A. Sutzkever: Selected Poetry and Prose [Translated from the Yiddish. Reprint 2019] 9780520342866

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A.

Siitzkever

A. Sutzkever Selected Poetry and Prode

T R A N S L A T E D FROM THE Y I D D I S H BY

Barbara and Benjamin Hardhav W I T H A N I N T R O D U C T I O N BY B E N J A M I N HARSHAV

U N I V E R S I T Y OF C A L I F O R N I A PRESS BERKELEY, LOS ANGELES, O X F O R D

University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press Oxford, England Copyright © 1991 by The Regents of the University of California Libraiy of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication D a t a Sutzkever, Abraham, 1913[Selections. English. 1991] A. Sutzkever : selected prose and poetry / translated from the Yiddish by Barbara and Benjamin Harshav ; with an introduction by Benjamin Harshav. p. cm. I S B N 0-520-06539-5 1. Sutzkever, Abraham, 1913- —Translations, English. I. Harshav, Barbara, 1940. II. Harshav, Benjamin, 1928- . III. Title. PJ5129.S86A24 1991 8 3 9 0 9 1 3 - dc20

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The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences —Permanence of Paper for Printed Libraiy Materials, A N S I Z39.48-1984 @

Contentj

Sutzkever: Life and Poetry

Poem* from My Diary

(1974-1985)

33

W h o will r e m a i n , w h a t will r e m a i n ? A w i n d will stay b e h i n d .

34

In t h e o r c h e s t r a , w e a r e t h e notes, j u s t t h e notes,

54

Explain? H o w to explain? W h e n here

35

S o f t c u r v i n g air, a r a i n of r i c e .

36

M y w a n d e r i n g fingers c a m e t o g e t h e r . T h e y k n e a d

37

Trees are m a d e into wonderful paper. And I — the reverse:

38

The mumble-hieroglyphics on y o u r face are t r u e

39

A white hair separates our ways.

40

A f u n e r a l b y day, a c o n c e r t b y n i g h t .

41

H o r i z o n — r a g i n g salt. C a r a v a n s of c a m e l s , b r o o d i n g

41

S t r e a m i n g m u s c l e s of d e a t h in t h e d e s e r t : d u n e s .

42

H o w old a r e y o u , g r a s s e s ?

•43

T h e r e d b r i c k s of y o u r b o d y — y o u f o r g o t t h e i r h o u s e ,

44

T h e clay of t i m e g r e w soft. S u n s e t a f t e r s u n s e t

•45

h n ' t — w h a t a w o r d ! N o r h y m e or reason

•45

A t r e e is b o r n o u t of a seed, a fiddle is b o r n o u t of a tree,

•46

You s e p a r a t e d m o m e n t , like y o u r sister

CONTENTS

V

47

^fou say: There is no God. No world creator.

47

Memory of a stroll with Marc Chagall. Flamboyant

•48

Remembrance of three flamingos at Lake Victoria,

49

The chopped-off hand belongs to me, my catch

50

Ever since my pious mother ate earth on ^fom Kippur,

50

No more, the green eyes from long long ago. Green

51

The biting tartness of the last cranberry

52

Tell me, what did you expect to see, prying

52

The same saw that sliced my body seven times, part after part —

53

In laughing solitude, in a flea market in Paris,

54

Is it from a moving train: I see the trees in snow

55

The far-away comes close. After all journeys, all adventures,

Twin Brother

56

My twin brother in the red dunes of a mirror,

57

You are my second I: my first friend,

57

Too late?

57

Twin brother in the red dunes of a mirror,

58

Yju are not older by a year, you are a lifetime older.

58

There is a forest where fireflies wing,

59

Twin-brother,

PART ONE: POETRY

Blond Dawn

(1934-1937)

63

Away from the Four Walls

64

Here I Am

65

In the Knapsack of the Wind

66

from Autumn Dances

67

Gypsy Autumn

VI

CONTENTS

68

A S t a c k of H a y

69

T h e G a t e s of the G h e t t o

Siberia (1936) 75

In the H u t

77

Dawn

78

Recognition

79

Like a Sled B e d e c k e d with L o n g i n g Bells

80

A F u r of F i r e

80

In a S i b e r i a n Forest

82

To Father

83

Irtysh

85

Snowman

87

Siberian Spring

88

Kirghizes

88

M y Childhood Friend Changury

90

At the B o n f i r e

91

The North Star

Front the Forest (1937-1939) 95

All is w o r t h y of t h e r o a m i n g of my eye,

96

F r o m the Forest

97

Lost N e s t

CONTENTS

VU

98

Landscape

98

R a i n of Colors a n d Flowers

100

Electrical C o n t e n t

101

In a S u m m e r M o r n i n g

104

S t a r s B e c o m e Sheaves

105

Sirius

105

O n a Mountaintop

108

Beyond the S u n

108

M y Temples A r e T h r o b b i n g

from

Ecattutiej

110

Imprisoned, imprisoned

111

Like a rain on a field all of a s u d d e n

111

W h e n w i t h eyes s h u t

Epilogue to the Forest

115

War

115

Anthill

116

Gray Time

117

Madness

117

In a G a r d e n

VUL

CONTENTS

(1939-1940)

Facej in Swamp.) (June-July

122

Faces in s w a m p s

122

S e r p e n t s of d a r k n e s s

123

Leaves of a s h

124

A b o v e — in a d e a t h s w o r d p l a y

124

S o o n it will h a p p e n !

125

T h e circus

Written in Vilna Ghetto

1941)

(1941-1943)

133

They Search

134

A P a c k of M u s i c

135

Execution

136

Am I Guilty

137

A D a y in the H a n d s of the S t o r m t r o o p e r s

Three Ro.te