Poem for Purim by Primo Levi

“WAITING”

This is a time of lightning without thunder,
This is a time of unheard voices,
Of uneasy sleep and useless vigils.
Friends, do not forget the days
Of long easy silences,
Friendly nocturnal streets,
Serene meditations.
Before the leaves fall,
Before the sky closes again,
Before we are awakened again
By the familiar pounding of iron footsteps
In front of our doors.
*************
2 January 1949
by PRIMO LEVI from his COLLECTED POEMS
translated by Ruth Feldman and Brian Swann