____________________________________________________________________________
Aída Gelbltrunk, Uruguay
Jerusalem esencial
Jerusalem del amor y los celos,
de la nieve y la canícula que se acerca como una
sombra en mayo
a la hora puntual,
Jerusalem de la primera aurora,
del pájaro impúdico y su pareja
colgando de los cedros y el espacio,
del muro y de la multitud
del muro y la soledad,
Jerusalem del Islam y del Cristo,
de los soldados sin edad,
en las calles asimétricas para no recordar el griego,
Jerusalem de piedra
de aire duro
de olivos intrincados
de la espuma seca del mar del desierto,
Jerusalem de los altos cementerios,
con sus muertos hablando
a cada paso
del día rubio y la noche del céfiro azul,
del día férreo y la noche de plomo en la boca,
Jerusalem con la luz oblicua de los ojos del
candelabro,
del fuego blanco,
Jerusalem cansada de tanta sacralidad,
Jerusalem, tan amada,
a lo lejos.
_____________________________
Essential Jerusalem
Jerusalem of love and jealousy
of the snow and the midsummer heat that closes in lik
shadow in May
in season,
Jerusalem of the first dawn,
of the shameless bird and its mate
clinging to the cedars and the space,
of the wall and of the multitude
of the wall and the solitude,
Jerusalem of Islam and of Christ,
of the ageless soldiers,
in the asymmetrical streets that do not recall the Greek,
Jerusalem of stone
of hard air
of intricate olive trees
of the dry surf of the sea of the desert,
Jerusalem of the high cemeteries,
with their dead speaking
at each step
of the golden day and the night of blue sapphire,
of the iron day and the night of lead in the mouth
Jerusalem of the oblique light of the eyes of the
candelabra,
of the white fire,
Jerusalem weary of so much holiness,
Jerusalem, so loved,
from far away.
_____________________________________________________
Marjorie Agosín, Chile/USA
Jerusalén de los silencios
En un silencio traído,
es un caminar de sombra,
los judíos de Jerusalén
avanzan hacia las piedras,
cabizbajos, descalzos,
quieren llegar al muro
de sal y cielo
encendido de fe,
alegres,
incrustan papeles,
dorados presagios entre las piedras,
le piden a Dios
el derecho al aliento,
al aire,
rescatar las palabras,
el principio del verbo,
la vida
tras las piedras.
___________________________
Jerusalem of the silences
In an exhausted silence,
is a parade of shadow,
the Jews of Jerusalem
advance toward the stones,
heads bowed, barefort,
want to arrive at the wall
of salt and sky
afire with faith,
happy,
they insert their papers,
golden portents among the rocks.
They ask God
for the right to breathe,
for the air
to rescue the words
the origin of the Verb,
the life
behind the stones.
________________________________________
Esther Seligson, México
Convocaciones
A Leo y Arza
A Adrián
Jerusalem, tus colinas recuerdan
la tierra de vientre empapado
y labios resecos
¿cuántos árboles
por un hijo muerto?
tus entrañas son luz
fuego a los ojos
la lámpara eterna
viento
los años
vientos y piedras
piedras de rezo
¿por qué sostiene tus cimientos?
semillas de almendro
un arpa, un libro
y manos
y manos abiertas
a la Voz de las voces
¿dónde se escuchan sus pasos pisar de arenas?
senderos en el desierto
que vengo rodando
guija desprendida
eslabón tras eslabón
te me encuentras, Jerusalem
en el presente
jalando tus futuros hacia mí
caravana errante
nosotros los dispersos
con el rostro vuelto
hacia tus murallas
y el mirar en la nuca.
________________________
Convocations
A Leo y Arza
A Adrián
Jerusalem, your hills remember
the land of bloated belly
and parched lips
how many trees
for a dead son?
your guts are light
fire in the eyes
the eternal lamp
wind
years
winds and stones
stones of prayer
why does your foundation stand?
almond seeds,
a harp, a book
and hands
and open hands
and to the Voice of voices
Where are your steps heard walking on of sands?
tracks in the desert
that I come wandering
loose pebble
link after link
you find me, Jerusalem
in the present
dragging your futures toward me
errant caravan
we the dispersed
with face turned
toward your walls
and the looking at the nape.
