פֿון דער הייך פֿון שווינדל־טרעפּ
From the height of dizzy-steps
Work 201 of 440
Page 244. 'Lider fun Umkum' poems 'Durkh zibn toytn' (Through Seven Deaths) continuation and 'Erd' (Earth) beginning. 'Durkh zibn toytn' continues: 'From the height of dizzy-steps down to the lowest low' — the plunge after arising. 'Dragging pieces of earth with earth, falling to earth with all one's limbs.' Sand grinds in teeth, 'transparent bones... stretch and dance and crack.' Striking scars on forehead, needle-like eyelashes, ribcage like a drum, skull 'sparking like shops' (kremеn — perhaps market stalls, glittering). Fire streams from foot to skull; sand and stones catch flame. 'Limbs resound when one thinks they are dying — resounding of limbs, stone and sand together.' Imperative voice: 'Fall harder to earth after all deaths. Dig deeper into the lowest low, crunch more deliciously with your teeth the ready sand. Resound even stronger in the bell of your limbs.' The body as bell, ringing through death. New poem 'Erd' (Earth): 'Sweet feet in naked steps / bitten bite upon bite / by fly and mosquito.' The intimacy of insect bites. 'Swinging knees — they give a break downward: and give themselves a pull to earth — to the head.' The body drawn earthward.
פֿון דער הייך פֿון שווינדל־טרעפּ
נידערן צו נידעריקסטער נידער,
שטיקער ערד מיט ערד צוזאַמענשלעפּן,
צופֿאַלן צו ערד מיט אַלע גלידער.
ווי דער זאַמד — ער קריצט זיך אין די ציינער,
ווי עס שפּיצן זיך די באַקן:
דורך דער הויט די דורכזיכטיקע ביינער
ווי זיי ציִען זיך און טאַנצן צו און קנאַקן.
אויפֿן שטערן סאַראַ שלאָגנדיקע קאַרבן,
אויף די אויגן סאַראַ נאָדלדיקע ברעמען:
און דער ברוסטקאַסטן — ווי פּויקיק; און דער שאַרבן
אַזוי פֿונקענדיק ווי קרעמען.
אָט אַ פֿײַער גיט אַ שטראָם פֿון פֿוס ביז שאַרבן.
זאַמד און שטיינער ווערן אויך פֿאַרכאַפּט אין פֿלאַמען:
גלידער הילכן, ווען מען מיינט גאָר אַז זיי שטאַרבן —
hilkh פֿון גלידער, שטיין און זאַמד צוזאַמען.
פֿאַל־צו האַרטער צו דער ערד נאָך אַלע טויטן.
גראָב זיך טיפֿער אין דער נידעריקסטער נידער,
קנאַק געשמאַקער מיט די ציין דעם זאַמד דעם גרייטן.
הילך נאָך שטאַרקער אינעם גלאָק פֿון דײַנע גלידער.
ערד
זיזיקע פֿיס
אין נאַקעטע טריט
צעביסן אַ ביס אויף אַ ביס
פֿון פֿליג און מאַסקיט.
צעשוואונגענע קני —
זיי גיבן אַ בראָך זיך אַראָפּ:
און גיבן מיט זיך אויך אַ צי
צו ערד — צו דעם קאָפּ.
Fun der heykh fun shvindl-trep
nidern tsu niderikster nider,
shtiker erd mit erd tsuzamenshlepn,
tsufaln tsu erd mit ale glider.
Vi der zamd — er kritst zikh in di tseyner,
vi es shpitsn zikh di bakn:
durkh der hoyt di durkhzikhtike beyner
vi zey tsien zikh un tantsn tsu un knakn.
Oyfn shtern sara shlоgndike kаrbn,
oyf di oygn sara nodldike bremen:
un der brustkastn — vi poykik; un der sharbn
azoy funkendik vi kremen.
Ot a fayer git a shtrоm fun fus biz sharbn.
Zamd un shteyner vern oykh farkhаpt in flamen:
glider hilkhn, ven men meynt gor az zey shtarbn —
hilkh fun glider, shteyn un zamd tsuzamen.
Fal-tsu harter tsu der erd nokh ale toytn.
Grob zikh tifer in der niderikster nider,
knak geshmаker mit di tseyn dem zamd dem greytn.
Hilkh nokh shtarker inem glok fun dayne glider.
Erd
Zizike fis
in nakete trit
tsebisin a bis oyf a bis
fun flig un maskit.
Tseshvungene kni —
zey gibn a brokh zikh arоp:
un gibn mit zikh oykh a tsi
tsu erd — tsu dem kоp.
From the height of dizzy-steps
down to the lowest low,
dragging pieces of earth with earth,
falling to earth with all one's limbs.
Like the sand — it grinds in the teeth,
how the cheeks sharpen:
through the skin the transparent bones
how they stretch and dance toward and crack.
On the forehead so many striking scars,
on the eyes so many needle-like eyelashes:
and the ribcage — how drum-like; and the skull
so sparking like shops.
Now a fire gives a stream from foot to skull.
Sand and stones are also seized in flames:
limbs resound, when one thinks they are dying —
resounding of limbs, stone and sand together.
Fall harder to the earth after all deaths.
Dig yourself deeper into the lowest low,
crunch more deliciously with your teeth the ready sand.
Resound even stronger in the bell of your limbs.
Earth
Sweet feet
in naked steps
bitten bite upon bite
by fly and mosquito.
Swinging knees —
they give a break downward:
and give themselves also a pull
to earth — to the head.
Page 244. 'Lider fun Umkum' poems 'Durkh zibn toytn' (Through Seven Deaths) continuation and 'Erd' (Earth) beginning. 'Durkh zibn toytn' continues: 'From the height of dizzy-steps down to the lowest low' — the plunge after arising. 'Dragging pieces of earth with earth, falling to earth with all one's limbs.' Sand grinds in teeth, 'transparent bones... stretch and dance and crack.' Striking scars on forehead, needle-like eyelashes, ribcage like a drum, skull 'sparking like shops' (kremеn — perhaps market stalls, glittering). Fire streams from foot to skull; sand and stones catch flame. 'Limbs resound when one thinks they are dying — resounding of limbs, stone and sand together.' Imperative voice: 'Fall harder to earth after all deaths. Dig deeper into the lowest low, crunch more deliciously with your teeth the ready sand. Resound even stronger in the bell of your limbs.' The body as bell, ringing through death. New poem 'Erd' (Earth): 'Sweet feet in naked steps / bitten bite upon bite / by fly and mosquito.' The intimacy of insect bites. 'Swinging knees — they give a break downward: and give themselves a pull to earth — to the head.' The body drawn earthward.
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