The following five poems from the German of Nelly Sachs appeared in a special Translation issue of the

journal Able Muse (#17, Summer 2014), edited by Charles Martin.

 Teresa Iverson
Translated from the German of
Nelly Sachs
1891 – 1970

!"#$%&'$()

!"
! "#$%%!&'(!%)*!+,-.$/

!# $%&'($!$)&*+,
+-./$(%01$'.2/$'%%)$1*2/*3$%&"
4.2$5/$.$2/%&*$/-./$-.3$.'1*.3($310&)$
6.&($'.2/$'%%)2,$0&/5'$/-*($#*''$5&$7'5&3&*22
%&$/-*$7'5&38

91$+.2$5/$351/,
!"#$%&!'()*%&$(&+,,&"&-%(!.
.&3$.'1*.3($/01&*3$7'.:)
#1%6$2%$6.&($;%%3<7(*2$
.&3$#1%6$:.025&;$2%$60:-$3*./-8

91$+.2$5/$(%01$'.2/$1%.3,
/-./$71%0;-/$(%0$/-*$#.1*+*''$#1%6$.''$1%.32
(%0$-.3$+.')*3$%&8

82
=$>033'*,$.$>5*:*$%# $6511%15&;$6*/.',
/-*$7*'/$70:)'*$%# $(%01$*&*6(,$>*1-.>2,
%1$.&($%/-*1$26.''$#%1/0&*</*''*1
%# $-*.?*&8

91$353$/-52$@.1/-,$/-./$3%*2&A/$.''%+$
.&(%&*$/%$3*>.1/$#1%6$-*1*$0&'%?*3$
2*&3$.$7513<25;&$/-1%0;-$/-*$.51,
#!/0'10'*&2()#&-(),&-(&$%"$&0$&30'4%!1
5&$5/2$7%3($701&*3$+5/-$.&;052-8

83
!!"
! "0(1*!2$*!#3&4$%/

B-%102$%# $91>-.&2

4*$%1>-.&2
4*$'.6*&/$/-*$+%1'3C
901$71.&:-$+.2$:0/$3%+&
5'1&$%#(6'&0'$(&$%!&+#!7
8)$&(9 &()#&:#($!4$(#-.&$%!2&/"1!&+#!6((17
;!&(#:%"'-&,0!&('&$%!&+!,1-&(9 &<('!,0'!--=
4*$%1>-.&2
4*$'.6*&/$/-*$+%1'3C
>'&$%!&'0*%$&()#&:"#!'$-&:,"2&%01!?"'1?-!!@&60$%&)-7
D*-5&3$/-*$7'.:)$#%'32$%# $E5;-/
F-*51$#.:*2$2/03($02,
F-*51$6%0/-2$.1*$2.(5&;$2%6*/-5&;C
;!&6!#!&1#2&6((1&0'&"&6((14"#A!#B-&%"'17
D0/$%01$*(*2$-.?*$7*:%6*$.&;*'<*(*2
=&3$'%%)$./$(%0,
F-*($2**$/-1%0;-$/-*$7'.:)$
9(,1-&(9 &C0*%$7
4*$%1>-.&2
4*$'.6*&/$/-*$+%1'3C
901$/%(2$-.?*$7*:%6*$2/%&*2,
G/%&*2$-.?*$#.:*2,$H./-*1<$.&3$I%/-*1<#.:*2
D%!2&1('B$&60,$&,0@!&3(6!#-.&$%!2&1('B$&E0$!&,0@!&"'0/",-7
5'1&$%!2&1('B$&E)#'&,0@!&1#2&6((1.&6%!'&('!&$%#(6-&0$&0'&$%!&(A!'7

84
4*$%1>-.&2$+*$'.6*&/$/-*$+%1'3C
4%1'3$+-($-.?*$(%0$/.)*&$%01$/*&3*1$I%/-*12
=&3$%01$H./-*12,$+-%$2.53C$I($:-5'3,$(%0$1*2*67'*$6*J
4*$%1>-.&2,$+-%$&%$'%&;*1$1*2*67'*$.&(%&*$5&$/-*$+%1'3J$
9$4%1'3,$
5/A2$(%0$+*$.::02*J

85
!!!"$
! "5%6$7!2$*!8&..$%2$%/

=&;*'$%# $20>>'5.&/2,
'(6.&6%!#!&$%!&+#!&,0@!&"&#!'10'*&-)'-!$
-4(#4%!1&",,&%"E0$"$0('&$(&'0*%$7
+.''2$.&3$0/*&25'2,$/-*$-*.1/-$.&3$/-*$:1.3'*,
",,&9",,!'&:"#4!,-&(9 &,('*0'*7
,('*0'*.&$%"$&30!-&0'&$%!&E,)!&-"0,&(9 &"0#F

