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.

Chet Atkins plays The Beatles

Chet Atkins was a wonderful American guitar performer, whose virtuoso guitar style established a new standard of popular instrumental music.

Today I stumbled on his recording of a medley of 4 Beatles songs, and I couldn't resist the temptation of putting, as I hold the Beatles among the finest authors of popular Western music of the 20th century, and Chet Atkins - among the finest of performers. Besides, the second of the songs has struck a chord with me today.



The songs are -

1. If I Fell in Love (A Hard Day's Night, track 3)


2. For No One (Revolver, track 10)


3. Something (Abbey Road, track 2)


4. Lady Madonna (released contemporarily as a single, then on Past Masters Vol. 2)

Also worth noting - Tina Turner's cameo at the end the video, and a bit of dialogue around it.

A Night, A Street, A Lamp, A Drugstore / A. Blok, [tr. to Hebrew]

נערך, 23 במאי

לילה, רחוב, אור, בית-מרקחת,
חרוט-פנס לא מהימן.
תחיה עוד דור — יהיה עוד כך,
אין יציאה. תהיה רק כאן.

תמות — אז שוב תתחיל עוד פעם,
ומחדש הכל יסוב:
הלילה, כפור מרשרש במים,
בית-התרופות, פנס, רחוב.

אלכסנדר בלוק, 10 באוקטובר 1912.

תרגום של עבדכם הנאמן.

Ночь, улица, фонарь, аптека,
Бессмысленный и тусклый свет.
Живи еще хоть четверть века —
Все будет так. Исхода нет.

Умрешь — начнешь опять сначала,
И повторится все, как встарь:
Ночь, ледяная рябь канала,
Аптека, улица, фонарь.

10 октября 1912г.

A translation to English, by Dina Belayeva.

An analysis, in Russian, may be found here.

A very amusing parody, in Russian - "Ночь. Улица. Фонарь. Аптека. / Бар. Клуб. Девицы. Дискотека...".

Image above - the poem set on a wall in Leiden, of all places.

Why should I care? / Shalom Hanoch

Shalom Hanoch is a major Israeli artist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s, as part of Israel's first generation of rock artists. This movement swept away the collectivism, the major feature of prior Israeli culture. As much a part of this movement as any other artist, Hanoch's lyrics ("Why should I care?", "Love of my Youth") have, however, became defining narratives of a whole generation.

תן לצעוק, תן ללמוד,
תן לצחוק ותן לשמוע.
תן לחיות ותן לטעות
תן לעצמך לסלוח.
פשוט לאהוב.

Let me learn, and let me shout;
let me fail and let me live;
let me laugh and stick about;
let yourself forgive.
Just to love, and no more.
(Tr. by yours humbly)

I wonder whom Hanoch is addressing. I recall a similar passage out of my beloved Leah Goldberg -

למדני ה' ברך והפלל
על סוד עלה קמל על נגה פרי בשל
על החרות הזאת: לראות, לחוש לנשום
לדעת, לייחל, להיכשל

This video presents the canonic recording of this song, by Hanoch and Arik Einstein (as well as "moral support" by their friend Uri Zohar).

Having returned to homeland / Joseph Brodsky

Воротишься на родину. Ну что ж.
Гляди вокруг, кому еще ты нужен,
кому теперь в друзья ты попадешь?
Воротишься, купи себе на ужин

какого-нибудь сладкого вина,
смотри в окно и думай понемногу:
во всем твоя одна, твоя вина,
и хорошо. Спасибо. Слава Богу.

Как хорошо, что некого винить,
как хорошо, что ты никем не связан,
как хорошо, что до смерти любить
тебя никто на свете не обязан.

Как хорошо, что никогда во тьму
ничья рука тебя не провожала,
как хорошо на свете одному
идти пешком с шумящего вокзала.

Как хорошо, на родину спеша,
поймать себя в словах неоткровенных
и вдруг понять, как медленно душа
заботится о новых переменах.

Иосиф Бродский, 1961г.

And There Was Between Us Just The Shining / Leah Goldberg, performance by Tsila Dagan

I earlier wrote of (and translated to English) a wonderful sonnet by Leah Goldberg, And There was Between Us Just The Shining.

Two performances of it by the late Tsila Dagan have since been uploaded to YouTube, and I'd like to post them. The first performance is the original 1970's version; the second one is a concert performance by her, which is plainer, but still notable.

Farewell to Love / Michael Drayton

I was not previously familiar with Michael Drayton's work. Wikipedia writes that he was an Elizabethan poet - a contemporary of Shakespeare - and that he enjoyed rather more acclaim at his time than he does now.

But I adore sonnets, and so as I was reading Rivka Yaron's stylistic guide, I stumbled upon this translation, which I liked, for it came in due time. Therefore, I bring that to you -

Sonnet LXI

Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part --
Nay, I have done: you get no more of me;
And I am glad, yea, glad with all my heart,
That thus so cleanly I myself can free.

Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows;
And when we meet at any time again,
Be it not seen in either of our brows
That we one jot of former love retain.

Now, at the last gasp of Love’s latest breath,
When, his pulse failing, Passion speechless lies,
When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death,
And Innocence is closing up his eyes, --

Now, if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,
From death to life thou mightst him yet recover.

סונט 61

הן אין מנוס: נשקיני ושלום
לא, כי נשלם, שוב אין לך חלק בי
וטוב לבי, כן, טוב לבי היום,
שכך אני נחלץ, קב ונקי,

נפרד לעד, מתיר את השבועות
וביום שניפגש שוב אימתי,
אל ייראה על מצחותינו אות
ששמץ אהבה מכבר עוד חי

עתה, לקול רחרוח אהבה גוועת
שבמותה תשוקה מוטלת דום
שמרגלותיה אמונה כורעת,
ותום לבב עיניו יעצום

שכבר אמרו כולם נואש: עתה
עוד יש לאל ידך להחיותה

תרגום: אשר רייך
Translation: Asher Reich

P.S. This Sonnet LXI forms an interesting counterpoint to another author's Sonnet LXI. I hope I may write of that some day.

The Parable of the Old Man and the Young / Wilfred Owen

I recently visited Jerusalem, and among other things, enjoyed a great view from the Armon ha-Natsiv Promenade. The guide spoke of the (near) sacrifice of Isaac, which is said to have occured at the very spot on the Moriah mountain on which later stood the Jewish Temple, then the Muslims built their Dome of the Rock.

Wilfred Owen, of whose Anthem for Doomed Youth I had already written, thought about Isaac's sacrifice too, but used it to speak of his own time and doom.

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps
and builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him, thy son.
Behold! Caught in a thicket by its horns,
A Ram. Offer the Ram of Pride instead.

But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.
(Owen)

Was Owen's war - World War I just about personal pride? I don't think so. But this poem rings especially true when one thinks of the sins of pride of each of us individually:

Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus,
that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.
Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades,
and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures,
for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day
on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles,
first fell out with one another.
(Homer, Iliad, I)

On the Path towards the Pools / Yoram Taharlev, Alona Tural, Chava Alberstein

Israeli mourning songs are a distinct thematic genre, which may be characterized by extreme melancholy and idealization of the innocent past as opposed to the bereaved present. Stylistically the sad content is counterpointed by beautiful melodies and eloquent lyrics. Such is this wonderful song, which has been on my mind lately (*). It is called 'On the Path towards the Pools' by Yoram Taharlev.

(*) I disdain from politics. However, I feel obliged to remark that my sorrow is not due to recent events of national significance. Foes of Israel should all drop dead before they make me sad — gladly the IDF is there to help them in this undertaking.

בשביל אל הבריכות פסעו שלובי ידים
וכוכבים נשרו למים עם הטל
ותן בודד צחק הרחק בתוך הליל
והיא אמרה: אתה כל כך יפה חיל

And on the path towards the pools they paced, entwined,
While stars have fallen in the water with the dew,
Amidst the dark, a distant jackal whined,
"You're so fair" — she said — "my soldier, look at you!"

(Tr. mine. I hope to complete it one day)

Note the scat refrain between the verses - generally scat is not very typical of Israeli music; it was probably added to add spice to the verses that are otherwise very even. The refrain between the penultimate verse and the final one is more elaborate than the rest. It is longer - with a change of scales (note the emotional coloring of this section!) - and an instrumental counterpoint to the scat. Overall, the base is very prominent in this performance and gives creates a sense of a rapid and irreversible procession of events (cf. for instance with the contemporary "Flowers in the muzzle" - "פרחים בקנה").

The Hebrew lyrics are precise and meaningful - Yoram Taharlev is remarkable for his storytelling. The music and Chava Albertein's naïve recitation of the narrative reach straight into my heart —

Dialogue - He / Leah Goldberg

בשתיקתך, שקע כבמצולה
דברי המר, אהבתי קשבת -
ממרחקים, אין - הד אלי נושבת
שלות בשרך בלי חסד וחמלה

גופך היה לי נכר וגולה
ממבטך כמאגם חוזרת
תמיד אלי דמותי המתאכזרת
מצלילותך - נפשי האפלה.

אביונותי - משפע ותפארת
את לי הדרך, לבדידות כפולה.

Your silence swallowed up as an abyss
My bitter words. My love now hears you whole —
And from the stretching silence blows,
With neither grace nor mercy, a calm peace

Your body turned an exile overseas
In your two eyes, as in a lake's cool glass
At me my cruelty must pass,
Your clarity reflects my soul amiss,

My destitution - from all the wealth and splendour
To twice the loneliness for me your road proceeds.

Translated by yours truly, Jan. 2009.