Very interesting- a difficult poem to translate.
Poems of Nelly Sachs in English
If someone rises from the rocks
wielding the sun disk against the foe
when the rootless trickling riddles of tears
foretell for these eyes only
crosswise –
then are let loose
the lionesses of tormented hearts
to devour the mark of Cain
crosswise –
until the wounds wittingly
flow in the brother’s blood
crosswise –
Steigt einer aus den Steinen
die Sonnenscheibe dem Feind vorhaltend
wenn die wurzellos rinnenden Rätsel der Tränen
unter vier Augen wahrsagen
kreuzweis –
die Löwinnen der Herzensqualen
losgelassen warden
zu verschlingen die Kainszeichen
kreuzweis –
bis die Wunden wissend
im Bruderblut fliessen
kreuzweis –
Comment:
It’s been a long time since I added to these translations, but as I now have some followers, I feel duty bound to reward their fidelity with new contributions. Thank you for your interest.
My original aim was to post 100 poems in translation here. Then a few more came…
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