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Open Heavens
Work 397 of 440
Page 464. New poem 'Ofene himlen' (Open Heavens): 'vakhike velder' (wakeful forests). Path goes by, 'fardreyt zikh' (turns), 'nidert arunter' (descends), 'fartift zikh' (deepens) into 'hayike felder' (hay fields). Hay 'geshnitn' (cut), smell 'shikhurt' (intoxicates — Slavic). Longing: 's'vilt zikh s'zol kumen a mentsh antkegn' (one wants someone to come toward). Question repeated: 'ver?' (who?). Song begins: 'ver — ver' (who — who). 'Gezang fun hent, fun trit, fun trakhtn un veln' (song of hands, steps, thinking and wanting). Then 'du' (you) repeated. Reference to 'Levi Barditsheverz lid' — Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev's famous Hasidic 'Dudele' (You-song), addressing God directly as 'du' (you). 'Itster iz ovnt' (now it is evening). 'Mistome' (probably — Hebrew 'mistama') it was evening and harvest time then too. Linking present moment to Hasidic mystical address.
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אָפענע הימלען
אָפענע הימלען.
וואַכיקע וועלדער.
דער שליאַך גייט פאַרביי
און פּאַרדרייט זיך,
און נידערט אַרונטער.
דער שליאַך גייט פּאַָרביי
און פּאַרטיפט זיך
אין הייאיקע פעלדער.
דאָס היי ליגט. געשניטן,
און עס שיכורט זיין ריח,
און ס'ווילט זיך ט'זאֶָל קומען
אַ מענטש אַנטקעגן. --
ווער1
אַ מענטש זאָל" קומען אַנטקעגן.
ווער ?
און ווידער און נאָכאָמל :
ווער 1
אַזאַ מין געזאַנג נעמט זיך זינגען:
ווער -- ווער 7 --
געזאַנג פון הענט,
געזאַנג פון טריט,
געזאַנג פון טראַכטן און וועלן,
אַז דו זאָלסט קומען אַנטקעגן --
ווער1
דו זאַלסט קומען אַנטקעגה --
ד
און ווידער און נאָכאַמאֶל --
דה
אַזוי ווי עס זינגט דאָס פאַלק
דו - דו --
אין לוי באַרדיטשעווערס ליד :
דו -- דה --
איצטער איז אָוונטו
מסתמא איז אָוונט אויך דעמאַלט געווען
געשניטן פעלד, --
מסתמא איז דעמאָלט אויך שניטצייט געווען,
Ofene himlen
Ofene himlen.
vakhike velder.
der shlyakh geyt forbay
un fardreyt zikh,
un nidert arunter.
der shlyakh geyt forbay
un fartift zikh
in hayike felder.
dos hey ligt geshnitn,
un es shikhurt zayn reykh,
un s'vilt zikh s'zol kumen
a mentsh antkegn. —
ver?
a mentsh zol kumen antkegn.
ver?
un vider un nokhamol:
ver?
aza min gezang nemt zikh zingen:
ver — ver — —
gezang fun hent,
gezang fun trit,
gezang fun trakhtn un veln,
az du zolst kumen antkegn —
ver?
du zolst kumen antkegn —
du,
un vider un nokhamol —
du,
azoy vi es zingt dos folk
du — du —
in Levi Barditsheverz lid:
du — du. —
itster iz ovnt,
mistome iz ovnt oykh demolt geven,
geshnitn feld, —
mistome iz demolt oykh shnit-tsayt geven,
Open Heavens
Open heavens.
wakeful forests.
the path goes by
and turns,
and descends down.
the path goes by
and deepens itself
into hay fields.
the hay lies cut,
and its smell intoxicates,
and one wants someone to come
toward. —
who?
a person should come toward.
who?
and again and again:
who?
such a song begins to sing:
who — who — —
song of hands,
song of steps,
song of thinking and wanting,
that you should come toward —
who?
you should come toward —
you,
and again and again —
you,
just as the people sings
you — you —
in Levi of Berditchev's song:
you — you. —
now it is evening,
probably it was evening then too,
cut field, —
probably it was harvest time then too,
Page 464. New poem 'Ofene himlen' (Open Heavens): 'vakhike velder' (wakeful forests). Path goes by, 'fardreyt zikh' (turns), 'nidert arunter' (descends), 'fartift zikh' (deepens) into 'hayike felder' (hay fields). Hay 'geshnitn' (cut), smell 'shikhurt' (intoxicates — Slavic). Longing: 's'vilt zikh s'zol kumen a mentsh antkegn' (one wants someone to come toward). Question repeated: 'ver?' (who?). Song begins: 'ver — ver' (who — who). 'Gezang fun hent, fun trit, fun trakhtn un veln' (song of hands, steps, thinking and wanting). Then 'du' (you) repeated. Reference to 'Levi Barditsheverz lid' — Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev's famous Hasidic 'Dudele' (You-song), addressing God directly as 'du' (you). 'Itster iz ovnt' (now it is evening). 'Mistome' (probably — Hebrew 'mistama') it was evening and harvest time then too. Linking present moment to Hasidic mystical address.
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