זאָג איך:
I say:
Work 236 of 440
Page 288. 'Sako un Vanzetis mitvokh' conclusion, then 'Nyu-York' begins. The workers protest with 'fonen' (flags), 'straykis' (strikes), 'plakatn' (placards) — but 'gornisht' (nothing). 'Yene' (those ones) — the Boston powers — don't hear. The moon confirms: 'yes, yes, yes' — the electric chair will murder. Midnight arrives: 'shoyn gornisht mer in ko' (nothing more in the queue) — time has run out. Man's voice 'hot zikh dervorgn' (has strangled itself). The moon itself is dead, 'an oysgeloshene, a farbrente oyfn shtul oyfn elektrishn fun friomrgn' (extinguished, burned on the electric chair of dawn) — the moon has been executed alongside the victims. Then 'Nyu-York' — a meditation on alienation and guilt. The speaker searches crowds for hope, feels on trial. The guilty one 'trembles over his beginning more than over his end.' Self-condemnation: 'ikh bin erger fun ale' (I am worse than all). 'Naye dozayn iz alts nokh a beyzer sod' (new existence is still a bitter secret) — echoes Heidegger's Dasein but darkened.
זאָג איך:
פֿאָנען אויף סקווערן,
אַרבעטער צאָרן,
סטרײַקס, פּלאַקאַטן,
בונט געשרייען
און — גאָרנישט —
ניט זיי דערהערן.
ניט זיי פֿאַרשטייען
גאָרנישט —
יענע, יענע, יענע הערן
פֿון באָסטאָן, מאַס.,
די קלוגע, די געוועלטיקער, די לאָרדן —
ענטפֿערט די לבֿנה: יעס, יעס, יעס,
דער עלעקטרישער שטול וועט דערמאָרדן.
עלף אַזייגער. — צוועלף אַזייגער.
שוין גאָרנישט מער אין קאָ.
און מענטש קען מער שוין גאָרנישט, גאָרנישט טאָן;
זײַן אייגן קול האָט זיך דערוואָרגן;
די לבֿנה איז שוין אויך ניטאָ, ניטאָ, ניטאָ.
זי ליגט אַן אויסגעלאָשענע, אַ פֿאַרברענטע
אויפֿן שטול אויפֿן עלעקטרישן פֿון פֿרימאָרגן.
ניו־יאָרק
ניו־יאָרק, ניו־יאָרק, וויפֿיל מאָל אויף דײַנע גאַסן
האָב איך געזוכט נײַ־האָפֿנקייט, געהיט דאָס געזיכט
פֿון פֿאַרבײַקן המון — אויפֿגייענדיקע מאַסן,
און אויף זיך געקוקט ווי אויף אַ געשטעלטן צום געריכט.
וואָס איז מײַן שולד און וואָס איז מײַן פֿאַרברעכן?
און ווער איז דער ריכטער און וואָס איז די שטראָף?
אַפּנים שולדיק איז דער, וואָס וויל זײַן לעבן ניט ברעכן,
און ציטערט איבער זײַן אָנהייב מער ווי איבער זײַן סוף.
טראַכט איך: איך בין ערגער פֿון אַלע, כאָטש איך וויל זײַן בעסער,
אונטער מײַן לעבן וואַקלט זיך דער יסוד. —
פֿאַרמאַכטע טירן האָב איך פֿאַרהאַקט מיט נאָך מער שלעסער,
און נײַע דאָזײַן איז אַלץ נאָך אַ בייזער סוד.
Zog ikh:
fonen oyf skvern,
arbeter tsorn,
straykis, plakatn,
bunt geshrayen
un — gornisht —
nit zey derhern.
Nit zey farshteyen
gornisht —
yene, yene, yene hern
fun Boston, Mas.,
di kluge, di geveltiker, di lordn —
entfert di levone: yes, yes, yes,
der elektrisher shtul vet dermordn.
Elf a zeyger. — Tsvelf a zeyger.
Shoyn gornisht mer in ko.
Un mentsh ken mer shoyn gornisht, gornisht ton;
zayn eygn kol hot zikh dervorgn;
di levone iz shoyn oykh nito, nito, nito.
Zi ligt an oysgeloshene, a farbrente
oyfn shtul oyfn elektrishn fun friomrgn.
Nyu-York
Nyu-York, Nyu-York, vifl mol oyf dayne gasn
hob ikh gezukht nay-hofnkeyt, gehit dos gezikht
fun farbaykin hamon — oyfgeyendike masn,
un oyf zikh gekukt vi oyf a geshteln tsum gerikht.
Vos iz mayn shuld un vos iz mayn farbrekhn?
Un ver iz der rikhter un vos iz di shtrof?
Apnim shuldik iz der, vos vil zayn lebn nit brekhn,
un tsitert iber zayn onheyb mer vi iber zayn sof.
Trakht ikh: ikh bin erger fun ale, khotsh ikh vil zayn beser,
unter mayn lebn vaklt zikh der yesod. —
Farmakhte tirn hob ikh farhakt mit nokh mer shleser,
un naye dozayn iz alts nokh a beyzer sod.
I say:
flags on squares,
worker anger,
strikes, placards,
rebellious cries
and — nothing —
they don't hear them.
They don't understand
nothing —
those, those, those hear
from Boston, Mass.,
the clever, the mighty, the lords —
the moon answers: yes, yes, yes,
the electric chair will murder.
Eleven o'clock. — Twelve o'clock.
Nothing more in the queue.
And man can no longer do anything, anything;
his own voice has strangled itself;
the moon too is no longer there, not there, not there.
She lies extinguished, burned
on the electric chair of early morning.
New York
New York, New York, how many times on your streets
have I sought new-hopefulness, watched the face
of the passing crowd — rising masses,
and looked at myself as at one placed before the court.
What is my guilt and what is my crime?
And who is the judge and what is the punishment?
Apparently guilty is one who doesn't want to break his life,
and trembles over his beginning more than over his end.
I think: I am worse than all, though I want to be better,
under my life the foundation shakes. —
Closed doors I have locked with still more locks,
and new existence is still a bitter secret.
Page 288. 'Sako un Vanzetis mitvokh' conclusion, then 'Nyu-York' begins. The workers protest with 'fonen' (flags), 'straykis' (strikes), 'plakatn' (placards) — but 'gornisht' (nothing). 'Yene' (those ones) — the Boston powers — don't hear. The moon confirms: 'yes, yes, yes' — the electric chair will murder. Midnight arrives: 'shoyn gornisht mer in ko' (nothing more in the queue) — time has run out. Man's voice 'hot zikh dervorgn' (has strangled itself). The moon itself is dead, 'an oysgeloshene, a farbrente oyfn shtul oyfn elektrishn fun friomrgn' (extinguished, burned on the electric chair of dawn) — the moon has been executed alongside the victims. Then 'Nyu-York' — a meditation on alienation and guilt. The speaker searches crowds for hope, feels on trial. The guilty one 'trembles over his beginning more than over his end.' Self-condemnation: 'ikh bin erger fun ale' (I am worse than all). 'Naye dozayn iz alts nokh a beyzer sod' (new existence is still a bitter secret) — echoes Heidegger's Dasein but darkened.
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