פֿאַלט דאָס געפֿלאַקער פֿון פֿלאַמען,
Falls the flickering of flames,
Work 170 of 440
Page 211. 'Di Shtal' Section KAF-KHES conclusion and KAF-TES — the fathers' lament: The firelight and song rise and fall together. 'In the afterglow of smiling sorrow ignite the thirsty sounds of long-hoped-for, long-awaited, and just-now-revealed songs.' Section KAF-TES (29): The fathers address the sleeping children: 'Childlike necks, childlike lashes — you no longer cry for revenge from us, the fathers, to take. And complaints against your fathers to complain!' The fathers' anguished self-questioning: 'Who are we, your fathers, who are we?' They cannot protect their children, cannot avenge them. 'Night-terror of trunks and branches — roots lie calmed and silent.' The tree imagery: roots quiet below, branches absorb 'the secrets of silence — secrets of sleep, secrets of lashes.' The flames flicker 'around and around the calmed tree-trunks' — the refugees becoming like trees, rooted in their exhausted stillness.
פֿאַלט דאָס געפֿלאַקער פֿון פֿלאַמען,
פֿאַלט דאָס געזאַנג פֿון די ברידער.
אין אָפּשײַן פֿון שמייכלענדן קומער
דערברענען די דורשטיקע קלאַנגען
פֿון לאַנג שוין געהאָפֿטע, געוואַרטע,
און נאָרוואָס אַנטפּלעקטע געזאַנגען.
כט
העלדער —
קינדערשע העלדער:
ברעמען —
קינדערשע ברעמען:
איר שרײַט שוין נישט מער נאָך נקמה
פֿון אונדז, פֿון די טאַטעס, צו נעמען.
און טענות צו אײַערע טאַטעס
צו טענהן! —
ווער זײַנען מיר, אײַערע טאַטעס,
ווער זײַנען?
נאַכט־שרעק פֿון שטאַמען און נאַכט־שרעק
פֿון צווײַגן —
וואָרצלען באַרואיקטע ליגן
און שווײַגן.
צווײַגן די סודות פֿון שווײַגן
פֿאַרנעמען —
סודות פֿון שלאָפֿן, סודות
פֿון ברעמען.
פֿלאַמען־געפֿלאַקער, געדרייען
פֿון פֿלאַמען
אַרום און אַרום די באַרואיקטע
שטאַמען.
Falt dos geflaker fun flamen,
falt dos gezang fun di brider.
In opshayn fun shmeykhlendн kumer
derbrenen di durshtike klangen
fun lang shoyn gehоfte, gevarte,
un norvos antplekte gezangen.
KAF-TES
Helder —
kindersh helder:
bremen —
kindershe bremen:
ir shrayt shoyn nisht mer nokh nekome
fun undz, fun di tates, tsu nemen.
Un taynes tsu ayere tates
tsu taynen! —
Ver zaynen mir, ayere tates,
ver zaynen?
Nakht-shrek fun shtamen un nakht-shrek
fun tsvaygn —
vortslen baruikte lign
un shvaygn.
Tsvaygn di soydes fun shvaygn
farnemen —
soydes fun shlofn, soydes
fun bremen.
Flamen-geflaker, gedreyen
fun flamen
arum un arum di baruikte
shtamen.
Falls the flickering of flames,
falls the song of the brothers.
In the afterglow of smiling sorrow
ignite the thirsty sounds
of long-hoped-for, long-awaited,
and just-now-revealed songs.
KAF-TES
Necks —
childlike necks:
lashes —
childlike lashes:
you no longer cry for revenge
from us, from the fathers, to take.
And complaints against your fathers
to complain! —
Who are we, your fathers,
who are we?
Night-terror of trunks and night-terror
of branches —
roots lie calmed
and silent.
Branches absorb the secrets
of silence —
secrets of sleep, secrets
of lashes.
Flame-flickering, spinning
of flames
around and around the calmed
tree-trunks.
Page 211. 'Di Shtal' Section KAF-KHES conclusion and KAF-TES — the fathers' lament: The firelight and song rise and fall together. 'In the afterglow of smiling sorrow ignite the thirsty sounds of long-hoped-for, long-awaited, and just-now-revealed songs.' Section KAF-TES (29): The fathers address the sleeping children: 'Childlike necks, childlike lashes — you no longer cry for revenge from us, the fathers, to take. And complaints against your fathers to complain!' The fathers' anguished self-questioning: 'Who are we, your fathers, who are we?' They cannot protect their children, cannot avenge them. 'Night-terror of trunks and branches — roots lie calmed and silent.' The tree imagery: roots quiet below, branches absorb 'the secrets of silence — secrets of sleep, secrets of lashes.' The flames flicker 'around and around the calmed tree-trunks' — the refugees becoming like trees, rooted in their exhausted stillness.
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