לבֿנהדיקע אויגן
Moon-like Eyes
Work 123 of 440
Page 138. 'Song' conclusion: Moon-like eyes burn and consume, lustful and thirsty, themselves and all stars. Bleeding whites fall and splash on trees' drowsy tips. A vision of the night consuming itself. 'The Eyes Opened Wide' (Di Oygn Tseefnte): A death poem. Eyes opened wide look far; hands stretched in longest length; heart stopped, dead. No signs of violence or murder — a smile hovers on the mouth, spreading to the gray beard-hair. The walls heard something — cry or prayer? — they don't remember, they smile in quiet. The smile holds day and night, streams like a river though the mouth is forever closed. The peaceful dead smiling eternally. 'A Span' (A Shpan): A leap — suddenly on the other side of the ocean (immigration). Surprised by his wondrous leap, the speaker stammers: 'Blessed one.' The poem begins here; continuation follows.
לבֿנהדיקע אויגן
ברענען און פֿאַרצערן,
תּאווהדיק און דורשטיק,
זיך און אַלע שטערן.
בלוטנדיקע ווײַסלען
פֿאַלן און באַשפּריצן,
פֿאַלן אויף די ביימערס
שלעפֿערדיקע שפּיצן.
די אויגן צעעפֿנטע
אויגן, צעעפֿנטע, קוקן ווײַט און ברייט.
און די הענט זײַנען אויסגעשטרעקט אין דער לענגסטער לענג —
און דאָס האַרץ איז אָפּגעשטעלט, טויט.
נישטאָ קיין סימנים פֿון גוואַלד און פֿון מאָרד —
אַ שמייכל שוועבט אום אויפֿן מויל,
און פֿון מויל — אויף די גרוילעכע האָר פֿון דער באָרד.
די ווענט האָבן עפּעס געהערט. אויך דער דיל —
געשריי צי געבעט? — זיי געדענקען נישט מער,
ווײַל זיי שמייכלען אַלײן אין דער שטיל.
און דער שמייכל האַלט אָן סײַ בײַטאָג, סײַ בײַנאַכט,
שטראָמט אַרויס ווי אַ טײַך צו דער אויסערער וועלט —
כאָטש דאָס מויל איז אויף אייביק פֿאַרמאַכט.
אַ שפּאַן
אַ שפּאַן —
און אָט בין איך אויף יענער זײַט פֿון אָקעאַן.
אַלײן אַן איבערראַשטער פֿון מײַן וואונדערלעכן שפּרונג,
אַרויסגעמורמלט האָב איך מיט אַ שטאַמלענדיקער צונג:
געבענטשטער.
Levonikе Oygn
Brenen un fartsern,
tavedik un durshtik,
zikh un ale shtern.
Blutndike vayslen
faln un bashpritsn,
faln oyf di beymers
shleferdike shpitsn.
Di Oygn Tseefnte
Oygn, tseefnte, kukn vayt un breyt.
Un di hent zaynen oysgeshtrekт in der lengster leng —
un dos harts iz opgeshtelt, toyt.
Nishto keyn simonim fun gvald un fun mord —
a shmeykhl shvebt um oyfn moyl,
un fun moyl — oyf di groylekhe hor fun der bord.
Di vent hobn epes gehert. Oykh der dil —
geshray tsi gebet? — zey gedenken nisht mer,
vayl zey shmeуkhlen aleyn in der shtil.
Un der shmeykhl halt on say baytog, say baynakht,
shtromt aroys vi a taykh tsu der oyserer velt —
khotsh dos moyl iz oyf eybik farmakht.
A Shpan
A shpan —
un ot bin ikh oyf yener zayt fun okean.
Aleyn an iberrashter fun mayn vunderlekhn shprung,
aroysgermult hob ikh mit a shtamlendiker tsung:
gebentshter.
Moon-like Eyes
burn and consume,
lustful and thirsty,
themselves and all stars.
Bleeding whites
fall and splash,
fall on the trees'
drowsy tips.
The Eyes Opened Wide
Eyes, opened wide, look far and wide.
And the hands are stretched out in the longest length —
and the heart is stopped, dead.
There are no signs of violence or murder —
a smile hovers about the mouth,
and from mouth — on the grayish hair of the beard.
The walls have heard something. Also the floor —
a cry or a prayer? — they no longer remember,
because they smile themselves in the quiet.
And the smile holds on both by day and by night,
streams out like a river to the outer world —
though the mouth is forever closed.
A Span
A span —
and here I am on the other side of the ocean.
Myself surprised by my wondrous leap,
I murmured out with a stammering tongue:
Blessed one.
Page 138. 'Song' conclusion: Moon-like eyes burn and consume, lustful and thirsty, themselves and all stars. Bleeding whites fall and splash on trees' drowsy tips. A vision of the night consuming itself. 'The Eyes Opened Wide' (Di Oygn Tseefnte): A death poem. Eyes opened wide look far; hands stretched in longest length; heart stopped, dead. No signs of violence or murder — a smile hovers on the mouth, spreading to the gray beard-hair. The walls heard something — cry or prayer? — they don't remember, they smile in quiet. The smile holds day and night, streams like a river though the mouth is forever closed. The peaceful dead smiling eternally. 'A Span' (A Shpan): A leap — suddenly on the other side of the ocean (immigration). Surprised by his wondrous leap, the speaker stammers: 'Blessed one.' The poem begins here; continuation follows.
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