One of the great Jewish poets of the 20th century, Avraham Sutzkever (1913-2010) was born in the shtetl of Smorgon (now in Belarus), was interned in the Vilna Ghetto before escaping to join the partisans, and lived out most of his live in Israel. Herewith, the opening stanza of his poem “Toys,” translated by Maia Evrona:
Your toys, my child, hold them dear,
your toys smaller even than you.
And at night, when the fire drifts off to sleep—
wrap them up in the stars from atop a tree.
Read more on Plume Poetry: https://plumepoetry.com/2017/05/toys/