צפֿונדיקער שליאַך
Northern Road
Work 269 of 440
Page 324. 'Tsfundiker shlyakh' (Northern Road): The speaker embraces the 'glidkendiker shlyakh' (limb-warming road). Under stars of 'serp un hamer' (sickle and hammer), Russia has 'tseshtrlatn dakh' (radiant roof). 'A tishtukh shoyn oyf dayne tishn' (tablecloth on your tables) — Russia has become domestic. 'Borsht vi vayroykh' (borscht like incense), 'gopl... onshtot a biks' (fork instead of rifle) — peace after revolution. The speaker can't be proud 'vi mekhutonem' (like an in-law) — he hasn't earned his place — so let him be 'badkhn' (jester) among the musicians. He'll call his years to 'freylekhs' (merry dances), 'yontevdike porn' (holiday couples) in a 'karahod' (Russian folk dance). 'Shvaygndike lider' (Silent Songs): Songs hang like 'vinterdike epl' (winter apples) on trees. The speaker asks how to carry himself through 'land — heym-land' (land — homeland). Years of 'optsukholemen' (dreaming off) needed to reach 'dayn vor' (your truth), to feel 'geruekh fun korn' (smell of grain), 'shvartsn broyt' (black bread) in hair. To embrace the land's ankles 'vi men khapt... a snop' (as one grabs a sheaf). Eyelids descend 'vi haskomes' (like approvals — rabbinical approbations).
צפֿונדיקער שליאַך
אין די אָרעמס דײַנע נעם אַרײַן, פֿאַרקלאַמער,
צפֿונדיקער, גלידקענדיקער שליאַך.
גוט איז אונטער דײַנע שטערן — סערפּ און האַמער,
רוסלאַנד, אונטער דײַן צעשטראַלטן דאַך.
ס'ליגט אַ טישטוך שוין אויף דײַנע טישן, רוסלאַנד,
אונטער דײַנע שנייען וואַרט געוויקס:
באָרשט ווי ווײַרויך רויכערט זיך פֿון דײַנע שיסלען,
און דײַן האַנט אַ גאָפּל הייבט אָנשטאָט אַ ביקס.
ניט שיין איז אפֿשר קומען אויף אַ גרייטן מאָלצײַט,
נאָך מאוסער ניט גרירן געבענטשטן ווײַן,
און אויב איך קען ניט ווי מחותּן שטאָלץ זײַן, —
צווישן דײַן קאַפּעליע זאָל איך בדחן זײַן.
זאָל איך אויפֿרופֿן צו פֿריילעכס מײַנע יאָרן,
צו אַ ניגון פֿון אַן אַנדערשטיקן טראָט —
שטײַגנדיקע יום־טובֿדיקע פּאָרן
אין אַ ווײַסן אַ צעשפּילטן קאַראַהאָד.
שווײַגנדיקע לידער
שווײַגנדיקע לידער אויף די ביימער הענגען —
ווינטערדיקע עפּל אינעם העל פֿון טאָג:
ווי זאָל איך דורך דיר זיך דורכטראָגן, זיך ברענגען,
לאַנד — היים־לאַנד, זאָג.
ווי פֿיל אָפּצוחלומען אַ מענטש דאַרף יאָרן
כּדי צו קומען און דערזען דײַן וואָר:
צו דערשפּירן אין דײַן הויט גערוך פֿון קאָרן,
שאַרף פֿון שוואַרצן ברויט אין דײַנע האָר.
און אַרומכאַפּן מיט אַרעמס דײַנע קנעכלעך,
ווי מען כאַפּט אַוועקטראָגן צום דרעש אַ סנאָפּ:
שניי און לידער, — און די אויגן־דעכלעך
ווי הסכּמות לאָזן זיך אַראָפּ.
Tsfundiker shlyakh
In di orems dayne nem arayn, farklamer,
tsfundiker, glidkendiker shlyakh.
Gut iz unter dayne shtern — serp un hamer,
Rusland, unter dayn tseshtrlatn dakh.
S'ligt a tishtukh shoyn oyf dayne tishn, Rusland,
unter dayne shneyen vart geviks:
borsht vi vayroykh roykhert zikh fun dayne shislen,
un dayn hant a gopl heybt onshtot a biks.
Nit sheyn iz efsher kumen oyf a greytn moltsayt,
nokh moeser nit grirn gebentshtn vayn,
un oyb ikh ken nit vi mekhutonem shtolts zayn, —
tsvishn dayn kapelye zol ikh badkhn zayn.
Zol ikh oyfrufen tsu freylekhs mayne yorn,
tsu a nigun fun an andershikn trot —
shtaygndike yontevdike porn
in a vaysn a tseshpiltn karahod.
Shvaygndike lider
Shvaygndike lider oyf di beymer hengen —
vinterdike epl inem hel fun tog:
vi zol ikh durkh dir zikh dukhtrogn, zikh brengen,
land — heym-land, zog.
Vi fil optsukholemen a mentsh darf yorn
kdey tsu kumen un derzeen dayn vor:
tsu dershpirn in dayn hoyt geruekh fun korn,
sharf fun shvartsn broyt in dayne hor.
Un arumkhapn mit arems dayne knekhlek,
vi men khapt avektrogn tsum dresh a snop:
shney un lider, — un di oygn-dekhlekh
vi haskomes lozn zikh arop.
Northern Road
Into your arms take in, embrace,
northern, limb-warming road.
Good is it under your stars — sickle and hammer,
Russia, under your radiant roof.
A tablecloth already lies on your tables, Russia,
under your snows vegetation waits:
borscht like incense smokes from your bowls,
and your hand lifts a fork instead of a rifle.
Not nice is it perhaps to come to a ready meal,
not to stir after blessing the blessed wine,
and if I cannot be proud like an in-law, —
among your musicians let me be a jester.
Let me call my years to merry dances,
to a melody of a different step —
rising holiday couples
in a white, played-out khorovod.
Silent Songs
Silent songs hang on the trees —
winter apples in the brightness of day:
how shall I carry myself through you, bring myself,
land — homeland, say.
How many years of dreaming off a person needs
in order to come and see your truth:
to feel in your skin the smell of grain,
sharpness of black bread in your hair.
And to embrace with arms your ankles,
as one grabs to carry a sheaf to the threshing:
snow and songs, — and the eyelids
like approvals descend.
Page 324. 'Tsfundiker shlyakh' (Northern Road): The speaker embraces the 'glidkendiker shlyakh' (limb-warming road). Under stars of 'serp un hamer' (sickle and hammer), Russia has 'tseshtrlatn dakh' (radiant roof). 'A tishtukh shoyn oyf dayne tishn' (tablecloth on your tables) — Russia has become domestic. 'Borsht vi vayroykh' (borscht like incense), 'gopl... onshtot a biks' (fork instead of rifle) — peace after revolution. The speaker can't be proud 'vi mekhutonem' (like an in-law) — he hasn't earned his place — so let him be 'badkhn' (jester) among the musicians. He'll call his years to 'freylekhs' (merry dances), 'yontevdike porn' (holiday couples) in a 'karahod' (Russian folk dance). 'Shvaygndike lider' (Silent Songs): Songs hang like 'vinterdike epl' (winter apples) on trees. The speaker asks how to carry himself through 'land — heym-land' (land — homeland). Years of 'optsukholemen' (dreaming off) needed to reach 'dayn vor' (your truth), to feel 'geruekh fun korn' (smell of grain), 'shvartsn broyt' (black bread) in hair. To embrace the land's ankles 'vi men khapt... a snop' (as one grabs a sheaf). Eyelids descend 'vi haskomes' (like approvals — rabbinical approbations).
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