=&;*'$%# $20>>'5.&/2,
('&G!"$%B-&6%0$!&3((#.&$%"$&-)::(#$-&'($%0'*&"'2&/(#!.
;1%+2$/-*$#%1*2/$>'.&/*3$5&$3*2>.51"
H%1*2/$%# $.162$+5/-$71.&:-*2$%# $-.&32,$
&.5'2$30;$5&/%$/-*$:.2/'*$%# $&5;-/,$5&/%$/-*$2/.12A$6.&/*'"$
91$*'2*$>'%+5&;$K*./-,$-56,$/-*$%&*$+-%$>1*2*1?*2$'5#*"$

=&;*'$%# $20>>'5.&/2,
5&$/-*$#%1*2/$/-./$3%*2&A/$102/'*
+-*1*$2-.3%+2$.1*$>.5&/*12$%# $/-*$3*.3
.&3$/1.&2>.1*&/$/*.12$%# $'%?*12
/-*$2**3<:%1&"
I*26*15L*3$7($/-*$6%%&,$/-*$6%/-*12$
/*.1$%0/$/-*51$1%%/2$.2$5# $2*5L*3$7($/-*$2/%16,
.&3$:1*.)5&;,$/-*$%'3$6*&A2$3*.3$+%%3$3*:.(2"
D0/$/-*$:-5'31*&$.1*$2/5''$>'.(5&;$5&$/-*$2.&3,
>1.:/5:5&;,$#%165&;$2%6*/-5&;$&*+$%0/$%# $/-*$E5;-/
25&:*$/-*($.1*$2/5''$+.16$#1%6$/1.&2#%16./5%&"

86
=&;*'$%# $20>>'5.&/2,
7'*22$/-*$2.&3,
'*/$5/$0&3*12/.&3$/-*$'.&;0.;*$%# $'%&;5&;,
#1%6$/-52$2%6*/-5&;$&*+$+.&/2$/%$;1%+$#1%6$.$:-5'3A2$-.&3,
.'+.(2$2%6*/-5&;$&*+J$

87
!M"
! "#$%%!2$*!936!7$$*!+&*2/

4-*&$/-*$3.($*6>/5*2$5/2*'#
5&$/-*$/+5'5;-/,
+-*&$/-*$56.;*'*22$/56*$7*;5&2,
$%!&,('!,2&A(04!-&H(0'&$(*!$%!#7&
/-*$.&56.'2$.1*$&%/-5&;$%/-*1$/-.&$/-*$-0&/5&;
(#&%)'$!17
$%!&3(6!#-&'(&/(#!&$%"'&9#"*#"'4!7
6%!'&!A!#2$%0'*&E!4(/!-&'"/!,!--&"-&0'&$%!&E!*0''0'*7
(%0$;%$0&3*1$/-*$:./.:%672$%# $F56*,
6%04%&(:!'&9(#&$%(-!&$%"$&"#!&'!"#&$%!&!'17
$%!#!&6%!#!&$%!&%!"#$&E)1-&*#(67
5&/%$/-*$3.1)$5&+.13'5&*22
2()&-0'@&1(6'6"#17&
.'1*.3($>.2/$3*./-
6%04%&0-&(',2&"&60'12&:"--"*!6"27
.&3$#1**L5&;$#1%6$;%5&;$%0/
(%0$%>*&$(%01$*(*2
+-*1*$.$&*+$2/.1$
%"-&",#!"12&,!9$&0$-&#!3!4$0('7&

88
M"
":$*!;'(73<+3%27$*/

F-*$2'**>+.')*1
:51:'5&;$%&$-52$2/.1
5&$/-*$+-5/*$#*./-*1$%# $6%1&5&;
6"@!-&):7
$%!&-:($&(9 &E,((1&('&0$&4",,-&0$&$(&/0'17&
,!$-&$%!&/(('&9",,&-$"#$,!17
/-*$2&%+7*11($2-.//*12
%&$E5;-/A2$7'.:)$.;./*
10#$0!1&60$%&1#!"/-7

C(&:)#!&6%0$!&('&I"#$%7

89
Teresa Iverson is a poet, translator, and editor. She holds a PhD in German Literature and Literary
Translation from Boston University; her dissertation, on the poetry of Gottfried Benn, is titled:
Gottfried Benn’s Intimate Discourse: The “Du” in Monologic Art.
With Rosanna Warren, she taught poetry at MCI-Framingham, Massachusetts’ only prison for
women, and coedited In Time, a collection of student inmates’ writing.
Her own poems and translations have been published in many journals, including PN Review,
AGNI, Fulcrum, Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, Notre Dame Review, New Criterion,
Delos, Partisan Review, Poetry Porch, Sonnet Scroll, and anthologized in World Literature: An Anthology
of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time (Katherine Walsh and John S. Major, editors). Her translated
Selected Poems of Nelly Sachs is under review for publication.

90