Gedicht
Benjamin Shvili
A BOY FLYING A KITE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
on a hill in Jerusalem a boy is flying a kitehis little sister stands beside him
she cries
the pretty girl wants to hold the string
the girl flies up the kite takes her
a false horned viper takes her
takes the girl to the city of Izmir
where a little groom awaits her
the false Shabtai
© Translation: 2012, Lisa Katz
The false horned viper is a poisonous snake found throughout the Middle East. Shabtai refers to Shabtai Zvi (1626-1676), who was born in Izmir (then called Smyrna); he claimed to be the Jewish messiah and attracted a large following.
A BOY FLYING A KITE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
A BOY FLYING A KITE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
© 1999, Schocken Publishing
From: Shiray ha tie-ar hagadol
Publisher: Schocken, Tel Aviv
From: Shiray ha tie-ar hagadol
Publisher: Schocken, Tel Aviv
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A BOY FLYING A KITE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
From: Shiray ha tie-ar hagadol
A BOY FLYING A KITE IN THE 17TH CENTURY
on a hill in Jerusalem a boy is flying a kitehis little sister stands beside him
she cries
the pretty girl wants to hold the string
the girl flies up the kite takes her
a false horned viper takes her
takes the girl to the city of Izmir
where a little groom awaits her
the false Shabtai
© 2012, Lisa Katz
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