Covered With Half Of Jerusalem Poem by Abraham Sutzkever

Covered with half of Jerusalem up to
Their breath,
Covered with walls, hanging balconies, up to
The spring of an eye, up to
The genesis of colors —
Covered with stars
Through thin olive branches
Etched on nightmetal
With a needle of silence —
Covered with springs where angels bathe
Before turning into peasants, blacksmiths —
My fingers stretch, strike roots,
For generations,
Stretch and touch, palpable as clay,
Grasp themselves
And all the nonexistent.

1966