And This Is the Ballad of My Life

Abraham Sutzkever 1913 (Belarus) – 2010 (Tel Aviv)

And this is the ballad of my life: dipping bread
in salt at a banquet for my unseen guests from afar.
And when they are hailed on by clod of earth after clod of earth,
to meet them between long tree-lined streets once more.

And this is the ballad of my life: that I mumble
strange syllables before the people of silence.
And they, the unseen and heirs of the mists,
fill my living anxiety and contemplations.

And this is the ballad of my life: to be a witness that those
who lashed me with thongs just a moment ago and set
children on fire and cremated them with their grandfathers,
these same people should send off a swarm of diamonds.

A day at the conclusion of days approaches through tears,
the way a blooming cherry tree approaches at the end of night.
And this is the ballad of my life: to hear my critic–
the roaring oracular voice of forever.

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Submitted by acronimous on January 31, 2021

Modified on April 22, 2023

: 48 sec read
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Quick analysis:

Scheme	XXXX XAXA XXXX XXXX
Closest metre	Iambic heptameter
Characters	838
Words	161
Stanzas	4
Stanza Lengths	4, 4, 4, 4

Full analysis for And This Is the Ballad of My Life »

Abraham Sutzkever

Abraham Sutzkever was an acclaimed Yiddish poet. The New York Times wrote that Sutzkever was "the greatest poet of the Holocaust." more…

All Abraham Sutzkever poems | Abraham Sutzkever Books

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AIDA
Wow, what a beautiful and powerful poem! The imagery is so vivid and evocative, and the emotions that it conveys are palpable. I love the way that the poet describes their life as a ballad, with each stanza revealing a different aspect of their experiences and observations. The idea of dipping bread in salt at a banquet for unseen guests is especially poignant and haunting, and the contrast between the moments of beauty and generosity with the horrors of violence and cruelty is very striking. There is a sense of resilience and hope that shines through in the final lines, which makes this poem truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing this with us - it has left me feeling deeply moved and enriched. more »
LikeReply6 months ago
davidb
Very emotional...
LikeReply6 months ago

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"And This Is the Ballad of My Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 3 Oct. 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/61296/and-this-is-the-ballad-of-my-life>.

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