Amichai - Darwish - Jerusalem

Haggadah Section: Nirtzah

 Jerusalem (Yehuda Amichai: from Poems 1948-1962, Schocken Press, 1963. Translated by Irena Gordon)

On a roof in the Old City

Laundry hanging in the late afternoon sunlight:

The white sheet of a woman who is my enemy,

The towel of a man who is my enemy,

To wipe the sweat of his brow.

In the sky of the Old City

A kite.

At the other end of the string,

A child

I can’t see Because of the wall.

We have put up many flags,

They have put up many flags.

To make us think that they’re happy.

To make them think that we’re happy.

עַל ּגָג ּבָעִיר הָעַתִיקָה,

ּכְבִיסָה מּואֶרֶת ּבְאוֹר ַאחֲרוֹן ׁשֶל יוֹם:

סָדִין לָבָן ׁשֶל אוֹיֶבֶת,

מַגֶבֶת ׁשֶל אוֹיֶב

לְנַּגֵב ּבָה אֶת זֵעַת אַפוֹ. ּ

וּבִשְמֵי הָעִיר העַתִיקָה

עֲפִיפוֹן.

ּובִקְצֵה הַחּוט –

יֶלֶד, ׁ

שֶלא רָאִיתִי אוֹתוֹ, ּ

בִגְלַל הַחוֹמָה.

הֶעֱלֵינּו הַרְבֵה ּדְגָלִים,

הֶעֱלּו הַרְבה ּדְגָלִים. ּ

כְדֵי ׁשּנַחְשֹב ׁשֶהֵם ׂשְמֵחִים ּ

כְדֵי ׁשֶיַחְשְבּו ׁשֶאנַחְנּו ׂשְמֵחִים.

 In Jerusalem (Mahmoud Darwish: from The Kenyon Review, New Series, Vol. 27 No. 3, Summer 2005. Translated by Fady Joudah)

In Jerusalem, and I mean within the ancient walls, I walk from one epoch to another without a memory to guide me. The prophets over there are sharing the history of the holy ... ascending to heaven and returning less discouraged and melancholy, because love and peace are holy and are coming to town. I was walking down a slope and thinking to myself: How do the narrators disagree over what light said about a stone? Is it from a dimly lit stone that wars flare up? I walk in my sleep. I stare in my sleep. I see no one behind me. I see no one ahead of me. All this light is for me. I walk. I become lighter. I fly then I become another. Transfigured. Words sprout like grass from Isaiah’s messenger mouth: “If you don’t believe you won’t be safe.” I walk as if I were another. And my wound a white biblical rose. And my hands like two doves on the cross hovering and carrying the earth. I don’t walk, I fly, I become another, transfigured. No place and no time. So who am I? I am no I in ascension’s presence. But I think to myself: Alone, the prophet Muhammad spoke classical Arabic. “And then what?” Then what? A woman soldier shouted: Is that you again? Didn’t I kill you? I said: You killed me ... and I forgot, like you, to die.

َ َ

عني داخل ُّ الس ِ ور القدمي، في القدس، أ ُ َ من زَمٍن َ إلى زَمٍن بال ذكرى َسير أ ُ َ ني. فإن األنبياء هناك يقتسمون ّ ب ُت ِصو َ تاريخ َّ املقدس... يصعدون إلى السماء َّ ُة ً، فاحملب ً وحزنا َ َّقل إحباطا ويرجعون أ ُ والسالم مَقَّدَسان وقادمان إلى املدينة. ْهِج ُس: كيف َ ٍر وأ َ ُ مشي فوق مْن َحَد كنت أ ٍر؟ ُّ ُواة َ على كالم الضوء في حَج يختلف الر ِمْن َ حَج ِ ر ٍشحيح ُ الضوء تندلع ُ احلروب؟ َ أ َحملق في منامي. ال أسير في نومي. أ ً أمامي. َحدا ً ورائي. ال أرى أ أرى أحدا ُ َ ُّ مشي. أخف. أطير ُ ُّل ِ هذا الضوء لي. أ ك ُ ُت ّي. تنب َ َّ صير غيري في الت َجِل ثم أ ُ الكلمات كاألعشاب من فم أشعيا َمُنوا((. ْ َ ِّوي ْ : ))إن ُ لم تْؤ َ منوا لن تأ ِّ النب ٌ ْ َ حي وْرَدة ْ ُ ري. وجر َ ِّ مشي كأن ٌ ي واحد غي أ َّ ٌة َ . ويداي َ مثل حمامتْ ِي ُ بيضاء إجنيلي ّ َ قان وحتمالن األرض. على الصليب ُتِل ْري في ُ َ غي َصير ُ، أ َطير ال أمشي، أ َنا؟ ّ َ ي. ال مكان و ال زمان . فمن أ ِ التجل َ ِّ نا ال أنا في حضرة املعراج. لكني أ ّ ٌد ُ َ : وْحَدُه ّ ، كان النبي ِ محم ّر ُ ِفك أ َّ َة ُ الفْص َحى. ))وماذا بعد؟(( ُم العربي ّ ِ يتكل ّ ماذا بعد؟ صاحت فجأة جنديٌة: ْ َك؟ َقتل َلم أ َ َ نت ً ثانية؟ أ ُهَو أ َموت. ْ ُ تني... ونسيت، مثلك، أن أ َ قلت: قَتل »

 

 

Source:  
https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/8-jerusalem.pdf

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