Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Agi Mishol

WOMAN MARTYR

You are only twenty
and your first pregnancy is a bomb.
Under your broad skirt you are pregnant with dynamite
and metal shavings. This is how you walk in the market,
ticking among the people, you, Andaleeb Takatkah.
 
Someone tinkered with your head
and launched you toward the city;
even though you come from Bethlehem,
the Home of Bread, you chose a bakery.
And there you pulled the trigger out of yourself,
and together with the Sabbath loaves,
sesame and poppy seed,
you flung yourself into the sky.
 
Together with Rebecca Fink you flew up
with Yelena Konre’ev from the Caucasus
and Nissim Cohen from Afghanistan
and Suhila Houshy from Iran
and two Chinese you swept along
to death.
 
Since then, other matters
have obscured your story,
about which I speak all the time
without having anything to say.
 

שאהידה

שאהידה

אַתְּ  רַק בַּת עֶשְרִים      
וְהַהֶרָיוֹן הָרִאשוֹן שֶלָךְ הוּא פְּצָצָה.
מִתַּחַת לַשִמְלָה הָרְחָבָה אַתְ הָרָה חמֶר נֶפֶץ
שְבָבִים שֶל מַתֶּכֶת, וְכַך אַת עוֹבֶרֶת בַּשוּק
מְתַקְתֶּקֶת בֵּין הַאָנָשִים עַנְדָלִיב תַּקָאטקָה.
 
מִישֶהוּ שִנָּה לָךְ בָּראש אֶת הַהַבְרָגָה
וְשִגֵּר אוֹתָך לַעִיר
ואַתְּ שֶבָּאת מִבֵּית לֶחֶם, בָּחַרתְּ לָךְ דָּוְקָא
מַאֲפִיָּה. שָם שָלַפתְּ מִתּוֹכֵך אֶת הַנִיצְרָה
וּבְיָחָד עִם חַלּוֹת הַשַבָּת
הַפֶּרֶג וְהַשוּמְשוּמִים
הֵעַפְתְּ אֶת עַצְמֵךְ לַשָמַיִם.
 
בְּיָחָד עִם רִבְקָה פִינְק עָפְתְּ
וְיֶלֶנָה קוֹנָרְיֵב מִקַּוְקָז
נסים כהן מאפגניסטן
וְסוּהִילָה חוּשִי מֵאִירָאן
וְגַם שְנַיִם סִינִים גָרַפתְּ אִתָּךְ
אֶל מוֹתֵך.
 
מֵאָז כִּסּוּ עִנְיָנִים אַחֵרִים
אֶת הַסִּפּוּר שֶלָך
שעָלָיו אֲנִי מְדַבֶּרֶת ומְדַבֶּרֶת
מִבְּלִי שֶיִהיֶה לִי מַשֶּהוּ לְהַגִיד.
 
Close

WOMAN MARTYR

You are only twenty
and your first pregnancy is a bomb.
Under your broad skirt you are pregnant with dynamite
and metal shavings. This is how you walk in the market,
ticking among the people, you, Andaleeb Takatkah.
 
Someone tinkered with your head
and launched you toward the city;
even though you come from Bethlehem,
the Home of Bread, you chose a bakery.
And there you pulled the trigger out of yourself,
and together with the Sabbath loaves,
sesame and poppy seed,
you flung yourself into the sky.
 
Together with Rebecca Fink you flew up
with Yelena Konre’ev from the Caucasus
and Nissim Cohen from Afghanistan
and Suhila Houshy from Iran
and two Chinese you swept along
to death.
 
Since then, other matters
have obscured your story,
about which I speak all the time
without having anything to say.
 

WOMAN MARTYR

You are only twenty
and your first pregnancy is a bomb.
Under your broad skirt you are pregnant with dynamite
and metal shavings. This is how you walk in the market,
ticking among the people, you, Andaleeb Takatkah.
 
Someone tinkered with your head
and launched you toward the city;
even though you come from Bethlehem,
the Home of Bread, you chose a bakery.
And there you pulled the trigger out of yourself,
and together with the Sabbath loaves,
sesame and poppy seed,
you flung yourself into the sky.
 
Together with Rebecca Fink you flew up
with Yelena Konre’ev from the Caucasus
and Nissim Cohen from Afghanistan
and Suhila Houshy from Iran
and two Chinese you swept along
to death.
 
Since then, other matters
have obscured your story,
about which I speak all the time
without having anything to say.
 
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