsukn?
Fli, fartsuk, farkuk zikh, brum —
ovnt do, un dort, un umetum.
Kh
... Oy, vos redn
di brider, di eltere brider!
Oy, vos haltn bahaltn in sheydn
di brider, di eltere brider!
Khalofim!
Der yingerer bruder blaybt zitsn a shtumer,
fun der shayn fun khalofim farblent:
un di eltere shmeykhlеn mitn shmeykhlendikn kumer,
un gletn dem loytern shtol oyf der flakh fun di hent.
Vays vi a haldz,
bloy vi an oder,
And our longing is stilled:
the last summer leaf
has also wrapped itself in its silence,
because the day passes,
and the evening spreads
its thick, its cloudy wings.
Evening here, and evening — there,
everywhere, everywhere.
Let them stand in their place,
as they must — mute —
enclosed, sealed with seals,
in the heights, above the stench of horses, in dust,
the eagle and the deer, the tiger and the lion.
The divine voice from the stable
we too, without exception, like you have heard. —
If the lion wants to roar —
at whom should he roar?
If the eagle longs to fly —
to whom should he fly?
The gentle eyes of the deer
at whom should they gaze — and where?
And the sharp claws of the tiger
whom should they tear?
Fly, tear, gaze, roar —
evening here, and there, and everywhere.
Kh
... Oh, what are they saying
the brothers, the older brothers!
Oh, what are they holding hidden in their sheaths
the brothers, the older brothers!
Slaughtering knives!
The younger brother remains sitting mute,
blinded by the gleam of the slaughtering knives:
and the older ones smile with the smiling sorrow,
and stroke the pure steel on the palms of their hands.
White as a throat,
blue as a vein,
Page 196. 'Di Shtal' Sections Z continuation and Kh: The older brothers continue: 'Our longing is stilled' — the last summer leaf wraps itself in silence, evening spreads its cloudy wings everywhere. 'Let them stand in their place, mute, sealed with seals, above the stench of horses' — the symbolic animals remain trapped in the desecrated synagogue. The devastating rhetorical questions: 'If the lion wants to roar — at whom should he roar? If the eagle longs to fly — to whom should he fly? The gentle eyes of the deer — at whom should they gaze? The tiger's sharp claws — whom should they tear?' All action is pointless: 'Fly, tear, gaze, roar — evening everywhere.' Section Kh: The shocking revelation — the older brothers hold 'khalofim' (ritual slaughter knives) hidden in their sheaths! The younger brother sits mute, blinded by the gleam of the blades. The older ones smile their sorrowful smile, stroking 'the pure steel on the palms of their hands. White as a throat, blue as a vein.' The image suggests ritualized self-destruction — the same knives used for kosher slaughter now contemplated for suicide.
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