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און פֿאַרנעמט דורכן שטויב

And receives through the dust

Work 182 of 440

Page 225. 'Lider fun Umkum' poems KHES conclusion, TES, and YUD. Poem KHES concludes: The marble 'receives through the dust his cry of not-living' — until it lifts our stumbling knees. 'Now we go home, in his rest sleeps the bitter: but the marble in Rome remains horrifying and waits for a miracle.' The marble in Rome — perhaps the Jewish catacombs, ancient remnants awaiting redemption. Poem TES, 'Ikh bin greyt' (I Am Ready): 'I am ready, always ready, though I don't know who commands.' Spring imagery — trees covered with snow yet fields breaking into buds. Mountain peaks in red dimness, white rivers below. 'Sound in horn. Calling man with the sound of your distant kingdoms.' Readiness for an unknown summoning. Poem YUD, 'Onzogers' (Announcers): The announcers are commanded to spread tidings: 'we have sown the seeds of death.' The seeds have sprouted — 'already sway velvet-soft stalks.' Death's harvest grows from sown seeds.

Yiddish Original

און פֿאַרנעמט דורכן שטויב

זײַן געשריי פֿון ניט חי —

ביז עס טוט זיך אַ הייב

אויף צוריק אונדזער שטרויכלענדע קני.

אָט מיר גייען אַהיים,

אין זײַן רו שלאָפֿט דאָס מאָר:

נאָר דער מאַרמאָר אין רוים

בלײַבט גרוילן און וואַרט אויף אַ נס.

ט

איך בין גרייט

איך בין גרייט. איך בין שטענדיק גרייט,

כאָטש איך ווייס נישט ווער עס הייסט זיך גרייטן:

אַלע ביימער זײַנען פֿרילינגדיק פֿאַרשנייט,

אַלע פֿעלדער ברעכן זיך אין בייטן.

שפּיצן פֿון די בערג אין רויט־דומאָן,

אונטן אין די טאָלן ווײַסע טײַכן:

שאַל אין האָרן. רופֿנדיקער מאַן

מיטן שאַל פֿון דײַנע ווײַטע קעניגרײַכן.

י

אָנזאָגערס

אָנזאָגערס, —

זאָגט אָן די בשׂורה אויף רעכטס און לינקס:

— מיר האָבן שוין פֿאַרזייט פֿון טויט די זאַמען:

זאָגט אָן די בשׂורה אויף רעכטס און לינקס

אין מײַנעם און אין אַלעמענס געקרוינטן נאָמען.

אָנזאָגערס, —

זאָגט אָן די בשׂורה אויף רעכטס און לינקס:

די זאַמען זײַנען אַלע אויפֿגעגאַנגען:

זאָגט אָן די בשׂורה אויף רעכטס און לינקס:

עס וויגן זיך שוין סאַמעט־ווייכע זאַנגען.

Transliteration

Un farnemt durkhn shtoyb

zayn geshrey fun nit khay —

biz es tut zikh a heyb

oyf tsurik undzer shtroykhlende kni.

Ot mir geyen aheym,

in zayn ru shloft dos mor:

nor der marmor in roym

blaybt groyln un vart oyf a nes.

TES

Ikh bin greyt

Ikh bin greyt. Ikh bin shtendik greyt,

khotsh ikh veys nisht ver es heyst zikh greytn:

ale beymer zaynen frilindik farshneyt,

ale felder brekhn zikh in beytn.

Shpitsn fun di berg in royt-dumon,

untn in di toln vayse taykhn:

shal in horn. Rufndiker man

mitn shal fun dayne vayte kenigraykhn.

YUD

Onzogers

Onzogers, —

zogt on di bsure oyf rekhts un links:

— mir hobn shoyn farzeyt fun toyt di zamen:

zogt on di bsure oyf rekhts un links

in maynem un in alemens gekroyntn nomen.

Onzogers, —

zogt on di bsure oyf rekhts un links:

di zamen zaynen ale oyfgegangen:

zogt on di bsure oyf rekhts un links:

es vign zikh shoyn samet-veykhe zangen.

English Translation

And receives through the dust

his cry of not-living —

until it lifts

back up our stumbling knees.

Now we go home,

in his rest sleeps the bitter:

but the marble in Rome

remains horrifying and waits for a miracle.

TES

I Am Ready

I am ready. I am always ready,

though I don't know who commands to be ready:

all trees are spring-covered with snow,

all fields break into buds.

Peaks of mountains in red-dimness,

below in the valleys white rivers:

sound in horn. Calling man

with the sound of your distant kingdoms.

YUD

Announcers

Announcers, —

announce the tidings to right and left:

— we have already sown the seeds of death:

announce the tidings to right and left

in my name and in everyone's crowned name.

Announcers, —

announce the tidings to right and left:

the seeds have all sprouted:

announce the tidings to right and left:

already sway velvet-soft stalks.

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

Page 225. 'Lider fun Umkum' poems KHES conclusion, TES, and YUD. Poem KHES concludes: The marble 'receives through the dust his cry of not-living' — until it lifts our stumbling knees. 'Now we go home, in his rest sleeps the bitter: but the marble in Rome remains horrifying and waits for a miracle.' The marble in Rome — perhaps the Jewish catacombs, ancient remnants awaiting redemption. Poem TES, 'Ikh bin greyt' (I Am Ready): 'I am ready, always ready, though I don't know who commands.' Spring imagery — trees covered with snow yet fields breaking into buds. Mountain peaks in red dimness, white rivers below. 'Sound in horn. Calling man with the sound of your distant kingdoms.' Readiness for an unknown summoning. Poem YUD, 'Onzogers' (Announcers): The announcers are commanded to spread tidings: 'we have sown the seeds of death.' The seeds have sprouted — 'already sway velvet-soft stalks.' Death's harvest grows from sown seeds.

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And receives through the dust · H. Leivick: Complete Works · Half-Voll Attempts