I am lost on this day of my birth,
All I want is : in the contact of the hands
Of those who are friends
With the ultimate liquor of tenderness or some
Carry off the final blessings of men.
My sack today is empty,
Having poured out whatsoever
I had to give.
In exchange if I receive anything -
Some affection or some forgiveness -
I shall take it with me
When I shall depart on the raft to get ashore,
In the ultimate speechless feast.
[ shesh lekha, "Last Writing", No.10, 1941]