Uncle Jazzbeau’s Gallimaufrey

the wolf, part 4

Has it really been almost six months since my last installment of Leivick’s der volf? A damned shame: I shall try for weekly entries from now on.

un vi der rov hot gekukt mit zayne ofene oygn
azoy hobn di mili-milasn shtern
genumen raysn zikh un shlogn zikh ayne on di andere
un ibergeshpoltn ayne di andere,
biz zay zaynen gevorn ibershlungen in der fintsternish.

un az der rov hot gezen vi zay vern oysgeloshn,
hot es im nisht geart un er hot vayter gekukt.
un az ayn shtern, der Letster, hot zikh ayngeakshnt
un nisht gevolt farloshn vern,
hot der rov oysgeshtrekt zayn rekhte hant
un getaytlt mit a finger, biz der shtern
iz gevorn grin un gel un royt,
un alts nisht gevolt farloshn vern.

hot der rov arunterglozt zayn rekhte hant
un aroyfgelaygt zi oyf zayne bayde oygen,
vayl es hot im nisht geart mer farn letstn shtern,
un di hant iz gelegn oyf zayne oygn,
biz zi iz aruntergefaln alayn tsu der erd tsu,
vayl zayne bremen hobn ongehoybn ayntsudremlen.

[Addendum 12/07/04: Thanks to Zackary Sholem Berger for the corrections and emendations.] Previous part 3.

And as the rabbi watched with his open eyes
so did the myriads of stars
begin to quarrel and fight with one another
and split each other in half,
until they had been swallowed in the darkness.

And as the rabbi saw how they were extinguished,
he no longer cared and kept looking.
And as a star, the last one, grew stubborn
and did not want to disappear,
the rabbi stretched out his right hand
and pointed with his finger, until the star
became black and blue and red,
and still did not want to be extinguished.

And the rabbi lowered his right hand
and laid it on both his eyes,
because it did not concern him any further, the last star,
and the hand laid on his eyes,
until it fell by itself down to the earth,
because his eyebrows had begun to doze.

I’m afraid it’s going to take more than 23 installments (which is the number of pages in my copy of his works). Perhaps if I only attempt three or four stanzas I won’t be overwhelmed by it.