Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Shai Dotan

THE FIRST PAINTING

How did God mark
Cain’s forehead?
With Abel’s distorted lips
turning skyward?
Like the mouths of the butchered
or a white feather
from the wing of one of the cherubim
blackened at the brim.
And perhaps he plowed his forehead
with wrinkles, two or three,
those frail furrows
deepening the wail of regret
as the heart brims over with memory
and the soul dies on lips
leaving a weak whisper
instead.

הַצִּיּוּר הָרִאשׁוֹן

הַצִּיּוּר הָרִאשׁוֹן


מַה סִּמֵּן אֱלֹהִים
?עַל מִצְחוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן
הַאִם אֶת פִּיו הַמְּעֻוֶּה
שֶׁל הֶבֶל פּוֹנֶה לַשָּׁמַיִם
,כְּמוֹ פִּיּוֹת נִטְבָּחִים
אוֹ נוֹצָה לְבָנָה
מִכְּנַף אֶחָד הַכְּרוּבִים
.מְפֻיַּחַת בְּשׁוּלֵי הַפְּלוּמָה
וְאוּלַי חָרַשׁ בְּמִצְחוֹ
,שְׁנַיִם-שְׁלֹשָׁה קְמָטִים
אוֹתָם תְּלָמִים רָפִים
הַמַּעֲמִיקִים יִפְחַת חֲרָטָה
כְּשֶׁהַלֵּב מִתְפַּקֵּעַ מִזִּכָּרוֹן
וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ גּוֹוַעַת עַל הַשְּׂפָתַיִם
מוֹתִירָה בַּפֶּה
מִלְמוּל רָפֶה

Close

THE FIRST PAINTING

How did God mark
Cain’s forehead?
With Abel’s distorted lips
turning skyward?
Like the mouths of the butchered
or a white feather
from the wing of one of the cherubim
blackened at the brim.
And perhaps he plowed his forehead
with wrinkles, two or three,
those frail furrows
deepening the wail of regret
as the heart brims over with memory
and the soul dies on lips
leaving a weak whisper
instead.

THE FIRST PAINTING

How did God mark
Cain’s forehead?
With Abel’s distorted lips
turning skyward?
Like the mouths of the butchered
or a white feather
from the wing of one of the cherubim
blackened at the brim.
And perhaps he plowed his forehead
with wrinkles, two or three,
those frail furrows
deepening the wail of regret
as the heart brims over with memory
and the soul dies on lips
leaving a weak whisper
instead.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère