“The Quiet,” a Poem by Aharon Shabtai
From the Collection “Requiem and Other Poems”
“The Quiet”
In the end, the end,
thanks, and the quiet come
in place of the noise,
all that chatter
rolling around
in mounds in the room,
in the road, on the sidewalk,
the computer screen.
In front of the chair,
on the bed,
by a faucet,
mouth shut
and breath alone saying:
“Bye, won’t be in touch…”
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Requiem and Other Poems by Aharon Shabtai is available via New Directions.
Aharon Shabtai
Aharon Shabtai is an Israeli poet born in 1939. He is the primary translator of classical Greek literature into Hebrew. New Directions published his book, J’Accuse, in 2003 and War & Love: Love & War: New and Selected Poems in 2010, both translated by Peter Cole. Also available in English is Love & Selected Poems (Sheep Meadow, 1997) and Requiem and Other Poems (New Directions, 2025).