_________________________________________________
Angelina Muñiz-Huberman, México
Jerusalem en marzo
Arena de mar que no has conocido
oro de templos enterrados
vidrio romano en los muros
Calles suben y bajan por los montes
Pastorcillos rodean rebaños
hacia laderas de piedra blanca
Un caballo suelto corre por el campo
huyendo la carretera
En la madrugada tocan las campanas
y es la palabra de Dios en el eco
sonido milenario, escueto,
cortante sonido de fragua
Ciudad monocromática
que hay que mirar del cielo arriba
unidimensional,
en círculos del tiempo concéntrico
Ciudad pétrea: de estrellas fijas,
de luna lenta
Ciudad escalonada:
sólidos bloques copulados
Misterio de semen derramado
Sólo por una de las cuatro puertas
--rosa de los vientos—accederás
Luego de peregrinar
Luego de conmiserar
Ciudad en alto,
ciudad de oro amurallada
qué llave pides de amor recóndito.
de huella impresa,
de suaves pechos de Sulamita,
de espada en muslo de rey poderoso,
de palmera
de mirra
de incienso
de lecho de amor
de sábanas de lino
que enjugan licor primordial
_______________________________
Jerusalem in March
Sand from the sea that you haven’t known
gold from buried temples
Roman glass in the walls
Streets rise and fall through the hills
Little shepherds round up flocks
toward hillsides of white stone
An unleashed horse runs through the countryside
fleeing the highway
In the early morning they ring the bells
and it is God’s word in the echo
millenary sound, simple,
sharp sound of forge
Monochromatic city
that has to be seen from the sky above
unidimensional
in circles of concentric time
Rocky city: of fixed stars,
of slow moon
Tiered city:
solid joined blocks
Mystery of spilled seed
Only one of the four doors
---windrose---will accept
after making a pilgrimage
after commiserating
City on high
walled city of gold
which key you ask of hidden love
of printed trace
of the soft breasts of the Shulamit
of the sword in the thigh of the powerful king
of palm
of myrrh
of incense
of bed of love
of sheets of linen
that wipe away primordial liqueur
___________________________________________________________
Daniel Chirom, Argentina
Muro de los lamentos
Un muro de silencio
cubre puertas doradas.
Allí, donde reinaba el fervor de la palabra
Y la esperanza de la anunciación
Sólo cal de la memoria
Y sal del desencuentro.
Digo tus oraciones sin esperar respuesta,
El puente enjoyado se hizo trizas
Y de nuestra amor sólo queda el recuerdo
De un candelabro que arde por siempre en la noche.
Este fue tu templo me dicen
Pero mis ojos no ven más que piedras,
Fieles testigos de un pacto que fracasó en la sangre.
¿Y bajo este cielo amenazador podrán generar
Las preguntas que te construyan de nuevo?
No hay eco en el espanto
Mas presiento en tu alfabeto
Hollado por la luna
Una plegaria borrada el tiempo,
Un ruiseñor cantando desde tus libros sagrados.
___________________________
The Wailing Wall
A wall of silence
covers golden doors.
There, where the fervor of the word reigned
and the hope for the annunciation
only lime of memory
and salt of not meeting.
I say your prayers without expecting an answer,
the bejeweled bridge broken in pieces
and of our love only the memory remains
of a candelabra that burns forever in the night.
This was your temple they tell me
But my eyes don’t see more than stones,
loyal witnesses of a pact that failed in blood.
And under this menacing sky, can the question be asked
will build you again?
There is no echo in the horror
but I sense in your alphabet
the moon had stepped on
a prayer that erased time,
a nightingale singing from the sacred books
__________________________________________________
Rosita Kalina, Costa Rica
Si de ti me olvidaré
Enséñanos a orar bajo la luz
Ofrécenos tus labios
para alcanzar la gracia
Déjanos descansar en la tentación
de tus colinas.
