The following is a 1942 poem by Saul Tchernikhovsky, entitled “The First Slain”. In translating this I have deliberately sacrificed content in favour of attempting to preserve the form: both the rhyming structure (the Hebrew is ABAB, although I have not been able to duplicate that entirely – favouring instead ABCB) and the almost-bawdy nature of the verse. An example of ‘gallows humour’ at its finest, Tchernikhovsky’s poem is both funny and sad. I reproduce it below in Hebrew for those who may be interested in reading it in the original language. If anyone has been able to find the author’s English translation (an educated Russian Jew, Tchernikhovsky translated his poems into several languages, including English), then I would be most interested in hearing how he chose to translate it. Read the rest of this entry »
Echoes from the Ether: