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During the first period in his poetic career, Hayyim Nachman Bialik (1873 - 1934) was
almost entirely occupied with national themes. In his poem "A LITTLE LETTER"
הנטק תרגיא he writes to his struggling brothers in Zion: "Fields of
corn, ancestral possession, broad spaces, freedom! Who is as blessed as you? And I here
freeze in the cold, wander like a dog in a confused land. No hope here, my brother. No
hope for a dove in the claws of a hawk. My eyes are lifted to the East. I know not yet the
meaning of my dreams, but my soul is like a bird scenting its freedom. It is the goal of
my spirit, the hope of my hopes, my moon and my sun pouring light into me."
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To a bird
רופיצה-לא
by Hayyim Nachman Bialik
(first published in 1892) |
Greetings! Peace to you, returning
Lovely bird, unto my window
From a warmer clime!
How my soul for songs was yearning
When my dwelling you deserted
In the winter-time!
Chirping, singing, dearest birdling,
Tell the wonders of that distant
Land from which you came.
In that fairer, warmer climate
Are the troubles and the trials-
Multiplied the same?
Do you bring me friendly greetings
From my brothers there in Zion,
Brothers far yet near?
O the happy! o the blessed!
Do they guess what heavy sorrows
I must suffer here?
Do they know and could they picture
How the many rise against me,
How there hatred swells?
Singing, singing, O my birdling,
Sing the wonders of the land where
Spring forever dwells.
| The above are the first four of the 16 -
stanza poem. |
| This poem is taught in Hebrew and is
familiar to all high school students. |
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