Artikel
Welcome to Israeli Poetry - November 2003
18 januari 2006
The beginning of Hebrew poetry is recorded in the Bible, whose very first book refers to the primordial Garden of Eden. This is the place where humankind was born: the cradle of human culture. The first verses treated as poetry by the biblical writer are these:
Hebrew poetry has come a long way since then, built block by block, the two verses above joined by the poetry of Moses; and of Deborah; David's lament for Jonathan; and the psalms, hymns and chapters of the Prophets, sounding a call for social justice. After biblical poetry came the writings of the rabbinical sages; the poetry of the Middle Ages; of the Enlightenment; the beginning of modern Hebrew poetry; and the work of contemporary Israeli writers.
The poets featured in the fourth edition offer their readers very different inner worlds of important writers who have never captured the spotlight in Israeli poetry, despite the fact that they have written several of the most beautiful poems of this new/ancient language: {id="3161" title="Avraham Ben Yitzhak"}, {id="3169" title="Israel Har"}, and {id="3167" title="Ella Bat-Tsion"}. Their common thread is the economical, subtle and precise use they make of biblical language in order to create works of emotional depth and stylistic fluency in the new Hebrew. As in previous editions, the poets of the present one represent different generations, although, in the words of Avraham Ben Yitzhak, they end up in the same place.
[P]oetry comes to a pause on the lips of a few:
on seven roads we depart and on one we return.
In addition to translations by Peter Cole of three Ben Yitzhak poems, and a short sketch of his life, this edition also features remarks on Ben Yitzhak and his work by Hebrew University professor of Hebrew Literature Hannan Hever, who has edited Peter Cole's translations of Ben Yitzhak’s collected poems (published by Ibis Editions in 2003).
Four poems of Israel Har, translated by Harvey Bock, are to be found here, and this fourth edition contains a short essay on Har's last book by the poet Esther Ettinger, as well as reflections on A Pauper’s Discourse on a Bush by the editor of these pages.
Three poems by Ella Bat-Tsion appear, two translated by Lisa Katz and one by the poet herself, along with excerpts from a book review of Bat-Tsion’s God’s Dreams written by the editor of these pages in 1994. The Israeli national site is produced by {id="3098" title="Mishkenot Sha'ananim"} International Cultural Centre in Jerusalem.
{id="3083" title="Gabi Hadar"}, National Site Producer
{id="3083" title="Rami Saari"}, National Editor
{id="3083" title="Lisa Katz"}, English Language Editor
These web pages focus mainly on poetry by living Israeli writers, while earlier poets whose influence is still felt in modern Hebrew literature are also represented. The first edition featured Solomon Ibn Gabirol and Dahlia Ravikovitch. The second was dedicated to Nathan Alterman, Nathan Zach, Nathan Wasserman and Gali-Dana Singer. The third presented Lea Goldberg, Taha Muhammad Ali and Agi Mishol.
In this edition, which closes Israel’s first year online at PIW, three poets whose language is Hebrew appear: Avraham Ben Yitzhak, Israel Har, and Ella Bat-Tsion.The beginning of Hebrew poetry is recorded in the Bible, whose very first book refers to the primordial Garden of Eden. This is the place where humankind was born: the cradle of human culture. The first verses treated as poetry by the biblical writer are these:
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
You wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say:
I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.
(Genesis 4:23-24)
Hebrew poetry has come a long way since then, built block by block, the two verses above joined by the poetry of Moses; and of Deborah; David's lament for Jonathan; and the psalms, hymns and chapters of the Prophets, sounding a call for social justice. After biblical poetry came the writings of the rabbinical sages; the poetry of the Middle Ages; of the Enlightenment; the beginning of modern Hebrew poetry; and the work of contemporary Israeli writers.
The poets featured in the fourth edition offer their readers very different inner worlds of important writers who have never captured the spotlight in Israeli poetry, despite the fact that they have written several of the most beautiful poems of this new/ancient language: {id="3161" title="Avraham Ben Yitzhak"}, {id="3169" title="Israel Har"}, and {id="3167" title="Ella Bat-Tsion"}. Their common thread is the economical, subtle and precise use they make of biblical language in order to create works of emotional depth and stylistic fluency in the new Hebrew. As in previous editions, the poets of the present one represent different generations, although, in the words of Avraham Ben Yitzhak, they end up in the same place.
[P]oetry comes to a pause on the lips of a few:
on seven roads we depart and on one we return.
In addition to translations by Peter Cole of three Ben Yitzhak poems, and a short sketch of his life, this edition also features remarks on Ben Yitzhak and his work by Hebrew University professor of Hebrew Literature Hannan Hever, who has edited Peter Cole's translations of Ben Yitzhak’s collected poems (published by Ibis Editions in 2003).
Four poems of Israel Har, translated by Harvey Bock, are to be found here, and this fourth edition contains a short essay on Har's last book by the poet Esther Ettinger, as well as reflections on A Pauper’s Discourse on a Bush by the editor of these pages.
Three poems by Ella Bat-Tsion appear, two translated by Lisa Katz and one by the poet herself, along with excerpts from a book review of Bat-Tsion’s God’s Dreams written by the editor of these pages in 1994. The Israeli national site is produced by {id="3098" title="Mishkenot Sha'ananim"} International Cultural Centre in Jerusalem.
{id="3083" title="Gabi Hadar"}, National Site Producer
{id="3083" title="Rami Saari"}, National Editor
{id="3083" title="Lisa Katz"}, English Language Editor
© Rami Saari
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