No nos liberes jamás de esta pasión
de tus albas.
Y enséñanos a caminar tu paz
por angostas callejuelas de clavarios
por plateados domos orientales,
por la Cruz que de Gólgota refleja.
Acógenos al amor de tu Templo
tejido con lamentaciones,
peregrinos, humillamos la sandalia
ante el clamor de la piedras.
Inmersa estás en un tiempo
sin consuelo, doncella mandarina
del olivo y la azucena.
Jerusalem. Danos el pan de tus olivos
presente en la paz que ilumina
nuestra comunión de sangres.
Nosotros, los huérfanos de luz.
Oramos por tus resplandores.
Umbilical cordón del mundo.
________________________
If I Forget Thee
Teach us to pray under your light
offer us your lips
to reach grace
Let us rest in the temptation
of your hills
reflected in Golgotha.
Don’t ever free us from this passion
of your dawns
Teach us to walk your peace
by narrow paths of the Way of Sorrows
by silvered oriental domes
by the CrossGlgotha reflects.
Accept us to the love of your Temple
woven with lamentations
pilgrims, we put to shame the sandal
in front of the clamor of the stones
without solace, tangerine maiden
of the olive tree and the lily.
Jerusalem. Give us the bread of your olive trees
present in the peace that illuminates
our communion of bloods.
We, the orphans of light.
We pray for your brilliance.
Umbilical cord of the world.
______________________________________________________
Carla Isaak, Argentina
Retazos del derrumbe
(Fragmento IV)
“Hace doce años
me volteó la luna,
me abrazo de espaldas
al empujarme contra el muro”.
Con cuerpo de gruta
logró rotar
el ciclo de la vida.
Jerusalem,
antifaces que circulan
una y otra vez,
doblan apuestas
por una luz oblicua.
Pasó la mano liviana
sobre el polvo de la mesa.
¡Tanta sal que viene de las rocas
Y el mar está tan lejos!
____________________
Fragments of Collapse
(Fragment IV)
“Twelve years ago
the moon turned me around,
hugged me from behind
while pushing me toward the wall.”
With a body of caverns
it succeeded in turning
the cycle of my life.
Jerusalem,
masks that circulate
once and again,
double bets
by an oblique light.
I passed its lightweight hand
over the dust on the table.
So much salt that comes from the rocks
And the sea is so far away!
___________________________________
The poems above were translated by Stephen A. Sadow and J. Kates
____________________________________
Manuela Fingueret, Argentina
Jerusalem sin fecha
puerta por Puerta
mosaico raíz del mosaico
cráter del desierto
herida
muy vasta
contra
costurón que no cierra
al aire
desde Zippori
por ejemplo
la piel
del dromedario
y la ruina de los templarios
cuatro esquinas afianzadas
con sarcófagos de mármol veteado
de huesos y sesos
acaso para despreciar
a los muertos
en los vivos
de oro iluminada
vergel
y a tus pies.
____________________________
Jerusalem, Timeless
Door by door
Mosaic root of mosaic
Desert center
deep
wound
attached scab
that doesn’t close
in the air
the air
from Zippori
for example
the skin
of the camel
and the temple’s ruins
four corners supported
by streaked marble sarcophagi
of bones and brains
perhaps
to scorn
the
dead
among the living
illuminated gold
orchard
subdued
at your feet.
Translated by Celeste Kostopolos-Cooperman
_________________________________________________________________
Luisa Futuransky
Jerusalem, Una copa de vértigo
Las rosas de Jerusalén son complicadas
Los peregrinos desesperan
El camino de las rosas de la ciudad
es absoluto.
Y me duele/s tanto
_______________________________
Jerusalem, a Whirling Glass
The roses of Jerusalem are complicated
They pilgrims despair
the rose-lined road to truth
is absolute
And you/it hurts me so.
