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    Miri Ben Simhon

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    GIRL FROM THE SLUMS (a longitudinal slice)


    A dark girl with acne
    Aliza Alfandari   
    in a place meant for others
    washes clothes
    as one who does God’s bidding
    afterwards she’ll scrub the floor
    arrange flowers in a vase.
    Her blouse matches her skirt.
    She doesn’t care about the spots on her face
    and covers them with make-up.  Her virtues
    don’t depend on this at all.
    She fulfills her duties carefully
    and knows very well who’s right and who isn’t.
    Sometimes she explodes, but only for good reason,
    when you consider the fact that so many people don’t know how to behave.
    It’s her nature
    she can’t stand all the people who talk nonsense
    who have no taste
    and don’t maintain their honor.
    Her mother died of a heart attack when she was small
    and her father is a janitor at the parochial school near the house.
    She loves her brother Jacob
    who’s gotten ahead in life,
    an administrator in the maintenance department of the university
    in charge of so many workers.
    He issues their checks and they pay him his due.
    She types, 120 words a minute,
    the most important thing in her life,
    at the bus stop every morning at 7:30 sharp
    (pension assured).
    In her free time she embroiders patterns
    that she buys in the Old City on Saturdays.
    Asher from the garage calls sometimes
    but she doesn’t encourage him
    so he’ll know she’s serious,
    so he won’t think she’ll sleep with him before the wedding.
    Sometimes she goes to the movies with her brother
    who’s clean-shaven and wears polished shoes.
    The whole neighborhood sees she’s having a good time
    and her name remains pure.
    Everyone in the neighborhood knows that Aliza is a good girl
    who greets everyone and asks after the children,     
    knows how to sew, sits at home,
    a serious girl.
    One day she’ll get lucky,
    the right boy will come along to marry,
    and she’ll have children who’ll grow up, God willing,
    to appreciate their mother.
    © Translation: 2016, Lisa Katz
    The original poem title names the Katamonim neighborhood, once a poor section of Jerusalem, where the poet was raised.

    נערה מן הקטמונים (חתך –אורך)

    נערה מן הקטמונים (חתך –אורך)

