מיט הונט און פֿערד,
With dog and horse,
Work 353 of 440
Page 411. Continuation of 'Alts iz ru' (All Is Rest): lies 'mit hunt un ferd, mit shlang un flig' (with dog and horse, snake and fly) — one with all creatures 'oyf harter erd' (on hard earth). Hands thrown 'vi a sher' (like scissors). Who wants, who needs? 'Alts shtumt vi got' (all is silent like God) — 'der ker' (the turn): who needs me, who has me? New poem 'Amol vi a blinder' (Sometimes Like a Blind Man): sometimes blind, sometimes 'helzeer' (mute — from 'hals' = throat, voiceless). Goes his way to her. Always comes 'tsum rand fun an opgrunt' (to the edge of an abyss) — always calls to her. She hears 'dos kol' (the voice — Hebrew 'kol') 'vi a zun volt gerufn' (as a sun would call) — celestial intensity of love's cry. 'Di pshutste verter' (the simplest words — Hebrew 'pashut'): 'vu bistu? kum, helf mir' (where are you? come, help me) — elemental human need. The poem itself is constructed of these simplest words.
מיט הונט און פֿערד,
מיט שלאַנג און פֿליג —
אויף האַרטער ערד
ליג, ליג.
די הענט פֿאַרוואָרפֿן
אַזוי ווי אַ שער:
מיך וויל, מיך דאַרף —
ווער? ווער?
אַלץ שטומט ווי גאָט,
און דאָך — דער קער:
מיך דאַרף, מיך האָט —
ווער, ווער?
אַמאָל ווי אַ בלינדער
אַמאָל ווי אַ בלינדער,
אַמאָל ווי אַ העלזעער —
גיי איך מיין וועג
צו דיר.
און אַלעמאָל קום איך
צום ראַנד פֿון אַן אָפּגרונט, —
און אַלעמאָל רוף איך
צו דיר.
און אַלעמאָל הערסטו
דאָס קול פֿון מיין רופֿן,
ווי אַ זון וואָלט גערופֿן
צו דיר.
וואו ביסטו? קום, העלף מיר, —
די פּשוטסטע ווערטער —
אַזוי טו איך רופֿן
צו דיר.
Mit hunt un ferd,
mit shlang un flig —
oyf harter erd
lig, lig.
Di hent farvorfn
azoy vi a sher:
mikh vil, mikh darf —
ver? ver?
Alts shtumt vi got,
un dokh — der ker:
mikh darf, mikh hot —
ver, ver?
Amol vi a blinder
Amol vi a blinder,
amol vi a helzeer —
gey ikh mayn veg
tsu dir.
Un alemol kum ikh
tsum rand fun an opgrunt, —
un alemol ruf ikh
tsu dir.
Un alemol herstu
dos kol fun mayn rufn,
vi a zun volt gerufn
tsu dir.
Vu bistu? kum, helf mir, —
di pshutste verter —
azoy tu ikh rufn
tsu dir.
With dog and horse,
with snake and fly —
on hard earth
lie, lie.
The hands thrown out
like scissors:
who wants me, needs me —
who? who?
All is silent like God,
and yet — the turn:
who needs me, has me —
who, who?
Sometimes Like a Blind Man
Sometimes like a blind man,
sometimes like a mute —
I go my way
to you.
And every time I come
to the edge of an abyss, —
and every time I call
to you.
And every time you hear
the voice of my calling,
as if a sun would call
to you.
Where are you? come, help me, —
the simplest words —
so do I call
to you.
Page 411. Continuation of 'Alts iz ru' (All Is Rest): lies 'mit hunt un ferd, mit shlang un flig' (with dog and horse, snake and fly) — one with all creatures 'oyf harter erd' (on hard earth). Hands thrown 'vi a sher' (like scissors). Who wants, who needs? 'Alts shtumt vi got' (all is silent like God) — 'der ker' (the turn): who needs me, who has me? New poem 'Amol vi a blinder' (Sometimes Like a Blind Man): sometimes blind, sometimes 'helzeer' (mute — from 'hals' = throat, voiceless). Goes his way to her. Always comes 'tsum rand fun an opgrunt' (to the edge of an abyss) — always calls to her. She hears 'dos kol' (the voice — Hebrew 'kol') 'vi a zun volt gerufn' (as a sun would call) — celestial intensity of love's cry. 'Di pshutste verter' (the simplest words — Hebrew 'pashut'): 'vu bistu? kum, helf mir' (where are you? come, help me) — elemental human need. The poem itself is constructed of these simplest words.
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