Translated by Celeste Kostopolos-Cooperman
_____________________________________________________________________________
Sara Riwka B’raz Erich, Brasil
Jerusalém
Jerusalém criança que renasce a cada dia
Adolescente iluminada e rebelde
Mulher, violentada, odiada, amada sempre
Jerusalem, Mãe viúva, solitária e sofrida
Poeira mística e o bálsamo que cobre
Teu corpo retalhado e revelado
Abrigando e expondo todas as dores, desesperanças, esperanças
“Salem” do Rei David. Herodiana. Romana. Bizantina
Bíblica e pré-bíblica
Teu solo já não suporta mais corpos sacrificados
Não nasceste para ser cidade-cemitério, cidade-museu
Ruinas reservadas para os olhos de turistas
Difícil pisar em teu solo, tão dolorida pareces
Meu corpo é pesado para teu sensível chão
História da Humanidade
Cruzo e atravesso teus Portões “cujos nomes fazem sonhar”
Subo ao alto de tuas muralhas, escadarias, recantos
Em toda parte, cicatrizes, feridas excavadas
Quem sabe, um dia, talvez, não muito distante
O alento de tuas Pombas
Transformará as balas mortíferas que te atacam
Em leite e mel?
Jerusalém Espíritu
As minorias, os que têm fome e sede de justiça
Oram por ti, Jerusalém
A Humanidade necessita de ti
Unicamente em ti poederá ser celebrada
A Grande Festa Universal
Muro de Lamentações
Getsemani
Monte de Oliveiras
Mar de Galileia
Haifa, Beer-Sheba
Jerusalém, Israel
Transcendentes canções nos unem
Nos reencontramos e a despedida foi e é impossível.
Nos sabemos desde aquela madrugada tecida de confidências amarelas
A beira do deserto.
Testemunhadas ao longe por beduínos e suas prediletas
Poços ocultos e estrelas ao alcance de nossas mãos.
__________________________________________
Jerusalem
Jerusalem a child reborn every day
A tear-away teen enlightened and rebellious
A woman, raped, loathed but forever loved
Jerusalem, widowed mother, solitary sufferer.
Mystic dust is the balm that soothes
Your torn and exposed body
Sheltering and un-shielding all its pains, hopes and despairs.
Shalem of King David. Herodian. Roman, Byzantine.
Biblical and pre-Biblical
Your soil cannot bear any more broken bodies
You were not born to be a burial city, embalmed museum,
stately ruins reserved for tourists’ eyes.
How difficult to tread on your sacred soil, too painful,
my body too heavy for your sensitive ground,
history of all humankind
I enter the gateways whose very name makes one dream
I climb to the summit of your walls, your steps and hidden nooks
On every side the scars, the open wounds, the excavations
Perhaps on a day that can’t be distant now
The courage of your gray-winged doves
Will transform the deadly bullets that yet assail you
Into milk and honey?
Oh spirit of Jerusalem
The outcasts who hunger and thirst for justice
Pray for you, Jerusalem
Humanity needs you
In you alone can we celebrate
The great unending universal festival
Wall of lamentations
Gethsemane
Mount of Olives
Sea of Galilee
Haifa, Beer-Sheva
Jerusalem, Israel
Transcendent songs unit us all as one
We meet again and, again, farewell was and is impossible.
This we have known since the dawn of yellow confidence
on the edge of the desert
witnessed in the distance by Bedouins and their favorites
hidden wells and stars within range of our grasping hands
Translated by Auristela Xavier, Sara Riwka B’raz Erlich and J. M. Deisler
__________________________________________________________________________
The poems and translations of poems by Manuela Fingueret, Luisa Futuransky and Sara Rifka B'raz Erlich come from Marjorie Agosín, ed. Miriam's Daughters. Santa Fe: Sherman Asher Publishers, 2001.