    נַעֲרָה שְׁחוֹרָה עִם חֲטָטִים בַּפָּנִים
    עַלִּיזָה אַלְפַנְדָּרִי
    בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁנּוֹעַד לַאֲנָשִׁים אֲחֵרִים
    מְכַבֶּסֶת אֶת בְּגָדֶיהָ
    כְּמִי שֶׁעוֹשָׂה הַטוֹב בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹהִים
    אַחַר כָּךְ תָדִיחַ רִצְפָּה
    וּתְתַקֵּן פְּרַחִים בָּאֲגַרְטַל
    הִיא מַתְאִימָה אֶת צֶבַע הַחֻלְצָה לַחֲצָאִית
    הִיא לֹא שָׂמָה עַל הַחֲטָטִים בַּפָּנִים
    הִיא שָׂמָה עַל זֶה שִׁכְבָה עָבָה שֶׁל "מֵיק אַפּ"
    וְלֹא רוֹאִים כָּל כָּךְ.
    בִּכְלָל זְכֻיּוֹתֶיהָ וְהַצְלָחוֹתֶיהָ לֹא תְּלוּיוֹת בָּזֶה
    הִיא מַקְפִּידָה לְמַלֵּא אֶת חוֹבוֹתֶיהָ לְפִי הַסֵּדֶר
    וַאֲמוּנָה הֵיטֵב עַל מִי "בְּסֵדֶר" מִי "לֹא בְּסֵדֶר".
    מֶדֵּי פַּעַם יֵשׁ לָהּ הִתְפָּרְצֻיּוֹת, אֲבָל בְּצֶדֶק
    בְּהִתְחַשֵׁב בָּעֻבְדָּה שֶׁכָּל כָּךְ הַרְבֵּה אֲנָשִׁים לֹא יוֹדְעִים אֵיךְ לְהִתְנַהֵג
    זֶה הַטֶּבַע שֶׁלַּהּ
    הִיא לֹא סוֹבֶלֶת אֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה שֶׁאוֹמְרִים שְׁטֻיּוֹת
    שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם טַעַם
    וְשֶׁלֹּא שׁוֹמְרִים עַל הַכָּבוֹד שֶׁלָּהֶם
    אִמָּא שֶׁלָּהּ מֵתָה מֵהֶתְקֵף לֵב כְּשֶׁהָיְתָה קְטַּנָּה
    וְאַבָּא שֶׁלָּהּ שָׁרָת בְּבֵית-סֵפֶר מַמְלַכְתִּי דָתִי עַל יַד הַבַּיִת
    הִיא אוֹהֶבֶת אֶת הָאָח שֶׁלָּהּ יַעֲקֹב
    שֶׁהִתְקַדֵּם בַּחַיִּים
    וְהוּא אַדְמִינִיסְטְרָטוֹר בְּמַחְלֶקֶת הַמֶּשֶׁק שֶׁל הָאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה
    אַחֲרַאי עַל כָּךְ וְכָּךְ עוֹבְדִים
    שֶׁמְּקַבְּלִים אֶת הַמַּשְׂכֹּרֶת מִיָּדוֹ וְנוֹתְנִים לוֹ כָּבוֹד.
    הִיא כַּתְבָנִית וּמָסְפִּיקָה 120 מִלִּים בְּדַקָּה
    הָעֲבוֹדָה זֶה הַדָבָר הֲכִי חָשׁוּב בִּשְׁבִילָהּ בַּחַיִּים
    כָּל בֹּקֶר בְּ-7.30 בְּדִיּוּק רוֹאִים אוֹתָהּ בַּתַּחֲנָה
    (יֵשׁ לָהּ קְבִיעוּת וְגַם הַפֶּנְסִיָּה שֶֹלָּהּ מְסֻדֶּרֶת).
    בַּשָּׁעוֹת הָפְּנּויֹות הִיא סוּרֶגֶת  גּוֹבְּלֶנִים
    שֶׁקָּנְתָה בָּעִיר  הָעַתִּיקָה בְּשַׁבָּת.
    אָשֵׁר מִתְקַשֵּׁר לִפְעָמִים מִן הַמּוּסָךְ
    אֲבָל הִיא לֹא מַראָה לוֹ פָּנִים כָּל כָּךְ
    זֶה טוֹב בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁיֵּדַע שֶׁהִיא רְצִינִית
    וְשֶׁלֹּא יַחֲשֹׁב שֶׁהִיא תַּסְכִּים לִפְנֵי הַחֲתֻנָּה.
    לִפְעָמִים הִיא יוֹצֵאת עִם אָח שֶׁלָּהּ יַעֲקֹב לְסֶרֶט
    מְגֻלָּח לְמִשְׁעִי וּבְנַעֲלַיִם מְצֻחְצָחוֹת
    וְכָל הַשְׁכוּנָה רוֹאָה שֶׁהִיא מְבַלָּה
    וְהַשֵׁם שֶׁלָּהּ נִשְׁאָר נָקִי.
    כֻּלָם בַּשְּׁכוּנָה יוֹדְעִים שֶׁעַלִּיזָה הִיא בַּחוּרָה לְלֹא רְבָב
    אוֹמֶרֶת "שָׁלוֹם" וּ"מַה שְּׁלוֹם הַיְלָדִים"
    יוֹדַעַת לִתְפֹּר וְיוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּבַּית
    בַּחוּרָה רְצִינִית.
    יוֹם יָבוֹא וֱהַמַּזָּל שֶׁלָּהּ יָבוֹא גַם כֵּן
    יָבוֹא בָּחוּר לָעִנְיָן וְהִיא תִּתְחַתֵּן
    וְתוֹלִיד יְלָדִים שֶׁיִּגְדְּלוּ בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם
    וְיַעֲרִיכוּ אֶת הָאִמָּא שֶׁלָּהֶם.



