We want but One Victory / Bulat Okudzhava [tr. to Hebrew]

Original Нам нужна одна победа, by Bulat Okudzhava. Translation mine.

Е.Г.К. с любовью посвящается.

בנצחון בלבד דיינו / בולאט אוקודז'אבה

כאן לא גדל אף עץ,
ציפור לא תצייץ,
ורק כתף אלי כתף
בארץ ננעץ
בוער וסב לו עולמנו,
ביתנו מעלה עשן,
לכן בנצחון בלבד דיינו,
אחד לכל, וכל מחיר יהיה קטן
אחד לכל, וכל מחיר יהיה קטן

מולנו עוד תקום אש-מוות,
אבל נצא המנצחים.
בלי ספקות, צועד אל תוך הלילה,
גדודנו, מספר עשר, צנחנים,
גדודנו, מספר עשר, צנחנים.

הקרב רק מסתיים,
פוקדים להתקדם,
ולא ניתן אף לשער
מחר אַי נתמקם

נור מאדים מעל ראשינו
והמקלע עוד לא נדם,
לכן, בנצחון בלבד דיינו
אחד לכל, וכל מחיר יהיה קטן
מולנו (...)

מכוך המגננה
בפור המלחמה
הגענו לערי אויב
האין בכך דבר-מה?
ובעתיד נופתע עצמנו,
איך זה הכל קרה אמנם,
אבל היום, בנצחון דיינו
אחד לכל וכל מחיר יהיה קטן.
מולנו (...)

The song originally appeared as the conclusion of the 1970 Soviet movie "Belorus Station" dealing with the meeting of several comrades that had fought together in the Great Patriotic War in the ranks of a mythical (*) 10th Separate Paratrooper Batallion, twenty-five years after the end of the war. The song is sung by the former soldiers in memory of their mutual past, and to demonstrate their lifelong commitment to each other. Solo: Nina Urgant.

(*) In Soviet army, a batallion did not have a unique number, and thus probably several such batallions existed. As in all other forces, paratrooper units were considered elite, although no major action of the Soviet side had ever involved airlifting of infantry.

The song mentions the batallion's starting point as Kursk and Oryol.

Alabama Song / Lyrics auth. desputed, music by Kurt Weil -- tr. to Hebrew

שיר אלבמה

הראינו השביל לאיזו מסבאה
הו, אל תשאל
הו, אל תשאל
כי אם לא נמצא אף לא מסבאה —
ניפול מתים ודי
ניפול מתים ודי

ירח-אלבמה
הזמן לומר שלום
איבדנו את המאמא
נשתה עוד קצת היום

הראינו השביל לעוד איזו ילדה
הו, אל תשאל
הו אל תשאל,
כי אם לא נמצא לנו עוד איזו ילדה —
ניפול מתים ודי
ניפול מתים ודי

ירח אלבמה...

מוקדש לה.

Literature is inconsistent with regard to authorship of this song — most sources cite Bertold Brecht, but at least one mentions Elisabeth Hauptmann. The music is (undisputedly) by Kurt Weil.

The song's Wikipedia entry.

The Doors' performance of the song:

The Love of Therese di Meun, poem II / Leah Goldberg [translated]

I do not want at all my sleeping eyes,
To see you all the time, nor do I wish to shake,
When my doors open. I do not want to think
Of you, not then, nor when the day is bright,

And least of all, I do not wish to make
Out in young belles' gazes, wide awake,
Delighted victory, contempt and stings.
I want no part in any of these things.

How come, thus far, in my indifferent peace,
I lived before, so wise, so self-assured,
With firm and quiet dignity I carried on my years,

At night from awful frights I stayed secure,
But very sweet indeed were moments we endured,
And waiting turns to wanting with shamed ease.

Translation mine. Original here.

Rachel's and Wilfred Owen's poems - in their own handwriting!

Dear readers - here's a rare gem I'd found today. Many of Rachel's poems - in her own handwriting! I wrote about Rachel last year: a translation of Closed Garden.

Also, a site that I had known of for some years - First World War poetry digital archive - includes originals of Wilfred Owen's poems in his handwriting. I wrote about Owen's Anthem For Doomed Youth" and Parable of the Old Man and the Young

So we have split / Leah Goldberg [translated]

To the same X., as a token of friendship.
To S., for loving this poem.

