אַלטמאָדיש
Old-Fashioned
Work 216 of 440
Page 267. Beginning of the 'Altmodish' (Old-Fashioned) cycle, a bitter meditation on the unchanging nature of human cruelty. The 'altmodishe' are the eternal verities of persecution: murder, imprisonment, betrayal. The 'nekhtiker bruder' (yesterday's brother) turns with 'gal oyf di lipn' (gall on lips) and 'nodlen-shvartsaplen' (needle-pupils) — sharp, hostile eyes. The refrain 'azoy vi geven' (just as it was) emphasizes nothing has changed 'fun eybik' (from eternity). Power remains with the strong, truth with the betrayed. The poem's self-deprecating conclusion calls its own speech 'altmodish' to the point of nausea, its song shameful — yet Leivick continues to sing the 'altmodish' truths precisely because they remain true.
אַלטמאָדיש
דאָס אַלטמאָדישע פֿון דער וועלט
דאָס אַלטמאָדישע פֿון דער וועלט:
מאָרד, געפֿאַנגענשאַפֿט, הינריכטונג,
פֿאַרראָט, אָפּזאָג.
פֿאַרראָט פֿון דעם נאָענטסטן,
אָפּזאָג פֿון דעם געליבסטן:
מיטן רוקן אַוועקגעדרייט,
מיט גאַל אויף די ליפּן,
מיט נאָדלען־שוואַרצאַפּלען —
שטייט דער נעכטיקער ברודער. —
אַזוי ווי געווען
אַזוי ווי עס וואָלט גאָרנישט געשען
פֿון אייביק.
און דער שטאַרקער איז נאָך אַלץ דער מאַכטהאָבער,
און דער מאַכטהאָבער איז נאָך אַלץ אַ רשע,
און דער אמת איז נאָך אַלץ בײַם פֿאַרראָטענעם,
און ניט בײַם פֿאַררעטער:
און גערעכט איז נאָך אַלץ דער געפּײַניקטער,
און ניט דער פּײַניקער.
אַזוי ווי געווען.
אַזוי ווי עס וואָלט גאָרנישט געשען
פֿון אייביק.
אַלטמאָדישע רייד
ביז צום איבל:
אַלטמאָדיש געזאַנג
ביז צו פֿאַרשעמט ווערן. —
Altmodish
Dos altmodishe fun der velt
Dos altmodishe fun der velt:
mord, gefangenshaft, hinrikhtung,
farot, opzog.
Farot fun dem noentstn,
opzog fun dem gelibstn:
mitn rukn avekgedreyt,
mit gal oyf di lipn,
mit nodlen-shvartsaplen —
shteyt der nekhtiker bruder. —
Azoy vi geven
azoy vi es volt gornisht geshen
fun eybik.
Un der shtarker iz nokh alts der makhthober,
un der makhthober iz nokh alts a roshe,
un der emes iz nokh alts baym farotenem,
un nit baym fareter:
un gerekht iz nokh alts der gepayniker,
un nit der payniker.
Azoy vi geven.
Azoy vi es volt gornisht geshen
fun eybik.
Altmodishe reyd
biz tsum ibl:
altmodish gezang
biz tsu farshemt vern. —
Old-Fashioned
The Old-Fashioned of the World
The old-fashioned of the world:
murder, imprisonment, execution,
betrayal, rejection.
Betrayal by the closest one,
rejection by the most beloved:
with back turned away,
with gall on the lips,
with needle-pupils —
stands yesterday's brother. —
Just as it was,
as if nothing had happened
from eternity.
And the strong one is still the power-holder,
and the power-holder is still a wicked one,
and the truth is still with the betrayed,
and not with the betrayer:
and righteous is still the tormented one,
and not the tormentor.
Just as it was.
As if nothing had happened
from eternity.
Old-fashioned speech
to the point of nausea:
old-fashioned song
to the point of being shamed. —
Page 267. Beginning of the 'Altmodish' (Old-Fashioned) cycle, a bitter meditation on the unchanging nature of human cruelty. The 'altmodishe' are the eternal verities of persecution: murder, imprisonment, betrayal. The 'nekhtiker bruder' (yesterday's brother) turns with 'gal oyf di lipn' (gall on lips) and 'nodlen-shvartsaplen' (needle-pupils) — sharp, hostile eyes. The refrain 'azoy vi geven' (just as it was) emphasizes nothing has changed 'fun eybik' (from eternity). Power remains with the strong, truth with the betrayed. The poem's self-deprecating conclusion calls its own speech 'altmodish' to the point of nausea, its song shameful — yet Leivick continues to sing the 'altmodish' truths precisely because they remain true.
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