ס׳איז דאָ אַזאַ געזאַנג
There Is Such a Song
Work 307 of 440
Page 364. 'S'iz do aza gezang' (There Is Such a Song): sung 'on verter' (without words), with closed mouth to the earth. Not always 'bashert' (destined — Yiddish/Hebrew) to be understood. When he hears the other's voice say 'faynlekh, onsufik' (hostile, endless), he takes the blame. He wants to sing 'dos gezang fun undzer letstn geduld' (the song of our last patience — Hebrew 'geduld'). Wings grow only 'oyf der shvel fun toyt' (on the threshold of death). Bolder people come, will change everything — 'azoy iz gut' (so it is good). 'Du' (You): moon and stars drawn 'vi hungerike' (like hungry ones) to a small room 'vi a tfise-tsel' (like a prison-cell — Hebrew 'tfise'). A man lies 'vi a knup fun shtrik' (like a knot of rope), seeing what only moon and stars see: 'glik' (happiness). His teeth chatter from happiness. A voice says 'du' (you). He wanders in white cold, wanting to kneel 'far alemens oygn' (before everyone's eyes) and give himself 'vi broyt... der hungeriker velt' (like bread to the hungry world).
ס׳איז דאָ אַזאַ געזאַנג
ס׳איז דאָ אַזאַ געזאַנג, וואָס איך זינג אָן ווערטער;
מיט פֿאַרמאַכטן מויל צוגעפֿאַלן צו דער ערד:
צו זײַן אַ פֿאַרשטאַנענער, צו זײַן אַ דערהערטער
איז מיר ניט אַלעמאָל באַשערט.
און אַז איך הער דײַן קול: „אָ, ווי פֿײַנלעך, אָנסופֿיק
S'iz do aza gezang
S'iz do aza gezang, vos ikh zing on verter;
mit farmakhtn moyl tsugefuln tsu der erd:
tsu zayn a farshtanener, tsu zayn a derherter
iz mir nit alemol bashert.
Un az ikh her dayn kol: „o, vi faynlekh, onsufik", —
nem ikh oyf zikh far ale faynen di shuld:
un ikh vil eyn zakh — khotsh derzingen strofik
dos gezang fun undzer letstn geduld.
Shoyn, dukht zikh, tsayt alts farshteyn un farziglen,
un dos umgeduld farshparn oyf a keyt —
zaynen nokh faran ober azoyne fliglen
vos vaksn oys ersht oyf der shvel fun toyt.
Es kumen on, ringlen undz arum fun ale zaytn
mentshn draystere mit an ander mut,
zey baytn iber alts, veln oykh undz farbaytn.
Lomir zingen tsu zey: azoy iz gut, gut.
Du
Vi groys es zaynen nit di gasn un di skvers —
nokh alts tsu a kleyn tsimerl, vi a tfise-tsel,
vi hungerike tsien zikh di levone un di shtern.
Un zaynen gliklekh tsu aniderleygn zikh bay der same shvel.
Oyf a bet in vinkl ligt a mentsh, an eyner,
er ligt an oyfgedreyter, vi a knup fun shtrik;
un in der oyfgedreytkayt zet er, vos es zet nit keyner,
vos nor di levone un di shtern zeen: — glik.
Er shmekhlt, un es klapn im fun glik di tseyner,
un di finger tsien zikh tsu emetsn tsu:
un es zogt a kol tsu im, vi es zogt nit keyner,
vos nor di levone un di shtern zogn: — „du".
Es vert im heymlekh alts vos oyf der erd un eygn
er vandert iber der shtot avek in vayser kelt,
un es vilt zikh im aniderkni-en far alemens oygn.
Un vi broyt zikh opgeben der hungeriker velt.
There Is Such a Song
There is such a song, that I sing without words;
with closed mouth fallen down to the earth:
to be one who is understood, to be one who is heard
is not always destined for me.
And when I hear your voice: "oh, how hostile, endless", —
I take upon myself the blame for all hostilities:
and I want one thing — at least to sing strophically
the song of our last patience.
It seems already time to understand and seal everything,
and to chain up impatience on a chain —
but there are still such wings
that grow only on the threshold of death.
They come, encircle us from all sides
bolder people with a different courage,
they change everything over, will also change us.
Let us sing to them: so it is good, good.
You
However great the streets and the squares —
still to a small room, like a prison-cell,
like hungry ones the moon and the stars are drawn.
And are happy to lie down at the very threshold.
On a bed in a corner lies a person, a single one,
he lies twisted up, like a knot of rope;
and in the twisted-upness he sees, what no one sees,
what only the moon and the stars see: — happiness.
He smiles, and from happiness his teeth chatter,
and the fingers reach out toward someone:
and a voice says to him, as no one says,
what only the moon and the stars say: — "you."
Everything on earth becomes homely and his own
he wanders through the city in white cold,
and he wants to kneel before everyone's eyes.
And like bread give himself to the hungry world.
Page 364. 'S'iz do aza gezang' (There Is Such a Song): sung 'on verter' (without words), with closed mouth to the earth. Not always 'bashert' (destined — Yiddish/Hebrew) to be understood. When he hears the other's voice say 'faynlekh, onsufik' (hostile, endless), he takes the blame. He wants to sing 'dos gezang fun undzer letstn geduld' (the song of our last patience — Hebrew 'geduld'). Wings grow only 'oyf der shvel fun toyt' (on the threshold of death). Bolder people come, will change everything — 'azoy iz gut' (so it is good). 'Du' (You): moon and stars drawn 'vi hungerike' (like hungry ones) to a small room 'vi a tfise-tsel' (like a prison-cell — Hebrew 'tfise'). A man lies 'vi a knup fun shtrik' (like a knot of rope), seeing what only moon and stars see: 'glik' (happiness). His teeth chatter from happiness. A voice says 'du' (you). He wanders in white cold, wanting to kneel 'far alemens oygn' (before everyone's eyes) and give himself 'vi broyt... der hungeriker velt' (like bread to the hungry world).
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