So we have split, thus well the anger lingers,
The fog between us as a wall.
The little drop remaining on my fingers,
Must be a raindrop, not a tear at all.

Our age is shamed by crying to a fault,
No one will cry for love that's coming to an end.
Both Judgement Day and Mercy's Nights we'll fend,
Indifferent and proud &emdash; tears won't fall.

So we have split, the street has yelled and cheered,
Some rush has thrust me forth, while all against,
Hung like a bridal veil, the fog appeared.
But why my heart is filled with joy unbased?
Perhaps &emdash in spite of all — it was a tear.

Translated by yours truly.

נפרדנו כך. היטב, היטב חרה לי.
הערפל בינינו כחומה.
זאת הטיפה שעל ידי נותרה לי
טיפת סגריר ודאי היא, לא דמעה.
לדור הזה הבכי הוא כלימה,
הוא לא יבכה על אהבה גוססת.
ביום הדין ובלילות החסד
אדיש וגא הוא לא יוריד דמעה.
נפרדנו כך הרחוב המה, המה.
דחפני איזה הלך, ומנגד
הערפל תלוי כהינומה.
מאין בלבי חדווה חוגגת?
אולי, בכל זאת, זו הייתה דמעה.

A link to a high-school level analysis of the poem.

Strawberries / Yona Wallach [translated, WARNING - RACY!]

With gratitude to P., the best squad commander I've ever had, who inadvertently reminded me about this poem's existence.

Yona Wallach (יונה וולך) was a modern Israeli poet, whose style was a rare combination of the obscene and the spirited. Her poem Strawberries is one of her last works.

Original in Hebrew.

When you come to sleep with me,
You shall wear a black dress
Decorated with them strawberries
And a black kerchief
Also decorated with them strawberries,
And you shall grasp a basket of them strawberries
And sell me them strawberries,
And say in a voice that is thin and sweet -
'Them Strawberries, Sirrah, Them Strawberries,
Do you want Them Strawberries?',
And wear not a thing under that dress,
For then,
Strings will raise you up above,
Invisible or otherwise,
And will lower you,
Straight upon my penis.

Translation mine.

Here this poem is used to a great effect in by Hahamishia Hakamerit in their comic sketch "The Sergeant's Quotes":

In Thy Gates, oh, Jerusalem

In honor of the recently (last Thursday) past Jerusalem Day in Israel - one of the classic songs written in its praise.

In Your Gates, Jerusalem was written by Yossi Gamzo, with music by Yehezkiel Bar-On.

The lyrics are intertwined with allusions to Biblical texts regarding Jerusalem -

• "עומדות רגלינו בשעריך" is an allusion to Psalms 122 ("Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.")


• "ציון הלא תשאלי לשלום בחוריך" is quote out of Rabbi Yehuda Ha-Levi ("Zion - will you not ask for you imprisoned ones");


• "אם אשכח ירושליים" - "If I forget Thee, oh Jerusalem..." (Psalms 137);


• "איכה ישבת בדד" is the opening of the Book of Lamentations ("How the City sits solitary?");


• "מאכלת ואיל", "The Knife and the Ram" is an allusion of the Sacrifice of Isaac, of which I had already written.


• "למנצח מזמור" is an allusion to e.g., Psalms 20, "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David." but also a pun, since in Modern Hebrew it means "To the Victorious One, A Psalm".

Probably there are several more allusions within, but being a rogue and peasant slave - those are all that I could see.
The text is extremely militant by modern standards -

איכה ישבת בדד, שסועה בין גדרות התייל
ואיך נשבענו לך, עיר מלך ונביא,
כי לא נישק נערותינו על שפתיים
עד אם נישק לכותל המערבי

Among the barbed-wired fences, how do you sit alone?
For prophets and for kings of you, we all
Have sworn, our kisses to our loved ones, we'll postpone
Until we've come to kiss the Western Wall!

(Tr. mine. apologies for the phrasing, the meter is difficult)

Performer in the recording (which is not the canonic one) is the great Israeli singer Yehoram Gaon.