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— מיר האָבן שוין אָפּגעשאַלט.

— We have already finished roaring.

Work 168 of 440

Page 209. 'Di Shtal' Sections KAF-HEY conclusion, KAF-VAV, and KAF-ZAYIN — the animals rest, the brother returns, refugees huddle: The four beasts respond: 'We have already finished roaring. We have already finished flying. We have already finished chasing.' Under the fugitive's protection, 'the silence is sweet to us.' But let King David's instruments not be silent — 'Higher shall they play, higher shall they chime, from now and forever.' Section KAF-VAV (26): 'With a heart full of song and eyes full of dream,' the younger brother leaves the hillock, runs back to tell the older brothers what he saw and heard. Section KAF-ZAYIN (27): Return to the refugees in the forest. Fires of dry thorns, stretching tongue-like, 'warm and lull to sleep the women, who cannot be as strong as men, and cannot hold back the weeping.' The transition from mystical vision back to harsh reality of pogrom refugees.

Yiddish Original

— מיר האָבן שוין אָפּגעשאַלט.

— מיר האָבן שוין אָפּגעברומט.

וואָס פֿליסטו נישט נאָכאַמאָל, אָדלער?

וואָס יאָגסטו נישט נאָכאַמאָל, הירש?

— מיר זײַנען שוין דערפֿלויגן.

— מיר האָבן שוין דעריאָגט.

אונטער דער שוץ פֿון דײַן נאָענטקייט,

נעבן דײַנע פֿיס

איז אונדז דאָס שווײַגן זיס.

שווײַגן זאָלן נאָר נישט שווײַגן

די האַרפֿעס,

די פֿידלען,

די צימבלען —

די כּלי־זמר פֿון אונדזער מלך דוד.

העכער זאָלן שפּילן.

העכער זאָלן צימבלען

פֿון הײַנט און אייביק

די כּלי־זמר פֿון אונדזער מלך דוד.

כו

מיט אַ האַרץ פֿול געזאַנג

און מיט אויגן פֿול חלום

האָט דער יינגערער ברודער פֿאַרלאָזן דאָס בערגל,

און געלאָפֿן אין וואַלד אַרײַן צוריק

צו די עלטערע ברידער,

צו דערציילן, וואָס זײַנע אויגן האָבן געזען.

און וואָס זײַנע אויערן האָבן געהערט

אויפֿן בערגל, אויפֿן בערגל.

כז

פֿײַערן פֿונאַנדערגעלייגטע פֿון טרוקענע דערנער,

פֿײַערן ציען זיך צונגענווײַז, צונגענווײַז,

דערוואַרעמען און פֿאַרשלעפֿערן

די פֿרויען, וואָס קענען נישט שטאַרק זײַן ווי מענער,

און קענען אין זיך נישט באַהאַלטן דאָס וויינען —

Transliteration

— Mir hobn shoyn opgeshalт.

— Mir hobn shoyn opgebrumt.

Vos flistu nisht nokhamol, odler?

Vos yogstu nisht nokhamol, hirsh?

— Mir zaynen shoyn derfloygn.

— Mir hobn shoyn deryogt.

Unter der shuts fun dayn noentkeyt,

nebn dayne fis

iz undz dos shvaygn zis.

Shvaygn zoln nor nisht shvaygn

di harfes,

di fidlen,

di tsimblen —

di kley-zemer fun undzer meylekh Dovid.

Hekher zoln shpiln.

Hekher zoln tsimblen

fun haynt un eybik

di kley-zemer fun undzer meylekh Dovid.

KAF-VAV

Mit a harts ful gezang

un mit oygn ful kholem

hot der yingerer bruder farlozn dos bergl,

un gelofn in vald arayn tsurik

tsu di eltere brider,

tsu dertseyln, vos zayne oygn hobn gezen.

Un vos zayne oyern hobn gehert

oyfn bergl, oyfn bergl.

KAF-ZAYIN

Fayern funandergeleyte fun trukene derner,

fayern tsien zikh tsungenvayz, tsungenvayz,

dervaremen un farshlefern

di froyen, vos kenen nisht shtark zayn vi mener,

un kenen in zikh nisht bahaltn dos veynen —

English Translation

— We have already finished roaring.

— We have already finished roaring.

Why don't you fly once more, eagle?

Why don't you chase once more, deer?

— We have already finished flying.

— We have already finished chasing.

Under the protection of your nearness,

beside your feet

the silence is sweet to us.

Be silent shall only not be silent

the harps,

the fiddles,

the cymbals —

the instruments of our King David.

Higher shall they play.

Higher shall they chime

from now and forever

the instruments of our King David.

KAF-VAV

With a heart full of song

and with eyes full of dream

the younger brother left the hillock,

and ran back into the forest

to the older brothers,

to tell what his eyes had seen.

And what his ears had heard

on the hillock, on the hillock.

KAF-ZAYIN

Fires spread out from dry thorns,

fires stretch tongue-wise, tongue-wise,

warm and lull to sleep

the women, who cannot be as strong as men,

and cannot hold back the weeping within themselves —

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

Page 209. 'Di Shtal' Sections KAF-HEY conclusion, KAF-VAV, and KAF-ZAYIN — the animals rest, the brother returns, refugees huddle: The four beasts respond: 'We have already finished roaring. We have already finished flying. We have already finished chasing.' Under the fugitive's protection, 'the silence is sweet to us.' But let King David's instruments not be silent — 'Higher shall they play, higher shall they chime, from now and forever.' Section KAF-VAV (26): 'With a heart full of song and eyes full of dream,' the younger brother leaves the hillock, runs back to tell the older brothers what he saw and heard. Section KAF-ZAYIN (27): Return to the refugees in the forest. Fires of dry thorns, stretching tongue-like, 'warm and lull to sleep the women, who cannot be as strong as men, and cannot hold back the weeping.' The transition from mystical vision back to harsh reality of pogrom refugees.

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— We have already finished roaring. · H. Leivick: Complete Works · Half-Voll Attempts