Abraham Sutzkever Poems

Hit Title Date Added
1.
A Wagon Of Shoes

The wheels they drag and drag on,
What do they bring, and whose?
They bring along a wagon
Filled with throbbing shoes.
...

2.
Frozen Jews

Did you ever see in fields of snow
Frozen Jews, in row upon row?

Breathless they lie, marbled and blue.
...

3.
A Trip Through Africa

All the noises, all the sounds, asleep.
Under seven streams sleeps fear.
And the elephant, so deep in sleep,
That you can sneak up, cut off his ear.
...

4.
Dawn

Signs of paws — an animal has sown
Like blue roses in the white snow's gleam,
When the sun, new risen and unknown,
Like a baby, casts its piercing scream —
...

5.
Grains Of Wheat

Caves, gape open,
Split open under my ax!
Before the bullet hits me —
I bring you gifts in sacks.
...

6.
Smoke Of Jewish Children

Only smoke, smoke, hovering smoke,
Dead children — puffs of living smoke.

They call: Mama, mama! from the smoke,
...

7.
Gather Me In

Gather me in from all the ends of time, from wood and stone,
Embrace me like letters of a burning prayerbook.
Gather me together — so I can be alone,
Alone with you, and you — in all my limbs.
...

8.
Execution

Digging a pit as one must, as they say.
I seek in the earth a solace today.

A thrust and a cut — and a worm gives a start:
...

9.
Stalks

Two years I longed for stalks,
Silent stalks in a familiar field.
When I struggled in the vise
That caught me
...

10.
From Old And Young Manuscripts

And it will be at the end of days,
And thus it will happen: the son of man
Will bring to his hungry mouth
Neither bread nor meat,
...

Close
Error Success