This morning I finished reading the autobiography ‘Sara’ written (in Dutch) by Sara Roudman-Podgajets who lived most of her life in Kiev in Ukraine. She was born in 1923 and at a very young age, I think she was 21 years old, became a medical doctor. She writes in detail about her wonderful Jewish family, about the difficult living condition in Soviet time, and the extreme repression during Stalin’s dictatorship.
She writes about her husband Sasja (Jasjenka) who was a brilliant engineer, but more so, he had a poetic mind and composed music. He was inspired by Russian Jewish poems, but as he did not speak Jiddish, he looked for Russian translations. So, in this autobiography I stumbled on the name Peretz Markiesj, and one of his poems titled ‘Jouw blik’ (which translated in English must be ‘Your gaze’ or ‘Your look’ - I must find out) translated into Russian by Anna Achmatova. It inspired Sasja to compose a piece of music. After I read this I googled his name and found the surname in different spelling ‘Markish’. And then found you here and this poem and your insightful commentary, Daniel.
So thank you.
I made a Dutch translation of the poem. Here it is. And I wish you all the best. What an early morning!
His hair is from his Sephardi origin. His great grandkids live in the USA.
Thanks Tzemach - I've followed the work of his children a little bit, but didn't know that about his great-grandkids.
This morning I finished reading the autobiography ‘Sara’ written (in Dutch) by Sara Roudman-Podgajets who lived most of her life in Kiev in Ukraine. She was born in 1923 and at a very young age, I think she was 21 years old, became a medical doctor. She writes in detail about her wonderful Jewish family, about the difficult living condition in Soviet time, and the extreme repression during Stalin’s dictatorship.
She writes about her husband Sasja (Jasjenka) who was a brilliant engineer, but more so, he had a poetic mind and composed music. He was inspired by Russian Jewish poems, but as he did not speak Jiddish, he looked for Russian translations. So, in this autobiography I stumbled on the name Peretz Markiesj, and one of his poems titled ‘Jouw blik’ (which translated in English must be ‘Your gaze’ or ‘Your look’ - I must find out) translated into Russian by Anna Achmatova. It inspired Sasja to compose a piece of music. After I read this I googled his name and found the surname in different spelling ‘Markish’. And then found you here and this poem and your insightful commentary, Daniel.
So thank you.
I made a Dutch translation of the poem. Here it is. And I wish you all the best. What an early morning!
(Ik weet niet of ik thuis ben)
Ik weet niet of ik thuis ben
of ver weg -
ik ren verder!…
mijn blouse ontknoopt,
niets houdt mij tegen,
ik ben van niemand, ik ben verlaten,
geen begin, geen eind…
Mijn lichaam zweet
het ruikt naar wind;
mijn naam is: ‘Nu’
ik strek mijn handen ver uit -
zij raken de randen van de wereld,
ik laat mijn ogen dwalen
en zij zuigen de wereld op
van boven tot onder.
Met open ogen, met ontknoopte blouse,
met ver uitgestrekte handen -
ik weet niet of ik een thuis heb
of een ver weg,
of ik een einde ben, of een begin.