Aída Gelbltrunk, Uruguay
Jerusalem esencial
Jerusalem del amor y los celos,
de la nieve y la canícula que se acerca como una
sombra en mayo
a la hora puntual,
Jerusalem de la primera aurora,
del pájaro impúdico y su pareja
colgando de los cedros y el espacio,
del muro y de la multitud
del muro y la soledad,
Jerusalem del Islam y del Cristo,
de los soldados sin edad,
en las calles asimétricas para no recordar el griego,
Jerusalem de piedra
de aire duro
de olivos intrincados
de la espuma seca del mar del desierto,
Jerusalem de los altos cementerios,
con sus muertos hablando
a cada paso
del día rubio y la noche del céfiro azul,
del día férreo y la noche de plomo en la boca,
Jerusalem con la luz oblicua de los ojos del
candelabro,
del fuego blanco,
Jerusalem cansada de tanta sacralidad,
Jerusalem, tan amada,
a lo lejos.
_____________________________
Essential Jerusalem
Jerusalem of the love and the jealousy,
of the snow and the midsummer heat that closes in like a
shadow in May
at the precise time,
Jerusalem of the first dawn,
of the shameless bird and its mate
clinging to the cedars and the space
of the wall and of the multitude
of the wall and the solitude,
Jerusalem of Islam and of the Christ,
of the ageless soldiers,
in the asymmetrical streets not to remember the Greek,
Jerusalem of stone
of hard air
of intricate olive trees
of the dry surf of the sea of the desert,
Jerusalem of the high cemeteries,
with their dead speaking
at each step
of the blond day and the night of blue sapphire,
of the iron day and the night of lead in the mouth
Jerusalem of the oblique light of the eyes of the
candelabra,
of the white fire,
Jerusalem tired of so much holiness,
Jerusalem, so loved,
from far away.
_____________________________________________________
Marjorie Agosín, Chile/USA
Jerusalén de los silencios
En un silencio traído,
es un caminar de sombra,
los judíos de Jerusalén
avanzan hacia las piedras,
cabizbajos, descalzos,
quieren llegar al muro
de sal y cielo
encendido de fe,
alegres,
incrustan papeles,
dorados presagios entre las piedras,
le piden a Dios
el derecho al aliento,
al aire,
rescatar las palabras,
el principio del verbo,
la vida
tras las piedras.
___________________________
Jerusalem of the silences
In a worn-out silence,
is a walk of shadow,
the Jews of Jerusalem
advance toward the stones,
heads down, shoeless,
want to arrive at the wall
of salt and sky
afire with faith,
happy,
they force papers in,
golden portents among the rocks.
The ask God
for the right to breathe,
to the air
to rescue the words
the origin of the Verb,
They ask God
for the right to breathe
to the air
the origin of the word/Verb,
the life
behind the stones.
________________________________________
Esther Seligson, México
Convocaciones
A Leo y Arza
A Adrián
Jerusalem, tus colinas recuerdan
la tierra de vientre empapado
y labios resecos
¿cuántos árboles
por un hijo muerto?
tus entrañas son luz
fuego a los ojos
la lámpara eterna
viento
los años
vientos y piedras
piedras de rezo
¿por qué sostiene tus cimientos?
semillas de almendro
un arpa, un libro
y manos
y manos abiertas
a la Voz de las voces
¿dónde se escuchan sus pasos pisar de arenas?
senderos en el desierto
que vengo rodando
guija desprendida
eslabón tras eslabón
te me encuentras, Jerusalem
en el presente
jalando tus futuros hacia mí
caravana errante
nosotros los dispersos
con el rostro vuelto
hacia tus murallas
y el mirar en la nuca.
________________________
Convocations
A Leo y Arza
A Adrián
Jerusalem, your hills remember
the land of soaked abdomen
and parched lips
how many trees
for a dead son?
your guts are sun
fire at the eyes
the eternal lamp
wind
the years
winds and stones
stones of prayer
why does your foundation stand?
almond seeds,
a harp, a book
and hands
and hands open
to the Voice of voices
Where are your steps heard walking on of sands?
tracks in the desert
where I come in my wandering
you find me, Jerusalem
in the present tense
dragging your futures toward me
stray caravan
we the scattered
with our faces turned
toward your walls
and our eyes on your neck.
