Safe Room
Agi Mishol
Now that death creeps all around
And the pecans are bursting their shells,
I hide within Hebrew.
Nothing will befall me in innocent writing,
Nothing will befall me
If I am absorbed into the letters,
If I don't go outside the line -
Shrunk to a small dot
Stuffed inside an O
Or in the belly of a C,
A semi-colon dripping tears
Like a captive.
Beloved holy tongue -
Now that everything is in its own time
And everything now is horror,
When the orchard stretches out
And the earth is plowed,
I do only what Rilke says:
Let beauty and horror happen to me
Without thinking
That this is the end.
Translated from the Hebrew by Barbara Mann.
Seomra Sábháilte
Agus an bás ag téaltú thart anois
is na cnónna peacáin ag pléascadh as a mblaosc
Téimse i bhfolach san Eabhrais.
Ní imeoidh aon ní orm istigh i scríbhinn shaonta,
Ní imeoidh aon ní orm más súite isteach sna litreacha atáim,
Mura dtéim thar an líne -
Craptha im' phonc beag
Sáite isteach in O
Nó i mbolg C,
Leathstad ag sileadh deor
Ar nós cime.
A theanga bheannaithe, a théagair -
Anois is gach aon ní ina am féin
Agus gach aon ní anois ina uafás,
An t-úllord ag síneadh amach
Agus an talamh treafa,
Ní dheinimse ach de réir Rilke:
Ligim don áilleacht is don uafás tarlú dom
Gan a shamhlú
Gurb é seo an clabhsúr.
Irish: Gabriel Rosenstock
SAUF CHAUMER
Nou thit daith skooks aw aroond
an the pecans'r brustin thair shalls
ah dern wi'in Hebrew.
Naethin wull befaw me in saikless scrievin,
naethin wull befaw me
gin ah'm oot ower the lugs intae the letters,
gin a dinnae gae ootside the line -
Shilpit tae a peerie dot
Stappit inby an O
Or in the wame o a C,
a semi-colon blirtin
Lik yin jylt.
Lief haly tung -
Nou thit awthing's in'ts ain tyme
An awthing nou gars us grue,
Whan the orchard raxes oot
An the yirth is plooed,
Ah dae anely whit Rilke tells:
Lat bonnieness an grue cum ower me
Wi'oot jalousin
This is the hinnerend.