Old Age
By Jacob Glatstein
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
Thin and see-through,
The affections of old age. At length
You move precariously, unsure
On your limbs as on the earth.
Calculating away
You are economizing your strength,
And sense the sting of every destined day.
You regret having overlooked the view
Of so many sunsets in your climb.
And flowers, trees and grass
Incise their thorny songs in you.
You tread life like glass.
Shadows get a deeper meaning to your mind.
You receive a cool smile like a gift. You grow
Stingy with God's flowing1 bounty of time.
1- the word שפֿע shéfe "abundance" is a heavily loaded word, made all the more salient in the Yiddish poem by being the only word of non-Germanic origin in the text. It connotes plenitude, but also — in Hebrew— flowing, e.g. the divine flow of plenty which energizes the world, the divine flow of goodness bestowed on the righteous, etc.
By Jacob Glatstein
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
Thin and see-through,
The affections of old age. At length
You move precariously, unsure
On your limbs as on the earth.
Calculating away
You are economizing your strength,
And sense the sting of every destined day.
You regret having overlooked the view
Of so many sunsets in your climb.
And flowers, trees and grass
Incise their thorny songs in you.
You tread life like glass.
Shadows get a deeper meaning to your mind.
You receive a cool smile like a gift. You grow
Stingy with God's flowing1 bounty of time.
1- the word שפֿע shéfe "abundance" is a heavily loaded word, made all the more salient in the Yiddish poem by being the only word of non-Germanic origin in the text. It connotes plenitude, but also — in Hebrew— flowing, e.g. the divine flow of plenty which energizes the world, the divine flow of goodness bestowed on the righteous, etc.
The Original:
עלטער
יעקבֿ גלאַטשטיין
דין און דורכזיכטיק
די ליבשאַפֿט פֿון עלטערע יאָרן.
באַוועגסט זיך אומזיכער
אויף לײַב ווי אויף ערד.
מיט רעכענונג געמסטו די קראַפֿט דײַנע שפּאָרן,
דערשפּירסט דעם שטאָך פֿון יעדער טאָג
וואָס איז דיר באַשערט.
ס׳איז דיר אַ שאָד וואָס האָסט פֿאַרזען
אַזוי פֿיל זונפֿאַרגאַנגען.
און בלומען, ביימער און גראָז
קריצן אײַן אין דיר דאָרניקע געזאַנגען.
טרעטסט אויפֿן לעבן ווי אויף גלאָז.
שאָטנס קריגן פֿאַר דיר אַ טיפֿן באַטײַט,
געמסט אָן אַ קילן שמייכל ווי אַ געשאַנק.
ווערסט קאַרג אויף גאָטס שפֿע פֿון צײַט.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment