by Chana Bloch
we loved the good soothing dark and hated
the painful light.
We did what we had to, we loved our childhood
better than our homeland.
We’ve already dug all the wells into the ground,
and now we’re digging into the emptiness of the sky.
Wells, wells,
without end, to no end.
We did what we had to.
We replaced “Remember, O God” with “Let us forget”
the way they change the number on the front of the bus
when the destination changes,
or the sign “Dew and Showers” on the synagogue wall
to “He Who Brings Rain”
when the seasons change.
We did what we had to.
We arranged our lives into flowerbeds and shade
and straight paths for pleasant strolling
like the garden of a mental asylum.
Our despair is domesticated and gives us peace.
Only our hopes have remained
wild, their cries
shatter the night and tear apart the day.
We did what we had to.
We were like people who enter a movie theater
and pass by those who are leaving, flushed
or pale, quietly crying or laughing aloud.
Who enter without looking back or turning around,
into the light and the darkness and the light.
We did what we had to do.
Notes
The Smell of Gasoline Ascends in My Nose
line 3, etrog: A citron. It is packed in wool because any damage would make it unfit for ritual use on the feast of Tabernacles.
Yehuda Ha-Levi
title, Yehuda Ha-Levi (before 1075—after 1141): Hispano-Jewish poet and philosopher.
Ibn Gabirol
title, Shlomo Ibn Gabirol (ca. 1021—ca. 1055): Hispano-Jewish poet and philosopher, known to the Scholastics as Avicebron.
Not Like a Cypress
line 19, shofar: Ram’s horn, blown in the synagogue on the High Holy Days.
Half the People in the World
line 25, appalling stations: See note to “An Arab Shepherd is Searching for His Goat on Mount Zion,” p. 189.
From In a Right Angle: A Cycle of Quatrains
# 43, line 3, the bush that burned: Ex. 3:1 ff.
# 45, line 4, boils the flesh of the lamb: “Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk” (Deut. 14:21): one of the principal sources of the elaborate rabbinic dietary laws.
Such as Sorrow
line 8, a candle snuffed in the wine: In the ceremony that closes the Sabbath.
Jerusalem
Written in 1958, when the Old City was still part of Jordanian territory.
In the Full Severity of Mercy
line 4, like the stars: Gen. 15:5.
Jerusalem, 1967
title, 1967: The year of the Six-Day War.
#1, line 5, the four strict squares of Yehuda Ha-Levi: “My heart is in the East and I am at the edge of the West.”
#5, line 1, year of forgetting: The date 1967 ( = 5728) is expressed in Hebrew letters that also form the word for “forget.”
#5, line 13, Closing of the Gates: The final prayer in the Yom Kippur service.
# 20, line 10, Else Lasker-Schüler (1869-1945): German-Jewish poet.
National Thoughts
line 8, mitzvah dance: Ritual dance performed on joyous occasions.
A Luxury
line 13, hametz: Food forbidden on Passover; includes leavened bread, wheat products, and legumes.
Elegy
line 7, Arch of Titus: Erected in Rome to celebrate the capture of Jerusalem in the year 70. Titus, son of the emperor Vespasian, was commander of the Roman army in Palestine. He became emperor in the year 79.
Now in the Storm
line 6, hamsin: A hot desert wind that blows in Israel at the beginning and the end of summer.
Travels of the Last Benjamin of Tudela
title, the Last Benjamin of Tudela: Benjamin of Tudela (second half of the twelfth century) was the greatest medieval Jewish traveler; his account of his journey through Provence, Italy, Palestine, Syria, Persia, and Egypt is contained in his famous Book of Travels. The second Benjamin was Israel Joseph Benjamin (1818-1864), a Rumanian explorer who styled himself Benjamin II; he described his experiences searching for the Ten Lost Tribes in a book entitled Five Years of Travel in the Orient, 1846-1851. The third Benjamin was the hero of a satiric novel, Travels of the Third Benjamin, by the Yiddish writer Mendele Mocher Sforim (Shalom Abramowitsch). The last, of course, is Amichai, who when he wrote this poem was living on Benjamin of Tudela Street in Jerusalem.
line 4, undershawl: An undershirt with tassels attached to each of its four corners; worn by Orthodox Jewish males.
line 66, I confess before Thee: A prayer from the Morning Service.
line 88, kohanim: Descendants of the priestly families.
line 110, 1936: Year of anti-Jewish and anti-British Arab riots.
line 137, kosher: The process of making meat kosher involves soaking it in rock salt to drain out the blood.
line 139, kashrut: Ritual purity; the condition of being kosher.
line 212, seven kinds: The seven fruits and grains of the land of Israel, according to the Talmud: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.
line 219, blessing: Recited every morning by Orthodox Jewish women. The blessing recited by men is “Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a woman” (sic).
line 236, rubber-soled shoes: Rabbinic tradition forbids the wearing of leather on Yom Kippur.
line 237, high-jumped: During the prayer “Holy, Holy, Holy,” Orthodox Jews stand up on their toes to imitate the angels.
line 239, Simchat Torah: Festival of the Rejoicing in the Torah, during which observant Jews walk or dance around the synagogue carrying Torah scrolls.
line 263 f., stand in awe . . . : Ps. 4:5.
line 265, Hear O Israel: Deut. 6:4.
line 284, Urim and Tumim: Ex. 28:30.
lines 415 f., the four questions: Part of the Passover ritual, recited at the Seder by the youngest male.
line 417, the one kid: See note to “An Arab Shepherd Is Searching for His Goat on Mount Zion,” p. 189.
line 420, the door for Elijah: During the Seder the door is left ajar in case the prophet Elijah should come to announce the arrival of the Messiah,
line 421, “And it came to pass at midnight”: Passover song,
line 450, supplications: Written on slips of paper by Orthodox Jews and stuck in between the stones of the Wailing Wall.
line 467, Balaam’s ass: Num. 22:22 ff.
line 494, While this one is still coming: Cf. Job 1:16.
line 546, Bialik: Hayim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934), the first major modern Hebrew poet.
line 561, King David Hotel: Headquarters of the British government in Palestine; one wing of the hotel was blown up by Jewish terrorists in 1946.
line 571 f., Street of/the Sisters: In the red-light district.
line 572, Shmuel Ha-Nagid (993-1056): Hispano-Jewish vizier, general, and poet.
line 586, A house . . . : Cf. Eccles. 3:19.
line 587, shiva: The seven days of mourning after a death.
line 596, double: Lev. 12:1 ff. and 14:1 ff.
line 601, twenty-four: The number of books in the Bible.
line 631, Valley of the Ghosts: Street in Jerusalem.
line 660, Josephus (ca. 37-ca. 95): Jewish general and historian; surrendered to the Romans in the year 67.
line 668, Titus: See note to “Elegy,” p. 186.
line 702, Yodfat: One of the fortresses that held out against the Romans.
line 724, fasts: In atonement for the sin of dropping a Torah scroll.
line 740, Elul: August-September.
line 764, “Come O bride”: A Friday-night hymn
to welcome the Sabbath.
line 797, Ahasuerus: In the Book of Esther.
line 806, Purim: Holiday celebrating the rescue of the Jews from Haman’s plots in the Book of Esther. Kippurim is Yom Kippur.
line 821, Shtreimls: Round, fur-trimmed hats worn by Ultra-Orthodox Jews on the Sabbath.
line 906, poem by Goethe: “Erlkönig.”
line 910, This too by Goethe: “Hartzreise im Winter.”
line 948, Don’t go to the ant: Cf. Prov. 6:6.
line 997, what are we, what is our life: From the Yom Kippur liturgy.
Jews in the Land of Israel
line 9, the Bible story of Shechem and the sons of Jacob: Gen. 34.
Wildpeace
line 2, The vision of the wolf and the lamb: Isa. 11:6.
line 11, beating swords into ploughshares: Isa. 2:4.
Psalm
line 16, that bunch of shiny pampered grapes: Num. 13:23.
From Songs of Zion the Beautiful
#12, line 1, Joseph Trumpeldor (1880-1920): A legendary hero of the Jewish settlement in Palestine, killed while defending Tel Hai.
#14, line 4, A. D. Gordon (1856-1922): Hebrew writer and spiritual mentor of the Zionist labor movement, who set an example by working in the fields of Palestine.
#14, line 11, Rachel-weeping-for-her-children: Jer. 31:15.
#14, line 13, Degania: The first kibbutz (collective settlement) in Palestine, established 1911.
#27, lines 6 ff., rattles, palm branches, matzohs, Havdoleh box: Jewish ritual objects for use on holidays and the Sabbath.
#31, line 7, cholent: Traditional stew for the Sabbath noon meal, left in the oven to cook overnight.
Songs of Continuity
line 3, Me’ah She’arim: A section of Jerusalem inhabited by Ultra-Orthodox Jews, typically dressed in the black gabardines of the medieval European ghettos.
line 4, A dead body: Ultra-Orthodox Jews object, often violently, to what they consider the desecration of the dead.
I Walked Past a House Where I Lived Once
line 17, the Book of Life: Jews pray on the High Holy Days to be inscribed by God in the Book of Life for the coming year.
Advice for Good Love
line 10, Samson took honey from the lion’s carcass: Judges 14:5-20.
You Mustn’t Show Weakness
line 16, Balaam: Numbers 22-25.
“The Rustle of History’s Wings,” as They Used to Say Then
line 11, the Jewish name of my ancestors: Pfeuffer.
line 12, a proud Hebrew name: Ami-chai means “my people lives.”
1978 Reunion of Palmach Veterans at Ma‘ayan Harod
title, Palmach: The commando units of the Haganah (Israeli underground army), which played a major role in the 1948 War of Independence.
There Are Candles That Remember
line 1, candles that remember for a full twenty-four hours: The yahrzeit candle, lit on the anniversary of the death of a close relative.
On the Day My Daughter Was Born No One Died
line 3, kohanim: See note to “Travels of the Last Benjamin of Tudela,” p. 186. Kohanim who are Orthodox still observe the ancient law that prohibits their coming into contact with a dead body (see Lev. 21:11).
A Child Is Something Else Again
line 18, A child delivers you from death: See Prov. 10:2, “Righteousness [Heb. charity] delivereth from death.”
When I Have a Stomachache
line 11, the Vision of the Chariot: Ezek. 1.
I Feel Just Fine in My Pants
line 2, the Arch of Titus: See note to “Elegy,” p. 186.
Jerusalem Is Full of Used Jews
line 3, And the eye yearns toward Zion: A line from “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”), Israel’s national anthem.
An Arab Shepherd Is Searching for His Goat on Mount Zion
line 10, Had Gadya: “The One Kid,” a Passover song in which “the goat that Daddy bought” falls prey to a cat, which is bitten by a dog, which is beaten by a stick, and so forth.
A Great Tranquillity: Questions and Answers
title, Questions and Answers: Refers to the Responsa, written replies by learned rabbis to questions in all matters of Jewish life.
1924
line 18, May you find lasting peace: Echoes a line from the funeral prayer “El Malei Rahamim” (“God, Full of Mercy”): “Grant perfect rest beneath the wings of thy Divine Presence.”
What a Complicated Mess
line 23, Soltam: Israel’s leading manufacturer of steel goods.
Almost a Love Poem
lines 8-9, mameh, tateh: Yiddish for Mommy and Daddy.
line 11, Hanaleh: Yiddish diminutive of Hana, the name of Amichai’s wife.
History
line 8, A great man; line 10, A wise man; line 13, A man who is content: These lines play on familiar proverbs.
The Real Hero
line 1, The Binding of Isaac: Gen. 22.
line 7, shofars: See note to “Not Like a Cypress,” p. 185.
Try to Remember Some Details
line 22, Korah: Num. 16.
My Mother Died on Shavuot
line 1, Shavuot: The Feast of Weeks, a Jewish holiday in late spring.
line 2, the Counting of the Omer: The period of 49 days from the second day of Passover through the day before Shavuot.
Late Marriage
lines 21-24, The voice of the bridegroom . . . the cities of Yehuda: Jer. 7: 34: “From the cities of Judah (Heb. Yehuda) and the streets of Jerusalem . . . the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.”
North of Beersheba
line 7, Shema Yisrael: “Hear, O Israel,” Judaism’s affirmation of faith, proclaiming the unity of God (Deut. 6:4).
I Guard the Children
line 29, Ashmedai: Asmodeus, an evil spirit, chief of the demons in rabbinic legends.
Sandals
line 4, tefillin: Phylacteries (two small boxes containing scriptural passages, fastened with leather straps to the arm and forehead during morning prayers, in fulfillment of Deut. 6:8).
The Course of a Life
line 32, sandak: A relative or close friend of the family who holds the infant on his lap during the ceremony of circumcision.
Yom Kippur
line 18, Open the gate to us: From the Ne’ilah service at the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when the gates of prayer are said to close.
The Shore of Ashkelon
line 7, Peace, peace to the near and the far: Cf. Isa. 57:19.
We Did What We Had To
line 19, Without end, to no end: An ironic reference to the last line of “Adon Olam” (“Lord of the Universe”), a popular synagogue hymn which refers to God as “without beginning, without end.”
line 21, Remember, O God: From Yizkor, the memorial prayer for the souls of departed relatives.
line 24, Dew and Showers, He Who Brings Rain: Prayers recited in the synagogue in spring/summer and fall/winter, respectively.
Acknowledgments
We have been very fortunate in our collaborators on these translations.
Stephen Mitchell worked with Chana Kronfeld, Associate Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, University of California at Berkeley. She compiled a preliminary list of the poems she felt were strongest and most representative; then read through these and others with him, word by word, explaining nuances, ambiguities, and allusions; and finally, with great sensitivity and meticulousness, reviewed his drafts and made many useful suggestions.
Chana Bloch worked closely with Ariel Bloch, Emeritus Professor of Semitic Linguistics, University of California at Berkeley, who brought to this project his critical acumen, his impressive knowledge of the Hebrew language, and his sensitivity to the nuances of English. He read each poem with her in Hebrew and offered rigorous criticisms of her English versions; in preparing the forty new translations for this edition, he was a generous collaborator. She is also indebted to Yehuda Amichai, who graciously went o
ver the translations for the 1986 edition with her in Jerusalem and reviewed the new ones, and to Chana Kronfeld, whose subtle and incisive comments reflected her unsurpassed command of Amichai’s work. Finally, she wishes to thank Anita Barrows, Shirley Kaufman, and Stanley Moss, who offered many helpful suggestions.
Index of Titles
Advice for Good Love, 119
All These Make a Dance Rhythm, 132
Almost a Love Poem, 153
And as Far as Abu Ghosh, 33
And That Is Your Glory, 11
Arab Shepherd Is Searching for His Goat on Mount Zion, An, 138
As for the World, 29
At the Beach, 175
At the Maritime Museum, 157
At the Monastery of Latroun, 115
At the Seashore, 150
Autobiography, 1952, 2
Autumn Is Near and the Memory of My Parents, 176
Autumn Rain in Tel Aviv, 152
Ballad in the Streets of Buenos Aires, 90
Ballad of the Washed Hair, 20
Before, 33
Beginning of Autumn in the Hills of Ephraim, 178
Between, 173
Body Is the Cause of Love, The, 162
Box, The, 145
Bride Without a Dowry, A, 98
Bull Returns, The, 55
Child Is Something Else Again, A, 133
Children’s Procession, 20
Course of a Life, The, 170
Diameter of the Bomb, The, 118
Dice, 153
Dog After Love, A, 98
Ecology of Jerusalem, 136
Elegy, 58
Elegy on an Abandoned Village, 42
Elegy on the Lost Child, The, 43
End of Summer in the Judean Mountains, 140
Eternal Window, An, 130
Eve of Rosh Hashanah, The, 122
Evidence, 169
Fall in Connecticut, 167
Farewell, 31
Fields of Sunflowers, 181
First Rain on a Burned Car, 181
Flock of Sheep Near the Airport, A, 152
Forgetting Someone, 128
For My Birthday, 15
From the Book of Esther I Filtered the Sediment, 124
Gifts of Love, 90
God Has Pity on Kindergarten Children, 1
God’s Hand in the World, 10
Greatest Desire, The, 172
Great Tranquillity: Questions and Answers, A, 142
Half-Sized Violin, 143
Half the People in the World, 14
Hamadiya, 150
