The word "Shir" in Hebrew does not distinguish between "song" and "poem." As such, it is not surprising that many of Israel's greatest poets have had their poems put to music. To put this into perspective, it would be akin to taking the poems of T.S. Lawrence, e e cummings, Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath to music.
Few poets have influenced Israeli culture as much as Lea Goldberg. Though she grew up in Kaunas, Lithuania in the interwar years speaking Yiddish, Russian and Lithuanian, she was determined from an early age to be a Hebrew author and poet. Her poetry is riveting, colorful, expressive, and dazzlingly beautiful and it is a double pleasure to be able to hear the lyricism of her songs put to music.
The first poem I want to share is called "At Telkhi BaSade" (You Will Walk in the Field) and it is sung by Hava Albershtein - Israel's answer to Barbara Streisand. The poem was originally written in 1943, at the height of World War II and was called "Haomnam?" (Is it true). Goldberg wrote it to prove that even in terrible times it was possible and desirable to write lyrical poetry so that, "We not lose sight of the meaning and worth of life." There is a lesson here for all of us in these increasingly dark days.
Here is a translation of the poem into English:
"Is it true – will there ever come days of forgiveness and mercy?
And you’ll walk in the field, and it will be an innocent’s walk.
And your feet on the medick’s small leaves will be gently caressing,
And sweet will be stings, when you’re stung by the rye’s broken stalks!
And the drizzle will catch you in pounding raindrops’ folly
On your shoulders, your breast and your neck, while your mind will be clean,
You will walk the wet field, and the silence will fill you –
As does light in a dark cloud’s rim
And you’ll breathe in the furrow in breaths calm and even,
And the pond’s golden mirror will show you the Sun up above,
And once more all the things will be simple, and present, and living,
And once more you will love – yes, you will, yes, once more you will love!
You will walk. All alone. Never hurt by the blazing inferno
Of the fires on the roads fed by horrors too awful to stand,
And in your heart of hearts you’ll be able to humbly surrender,
In the way of the weeds, in the way of free men.
Few poets have influenced Israeli culture as much as Lea Goldberg. Though she grew up in Kaunas, Lithuania in the interwar years speaking Yiddish, Russian and Lithuanian, she was determined from an early age to be a Hebrew author and poet. Her poetry is riveting, colorful, expressive, and dazzlingly beautiful and it is a double pleasure to be able to hear the lyricism of her songs put to music.
The first poem I want to share is called "At Telkhi BaSade" (You Will Walk in the Field) and it is sung by Hava Albershtein - Israel's answer to Barbara Streisand. The poem was originally written in 1943, at the height of World War II and was called "Haomnam?" (Is it true). Goldberg wrote it to prove that even in terrible times it was possible and desirable to write lyrical poetry so that, "We not lose sight of the meaning and worth of life." There is a lesson here for all of us in these increasingly dark days.
Here is a translation of the poem into English:
"Is it true – will there ever come days of forgiveness and mercy?
And you’ll walk in the field, and it will be an innocent’s walk.
And your feet on the medick’s small leaves will be gently caressing,
And sweet will be stings, when you’re stung by the rye’s broken stalks!
And the drizzle will catch you in pounding raindrops’ folly
On your shoulders, your breast and your neck, while your mind will be clean,
You will walk the wet field, and the silence will fill you –
As does light in a dark cloud’s rim
And you’ll breathe in the furrow in breaths calm and even,
And the pond’s golden mirror will show you the Sun up above,
And once more all the things will be simple, and present, and living,
And once more you will love – yes, you will, yes, once more you will love!
You will walk. All alone. Never hurt by the blazing inferno
Of the fires on the roads fed by horrors too awful to stand,
And in your heart of hearts you’ll be able to humbly surrender,
In the way of the weeds, in the way of free men.
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