     
    © 1983, Yedidia Ben Simhon
    From: She’s Into It, Not Into It/Meh-oon-yenet, lo meh-oon-yenet,
    Publisher: Hakibbutz Hameuchad, Tel Aviv
    Poems
    Poems of Miri Ben Simhon
    Close

    GIRL FROM THE SLUMS (a longitudinal slice)


    A dark girl with acne
    Aliza Alfandari   
    in a place meant for others
    washes clothes
    as one who does God’s bidding
    afterwards she’ll scrub the floor
    arrange flowers in a vase.
    Her blouse matches her skirt.
    She doesn’t care about the spots on her face
    and covers them with make-up.  Her virtues
    don’t depend on this at all.
    She fulfills her duties carefully
    and knows very well who’s right and who isn’t.
    Sometimes she explodes, but only for good reason,
    when you consider the fact that so many people don’t know how to behave.
    It’s her nature
    she can’t stand all the people who talk nonsense
    who have no taste
    and don’t maintain their honor.
    Her mother died of a heart attack when she was small
    and her father is a janitor at the parochial school near the house.
    She loves her brother Jacob
    who’s gotten ahead in life,
    an administrator in the maintenance department of the university
    in charge of so many workers.
    He issues their checks and they pay him his due.
    She types, 120 words a minute,
    the most important thing in her life,
    at the bus stop every morning at 7:30 sharp
    (pension assured).
    In her free time she embroiders patterns
    that she buys in the Old City on Saturdays.
    Asher from the garage calls sometimes
    but she doesn’t encourage him
    so he’ll know she’s serious,
    so he won’t think she’ll sleep with him before the wedding.
    Sometimes she goes to the movies with her brother
    who’s clean-shaven and wears polished shoes.
    The whole neighborhood sees she’s having a good time
    and her name remains pure.
    Everyone in the neighborhood knows that Aliza is a good girl
    who greets everyone and asks after the children,     
    knows how to sew, sits at home,
    a serious girl.
    One day she’ll get lucky,
    the right boy will come along to marry,
    and she’ll have children who’ll grow up, God willing,
    to appreciate their mother.
    © 2016, Lisa Katz
    From: She’s Into It, Not Into It/Meh-oon-yenet, lo meh-oon-yenet,

    GIRL FROM THE SLUMS (a longitudinal slice)


    A dark girl with acne
    Aliza Alfandari   
    in a place meant for others
    washes clothes
    as one who does God’s bidding
    afterwards she’ll scrub the floor
    arrange flowers in a vase.
    Her blouse matches her skirt.
    She doesn’t care about the spots on her face
    and covers them with make-up.  Her virtues
    don’t depend on this at all.
    She fulfills her duties carefully
    and knows very well who’s right and who isn’t.
    Sometimes she explodes, but only for good reason,
    when you consider the fact that so many people don’t know how to behave.
    It’s her nature
    she can’t stand all the people who talk nonsense
    who have no taste
    and don’t maintain their honor.
    Her mother died of a heart attack when she was small
    and her father is a janitor at the parochial school near the house.
    She loves her brother Jacob
    who’s gotten ahead in life,
    an administrator in the maintenance department of the university
    in charge of so many workers.
    He issues their checks and they pay him his due.
    She types, 120 words a minute,
    the most important thing in her life,
    at the bus stop every morning at 7:30 sharp
    (pension assured).
    In her free time she embroiders patterns
    that she buys in the Old City on Saturdays.
    Asher from the garage calls sometimes
    but she doesn’t encourage him
    so he’ll know she’s serious,
    so he won’t think she’ll sleep with him before the wedding.
    Sometimes she goes to the movies with her brother
    who’s clean-shaven and wears polished shoes.
    The whole neighborhood sees she’s having a good time
    and her name remains pure.
    Everyone in the neighborhood knows that Aliza is a good girl
    who greets everyone and asks after the children,     
    knows how to sew, sits at home,
    a serious girl.
    One day she’ll get lucky,
    the right boy will come along to marry,
    and she’ll have children who’ll grow up, God willing,
    to appreciate their mother.
    © 2016, Lisa Katz
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