Poem
Vaan Nguyen
Jewish Child
Come let us go thus far*past the farms.
Gedera junction is gridlocked.
This phase is European
but also Bolshevik
because
of the woolen vest and yellow mane
of curls. Your eyes are blue, Jewish child in Moscow
pretending to be a Tsar
drinking vodka from a crystal glass
sniffing salmon roe on a cracker, name** highlighted in gold
in the canon.
In the apartment, the smell of papers from the secondhand store.
You stick one foot in hesitantly
and then immerse your body in the bathtub
“Light me a cigarette, the pack is on the floor.”
You point and drip,
your face streaming man.
© Translation: 2019, Lisa Katz
* “thus far”, in Hebrew “ad halom”,(2 Samuel 7:18) – is the name of a site near Ashdod which was the northernmost point in Israel reached by the Egyptian army in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The phrase connotes a crucial last line of defense.
** “name”, in Hebrew – “hashem”, literally “the name”, is one way observant Jews refer to God.
ילד יהודי
ילד יהודי
בּוֹא נִסַּע עַד הֲלוֹם
נִסַּע דֶּרֶךְ הַמּוֹשָׁבוֹת
צֹמֶת גְּדֵרָה פְּקוּקָה.
הַפָזָה הַזּוֹ הִיא אֵירוֹפֵּאִית
אֲבָל הִיא בּוֹלְשֶׁבִיקִית
משִּׁוּם
הַוסְֶט הַצמְַּרִירִי ורְַעְמַת הַתַּלְתַּלִּים
הַזְּהֻבָּה. תְּכֻלּוֹת הֵן עֵינֶיךָ, יֶלֶד יְהוּדִי בְּמוֹסְקְבָה
מִתְחַזֶּה לְצָאר
שׁוֹתֶה ווֹדְקָה מִכּוֹסִית קְרִיסְטָל
מְרַחְרֵחַ בֵּיצֵי סַלְמוֹן עַל קְרֶקֶר, וְהַשֵּׁם מֻדְגָּשׁ זָהֹב
בְּתוֹךְ הַקָּנוֹן.
בַּדִּירָה, רֵיחַ שֶׁל דַּפִּים מֵחֲנוּת יָד שְׁנִיָּה.
אַתָּה מַנִּיחַ אֶת הָרֶגֶל בְּהִסּוּס
וְאָז טוֹבֵל אֶת כָּל גּוּפְךָ בָּאַמְבַּטְיָה
״תַּדְלִיקִי לִי סִיגַרְיָה, הִנֵּה הַחֲפִיסָה עַל הָרִצְפָּה״
מַצְבִּיעַ וְנוֹטֵף,
וּבְפָנֶיךָ הַזּוֹלְגוֹת גֶּבֶר.
נִסַּע דֶּרֶךְ הַמּוֹשָׁבוֹת
צֹמֶת גְּדֵרָה פְּקוּקָה.
הַפָזָה הַזּוֹ הִיא אֵירוֹפֵּאִית
אֲבָל הִיא בּוֹלְשֶׁבִיקִית
משִּׁוּם
הַוסְֶט הַצמְַּרִירִי ורְַעְמַת הַתַּלְתַּלִּים
הַזְּהֻבָּה. תְּכֻלּוֹת הֵן עֵינֶיךָ, יֶלֶד יְהוּדִי בְּמוֹסְקְבָה
מִתְחַזֶּה לְצָאר
שׁוֹתֶה ווֹדְקָה מִכּוֹסִית קְרִיסְטָל
מְרַחְרֵחַ בֵּיצֵי סַלְמוֹן עַל קְרֶקֶר, וְהַשֵּׁם מֻדְגָּשׁ זָהֹב
בְּתוֹךְ הַקָּנוֹן.
בַּדִּירָה, רֵיחַ שֶׁל דַּפִּים מֵחֲנוּת יָד שְׁנִיָּה.
אַתָּה מַנִּיחַ אֶת הָרֶגֶל בְּהִסּוּס
וְאָז טוֹבֵל אֶת כָּל גּוּפְךָ בָּאַמְבַּטְיָה
״תַּדְלִיקִי לִי סִיגַרְיָה, הִנֵּה הַחֲפִיסָה עַל הָרִצְפָּה״
מַצְבִּיעַ וְנוֹטֵף,
וּבְפָנֶיךָ הַזּוֹלְגוֹת גֶּבֶר.
© 2008, Vaan Nguyen
From: Eyn ha-kemihin (The Truffle Eye).
Publisher: Ma\'ayan, Tel Aviv
From: Eyn ha-kemihin (The Truffle Eye).
Publisher: Ma\'ayan, Tel Aviv
Poems
Poems of Vaan Nguyen
Close
Jewish Child
Come let us go thus far*past the farms.
Gedera junction is gridlocked.
This phase is European
but also Bolshevik
because
of the woolen vest and yellow mane
of curls. Your eyes are blue, Jewish child in Moscow
pretending to be a Tsar
drinking vodka from a crystal glass
sniffing salmon roe on a cracker, name** highlighted in gold
in the canon.
In the apartment, the smell of papers from the secondhand store.
You stick one foot in hesitantly
and then immerse your body in the bathtub
“Light me a cigarette, the pack is on the floor.”
You point and drip,
your face streaming man.
© 2019, Lisa Katz
From: Eyn ha-kemihin (The Truffle Eye).
From: Eyn ha-kemihin (The Truffle Eye).
Jewish Child
Come let us go thus far*past the farms.
Gedera junction is gridlocked.
This phase is European
but also Bolshevik
because
of the woolen vest and yellow mane
of curls. Your eyes are blue, Jewish child in Moscow
pretending to be a Tsar
drinking vodka from a crystal glass
sniffing salmon roe on a cracker, name** highlighted in gold
in the canon.
In the apartment, the smell of papers from the secondhand store.
You stick one foot in hesitantly
and then immerse your body in the bathtub
“Light me a cigarette, the pack is on the floor.”
You point and drip,
your face streaming man.
© 2019, Lisa Katz
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