“What potion should I give the night so she’ll always wonder?”
Translated By Zackary Sholem Berger
What potion should I give the night so she’ll always wonder?
Her pounding heart’s a rider galloping from the burning wood.
Maybe my pharmacist is awake the next street over?
In a crucible of bone, snake tears mixed with herbs.
Should I hurry? Call the doctor? A heart like hers is rare.
And to tell the truth, if it shattered, what would I do?
Translated from the Yiddish
Source: Poetry (November 2014)