Resurrection Poem by Abraham Sutzkever

I searched for the Shofar of Messiah
In specks of grass, in scorched cities,
To awaken my friends. And thus spake
My soul of bones:
See, I glow
Inside you,
Why look for me outside?

And in my great
Forged rage,
I ripped my spirit from my body
Like a sharp horn
Of a living animal
And began to blow:
Tekiya,
Shevorim.
Come to life, the world is now free.
Leave your not-being in the graves
And leap out with blessing.
See how pure
The stars are rocking for your sake!
But the earth — like a river —
Flowed away with grass and stone,
And human words I heard:
— We don't want, go away, your earth is foul!

— From the punishment of living we were once freed!
— We don't need your time,
Your blind limping time,
And not the stars —
Our non-light glimmers brighter!
— Reality, that's us,
Vanish, cursed dream!
Gambled away, played out is your war.

Only one, with a voice unheard
Like the blooming of a forest, called to me,
Yearning: Redeem me, destined one — —

— Who are you, that your command should be heard?

And grass language answered me: God.
I once lived in your word.

Moscow, 1945