Poems Found In Translation: “Abraham Sutzkever: Charred Pearls (From Yiddish)” |
Posted: 11 Nov 2016 10:39 PM PST
Charred Pearls
By Abraham Sutzkever Translated by A.Z. Foreman It's not because my words quaver in pangs Like hands that grasp out, broken, for salvation — And not because they hone themselves like fangs Aprowl in dark for prey and satiation, That you fan air upon my coals of rage. No, written word, Replacement for my world afire. It is because your sounds glint off the page Like charred pearls Discovered in a now-extinguished pyre. And no one - not even I - ground up by time Can recognize the woman drenched in flame. All that is left of her now, of her prime Are pearls charred grey in ashes with no name. Vilna Ghetto, July 28th, 1943 The Original:
פֿ×Ö·×¨×‘×¨×¢× ×˜×¢ פּערל
××‘Ö¿×¨×”× ×¡×•×¦×§×¢×•×•×¢×¨
× ×™×˜ דערפֿ×ַר װײַל ×ž×²Ö·× ×¢ װערטער ×°×ַרפֿן זיך
גלײַך ×°×™ ×”×¢× ×˜ צעבר×Ö¸×›×¢× ×¢ × ×ָך ×¨×¢×˜×•× ×’,
× ×™×˜ דערפֿ×ַר, װײַל ×¦×²× ×¢×¨×“×™×§ זײ ש×ַרפֿן זיך
צו ×Ö· לײַב ×ין ×¤Ö¿×™× ×¦×˜×¢×¨× ×™×©, — × ×ָך ×–×¢×˜×•× ×’, —
בל×ָזסטו ××±×£ די קױלן פֿון מײַן גרימצ×ָרן,
דו געשריבן ×°×ָרט, — מײַן װעלטס פֿ×ַרבײַטער;
× ×ָר דערפֿ×ַר, װײַל ×“×²Ö·× ×¢ קל×Ö·× ×’×¢×Ÿ גלימצערן
×°×™ פֿ×Ö·×¨×‘×¨×¢× ×˜×¢ פּערל
× ×ָך ×ַן ×ױסגעצ×Ö·× ×§×˜×Ÿ שײַטער,
×ון ×§×²× ×¢×¨ — ×ױך × ×™×˜ ×יך — דורך טעג ×¦×¢×¨×™×‘×¢× ×¢×¨,
×“×¢×¨×§×¢× ×˜ שױן × ×™×˜ די פֿרױ ×ין פֿל×Ö·× ×’×¢×°×ַשן,
וו×ָס פֿון ×ַלע פֿריידן ××™×– געבליבן ×יר
גר×ָ־פֿ×Ö·×¨×‘×¨×¢× ×˜×¢ פּערל ×ין די ×ַשן — —
×•×•×™×œ× ×¢×¨ געט×Ö¸
28סטן יולי
1943
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