אין יעדן הויז מחנות מענטשן
In Every House Camps of People
Work 125 of 440
Page 140. 'Behind All Windows' continuation: In every house, camps of people pressed into four walls. Over all heads — a forest of outstretched hands. Hands fall suddenly, a wail rolls mouth to mouth. Body upon body — one writhing ball. A vision of pogrom or deportation. 'Song' (Lid): Folding wings fall fold by fold on dusky mirrors behind the night-forest. Mirrors throw shadows striped with shine, catch the forest, lock it, ring into rings. Tremor to roots through branches, flutter, hum — until calmed silence rings the rings. Wings fall on sealed bolts of the locked forest. A nature poem of evening descent and closure. 'Revolt and Treason' (Bunt un Farrot): A horrifying beginning. The inflamed, red, strangled neck — the thin little neck of a child — lies stretched out, ready for all knives. The mother, faithful protector, sleeps. 'I am in the place of the faithful protector.' The speaker has replaced the mother — as protector, or as threat?
אין יעדן הויז מחנות מענטשן
צונויפֿגעדריקטע אין דער ענגשאַפֿט פֿון פֿיר ווענט:
און איבער אַלע קעפּ — אַ וואַלד פֿון אויסגעשטרעקטע
הענט, הענט.
הענט פֿאַלן אַראָפּ מיטאַמאָל,
אַ יאָמער קייקלט זיך פֿון מויל צו מויל:
און גוף אויף גוף — איין ווערעמדיקער
קנויל, קנויל.
ליד
באַלד צו פֿאַלדיקע פֿליגלען,
פֿאַלן אַ פֿאַלד נאָך אַ פֿאַלד
אויף די פֿאַרנאַכטיקע שפּיגלען
הינטער דעם נאַכטיקן וואַלד.
וואַרפֿן פֿאַרנאַכטיקע שפּיגלען
שאָטנס געשטרייפֿטע מיט שײַן,
פֿאַנגען דעם וואַלד און פֿאַרריגלען,
רינגלען אין רינגען אַרײַן.
ציטער — צו וואָרצלען דורך צווײַגן,
ציטער, געפֿלאַטער, געברום —
ביז דאָס באַרואיקטע שווײַגן
רינגלט די רינגען אַרום.
פֿאַלן די פֿאַלדיקע פֿליגלען,
פֿאַלן אַ פֿאַלד נאָך אַ פֿאַלד
אויף די פֿאַרזיגלטע ריגלען
פֿון דעם פֿאַרריגלטן וואַלד.
בונט און פֿאַרראָט
ער, אָנגעצונדענער, רויטער, פֿאָרוואַרגענער האַלדז,
דער דינינקער האַלדז פֿונעם קינד,
ליגט אויסגעשטרעקט, גרייט פֿאַר אַלע חלפֿים:
און די מאַמע, די טרײַע באַשיצערין, שלאָפֿט —
בין איך אויפֿן פּלאַץ פֿון דער טרײַער באַשיצערין.
In Yedn Hoyz Makhnes Mentshn
Tsunoyfgedriktе in der engshaft fun fir vent:
un iber ale kep — a vald fun oysgeshtrekтe
hent, hent.
Hent faln arop mitamol,
a yomer keyklt zikh fun moyl tsu moyl:
un guf oyf guf — eyn veremdiker
knoyl, knoyl.
Lid
Bald tsu faldike flign,
faln a fald nokh a fald
oyf di farnakhtike shpiglen
hinter dem nakhtikn vald.
Varfn farnakhtike shpiglen
shotns geshtrayfte mit shayn,
fangen dem vald un farriglen,
ringlen in ringen arayn.
Tsiter — tsu vortslen durkh tsvаygn,
tsiter, geflater, gebrum —
biz dos baruikte shvaygn
ringlt di ringen arum.
Faln di faldike flign,
faln a fald nokh a fald
oyf di farzigltе riglen
fun dem farrigltn vald.
Bunt un Farrot
Er, ongetsunedenеr, royter, forvargenеr haldz,
der dininkеr haldz funem kind,
ligt oysgeshtrekт, greyt far ale khalofim:
un di mame, di traye bashitserin, shloft —
bin ikh oyfn plats fun der trayer bashitserin.
In Every House Camps of People
pressed together in the narrowness of four walls:
and over all heads — a forest of outstretched
hands, hands.
Hands fall down suddenly,
a wail rolls from mouth to mouth:
and body upon body — one writhing
ball, ball.
Song
Soon the folding wings
fall a fold after a fold
on the dusky mirrors
behind the nighttime forest.
Dusky mirrors throw
shadows striped with shine,
catch the forest and lock it,
ring into rings within.
Tremor — to roots through branches,
tremor, flutter, hum —
until the calmed silence
rings the rings around.
Fall the folding wings,
fall a fold after a fold
on the sealed bolts
of the locked forest.
Revolt and Treason
He, the inflamed, red, strangled neck,
the thin little neck of the child,
lies stretched out, ready for all knives:
and the mother, the faithful protector, sleeps —
I am in the place of the faithful protector.
Page 140. 'Behind All Windows' continuation: In every house, camps of people pressed into four walls. Over all heads — a forest of outstretched hands. Hands fall suddenly, a wail rolls mouth to mouth. Body upon body — one writhing ball. A vision of pogrom or deportation. 'Song' (Lid): Folding wings fall fold by fold on dusky mirrors behind the night-forest. Mirrors throw shadows striped with shine, catch the forest, lock it, ring into rings. Tremor to roots through branches, flutter, hum — until calmed silence rings the rings. Wings fall on sealed bolts of the locked forest. A nature poem of evening descent and closure. 'Revolt and Treason' (Bunt un Farrot): A horrifying beginning. The inflamed, red, strangled neck — the thin little neck of a child — lies stretched out, ready for all knives. The mother, faithful protector, sleeps. 'I am in the place of the faithful protector.' The speaker has replaced the mother — as protector, or as threat?
← / → previous & next poem·1–4 toggle columns·hover a line to align all versions