דאָס ליד איז געבליבן
The Miser’s Place Between roads wildly overgrown, / contained by walls hunched from shame, / with hands tight-fisted as of stone / lives the miser of this place. Read more…
Hannah-Rose Sabbath after eating / her kugl luncheon, / Hanna-Rose is standing at / the mirror in the kitchen. Read more…
Warding Off the Evil Eye Talk (Folk Style) Two gals sitting on a mossy stone / gab about God, grass, and the marvel of horseradish root / which in winter hides with the worm deep in the ground / until it detects the thunder’s sound. Read more…
From the Cycle: Who Knows From Whence My Poem The linden shelters the twilight / like a leaf among its branches, / its flower enfolding the night in a bud / till dawn Read more…
It’s This Night It’s this night and this book and this poem I read / while being birthed, this night had heard my first scream Read more…
Golden Shoes The sun shone brightly in a festive way: / today is the king of Chelm’s birthday. / He observes from the terrace on high / if the folk with the new gift are drawing nigh. Read more…
About Alter Kacyzne (Alter-Sholem Katsizne) Alter-Sholem Kacyzne (Katsizne) (1885-1941) was born in Vilnius (Vilno) to a working-class family. Yiddish was his mameloshen or mother-tongue, but he taught himself Hebrew, Russian, German, Polish, and French. At age 14, he went to work in his uncle’s photography studio in Dnipro (Ekatrinoslav). He became a professional photographer, and documented Jewish life in Poland,… Read more…
From My Childhood Little things snowy white, / round as tiny stars / and sweet as sweet can be, / like saccharine pearls for tea. Read more…
To a little boy in a Jewish village Don’t cry little boy, wipe off your tears, it will soon be good / We will heal the wounds that drip with blood. Read more…
Autumn Between tree and tree exists the sky, / between sky and sky – stars / (everything taking form must ignite and be extinguished…) / leading up to houses along milky roads. Read more…