Woman with Shells – La Mer (The Sea) and La Mere (The Mother). Ruth Davidson Abrams. Oil on canvas. 1956. Yeshiva University Museum. I Am Womanby Malka Heifetz Tussmantranslated from the Yiddish by Marcia Falk I am the exalted Rachelwhose love lit the way for Rabbi Akiba. I am the small, bashful village girlwho grew up among the tall poplarsand blushed at the “Good…
1919by Jacob Glatstein (Yankev Glatshteyn)translated by Kathryn Hellerstein and Benjamin Harshav Lately, there’s no trace leftOf Yankl, son of Yitskhok,But for a tiny round dotThat rolls crazily through the streetsWith hooked-on, clumsy limbs.The lord-above surroundedThe whole world with heaven-blueAnd there is no escape.Everywhere “Extras!” fall from aboveAnd squash my watery head.And someone’s long tongueHas stained my glasses for good with a smear of red,And…
Hans Wolfgang Schwerin. Click on images above for enlarged views. Pictures of the poet; a copy of his published volume of poetry (Irdische Heimat); a poem from this volume; the poet’s dedication of the book to the Leo Baeck Institute; a binder that contains his personal notes/drafts; a typewritten poem from that binder; the cover of the Mass und Werte issue in which his work appeared; a copy…
Today is “Shakespeare Day,” or the day that is known as the birth date and death date of William Shakespeare. Did you know that Shakespeare’s works have been translated into Yiddish for the education and enjoyment of Yiddish-speakers? In honor of Shakespeare and National Poetry Month, you can enjoy the famous Sonnet 18 in Yiddish (above) – available online by clicking here. You might…