In the Number of Seven / En el nombre de set

By / Per Ester Astudillo

Originally published here




Seven little geishas
frolic around
the corpse of the master
the spot he’s been found.

Seven captive dwarfs
strive to set free.
They pull and they poke -
Snow-White won’t let be.

The sins of the Lord
installed by decree
in seven were ordered -
poor humans’ ordeal.

Gone be the weekday -
the Sabbath set in:
eat all from the lamb -
spare us our tea.

And then for the Mitzvah
we’ll circle and dance,
read aloud de scriptures -
girls and boys apart.

In hordes or in avalanche,
in numbers they creep:
they tiptoe in sevens -
in sevens they flee.

* * *

Set geishes menudes
traginen el cos
del mestre i somiquen
en un clar del bosc.

Set nans presoners
fan un escamot:
estiren i estrenyen
– la Blanca no ho vol.

Els vicis del homes,
pecats capitals,
en set van fixar-se:
calvari inhumà!

Dilluns sia ara,
dimarts o Sabat:
mengem de l’anyell,
dejuni antiquat.

I el Mitzvah vingut
dansarem en rotllana
llegint el Talmud -
xicotes a banda.

Exèrcits o allaus,
llisquen a pertot:
de set en set formen,
set fugen al vol.