THE BALLAD OF THE WISE EFRAT

“Aha, why didn’t you grasp it,
    Efrat my daughter?
Aha, why didn’t you grasp it, my wise daughter?”
“The mass of water has refused to reach the shore, mother,
                leave me to push by myself,
my strength is in my loins and not in my brain, mother, make haste
                and come not nigh my threshold”.

“Whence has the wave vanished to, Efrat, O daughter mine,
Whence has the wave vanished, O wise daughter of mine?”
“The article ‘the’ is close at my heels, mother, let me inhale by myself,
my strength is in my loins and not in my brain, mother, make haste
                and come not nigh my threshold”.

“How come you’ve reached the end, Efrat, O daughter mine?
How come you’ve reached the end, O wise daughter of mine?”
“I grasped the tree of life, mother, let me flow by myself,
my strength is in my loins and not in my brain, mother, make haste
                and come not nigh my threshold”.

“Have you searched within the leaves, Efrat, O daughter of mine?
Have you searched within the leaves, O wise daughter of mine?”
“The roots of the tree are sick, mother.  Let me taste them by myself,
my strength is in my loins and not in my brain, mother, make haste
                and come not nigh my threshold”.

“Ah, you sought the source of green, Efrat, O daughter of mine.
Ah, you sought the source of green, O wise daughter of mine?”
“That’s true, because it’s poison, mother, let me err by myself,
my strength is in my death and not in my brain, mother,
make haste and come not nigh my threshold”.

THE BALLAD OF THE WISE EFRAT