Es wird ein großer Stern in meinen Schoß fallen. . .
Wir wollen wachen die Nacht,
In den Sprachen beten,
Die wie Harfen eingeschnitten sind.
Wir wollen uns versöhnen die Nacht-
So viel Gott strömt über.
Kinder sind unsere Herzen,
Die möchten ruhen müdesüß.
Und unsere Lippen wollen sich küssen,
Was zagst du?
Grenzt nicht mein Herz an deins-
Immer färbt dein Blut meine Wangen rot.
Wir wollen uns versöhnen die Nacht,
Wenn wir uns herzen, sterben wir nicht.
Es wird ein großer Stern in meinen Schoß fallen.
* * *
Элзе Ласкер-Шюлер
"Примирение"
Мне в подол упадет большая звезда,
мы будем бодрствовать ночью.
И молиться языками,
изогнутыми, словно арфы.
Мы хотим примириться с ночью -
столь сильно нашествие Духа.
Сердца наши - дети,
и, устав,
сладким заснуть хотят сном.
А губы хотят целоваться.
Что скажешь?
Разве сердце мое не граничит с твоим?
И всегда твоя кровь
мои щеки окрасит.
Мы хотим примириться с ночью.
Если будем друг друга любить,
не умрем.
Мне в подол упадет большая звезда.
Перевела с немецкого Ольга Слободкина-von Bromssen
* * *
"Reconciliation" first appeared in the original German as "Versöhnung" in Else Lasker-Schüler's Meine Wunder (Dreililien-Verlag, 1911), and was later included in Contemporary German Poetry (John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd., 1923), as translated into English by Babette Deutsch and her husband, Avrahm Yarmolinsky. In the introduction to the anthology, Deutsch and Yarmolinsky write of Lasker-Schüler that she "dissolves the world [. . .] she pours its fluid mass into the golden bowl of passion. [. . .] [S]he differs from most of her contemporaries, who do not love the individual less, but who love humanity more."
Else Lasker-Schüler, born Elisabeth Schüler on February 11, 1869 in Elberfeld, Germany, was a German Jewish poet, short-story writer, playwright, and novelist affiliated with the avant-garde and German Expressionism. She was the author of several works, including Die Wupper (Oesterheld & Co., 1909) and Mein blaues Klavier (The Jerusalem Press Ltd., 1943). She died on January 22, 1945.
Babette Deutsch, born on September 22, 1895 in New York City, was a poet, critic, editor, translator, and novelist. She was the author of many books, including Banners (George H. Doran, 1919) and Poetry Handbook: A Dictionary of Terms (Funk and Wagnalls, 1957). She died on November 13, 1982.
Avrahm Yarmolinsky, born on January 13, 1890 in Haisin, Ukraine, was a translator, biographer, and editor who served as chief of the Slavonic division of the New York Public Library. He was the author of several books, including a translation of Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin (Heritage Press, 1943) that he co-translated with his wife, Babette Deutsch. He died on September 28, 1975.