_________________________________________________
Angelina Muñiz-Huberman, México
Jerusalem en marzo
Arena de mar que no has conocido
oro de templos enterrados
vidrio romano en los muros
Calles suben y bajan por los montes
Pastorcillos rodean rebaños
hacia laderas de piedra blanca
Un caballo suelto corre por el campo
huyendo la carretera
En la madrugada tocan las campanas
y es la palabra de Dios en el eco
sonido milenario, escueto,
cortante sonido de fragua
Ciudad monocromática
que hay que mirar del cielo arriba
unidimensional,
en círculos del tiempo concéntrico
Ciudad pétrea: de estrellas fijas,
de luna lenta
Ciudad escalonada:
sólidos bloques copulados
Misterio de semen derramado
Sólo por una de las cuatro puertas
--rosa de los vientos—accederás
Luego de peregrinar
Luego de conmiserar
Ciudad en alto,
ciudad de oro amurallada
qué llave pides de amor recóndito.
de huella impresa,
de suaves pechos de Sulamita,
de espada en muslo de rey poderoso,
de palmera
de mirra
de incienso
de lecho de amor
de sábanas de lino
que enjugan licor primordial
_______________________________
Jerusalem in March
Sand from the sea that you haven’t known
gold from buried temples
Roman glass in the walls
Streets rise and fall through the hills
Little shepherds round up flocks
toward hillsides of white stone
An unleashed horse runs through the countryside
fleeing the highway
In the early morning they ring the bells
and it is God’s word in the echo
millenary sound, simple,
sharp sound of forge
Monochromatic city
that has to be seen from the sky above
unidimensional
in circles of concentric time
Rocky city: of fixed stars,
of slow moon
Tiered city:
solid copulated blocks
Mystery of spilled semen
Only one of the four doors
--rose of the winds/compass—you will accept
after making a pilgrimage
after commiserating
City on high
walled city of gold
which key you ask of hidden love
of printed trace
of the soft breasts of Shulamit
of the sword in the thigh of the powerful king
of palm
of myrrh
of incense
of bed of love
of sheets of linen
that wipe away primordial liqueur
___________________________________________________________
Daniel Chirom, Argentina
Muro de los lamentos
Un muro de silencio
cubre puertas doradas.
Allí, donde reinaba el fervor de la palabra
Y la esperanza de la anunciación
Sólo cal de la memoria
Y sal del desencuentro.
Digo tus oraciones sin esperar respuesta,
El puente enjoyado se hizo trizas
Y de nuestra amor sólo queda el recuerdo
De un candelabro que arde por siempre en la noche.
Este fue tu templo me dicen
Pero mis ojos no ven más que piedras,
Fieles testigos de un pacto que fracasó en la sangre.
¿Y bajo este cielo amenazador podrán generar
Las preguntas que te construyan de nuevo?
No hay eco en el espanto
Mas presiento en tu alfabeto
Hollado por la luna
Una plegaria borrada el tiempo,
Un ruiseñor cantando desde tus libros sagrados.
___________________________
The Wailing Wall
A wall of silence
covers golden doors.
There, where the fervor of the word reigned
and the hope for the annunciation
only lime of memory
and salt of not meeting.
I say your prayers without expecting an answer,
the bejeweled bridge broken in pieces
and of our love remains only the memory remains
of a candelabra that burns forever in the night.
This was your temple they tell me
But my eyes don’t see more than stones,
loyal witnesses of a pact that failed in blood.
And below this menacing sky, will it be possible to generate the questions that would build you again?
There is no echo in the horror
but I sense in your alphabet
tread on by the moon
a prayer that erased time,
a nightingale singing from the sacred books.
__________________________________________________
Rosita Kalina, Costa Rica
Si de ti me olvidaré
Enséñanos a orar bajo la luz
Ofrécenos tus labios
para alcanzar la gracia
Déjanos descansar en la tentación
de tus colinas.
No nos liberes jamás de esta pasión
de tus albas.
Y enséñanos a caminar tu paz
por angostas callejuelas de clavarios
por plateados domos orientales,
por la Cruz que de Gólgota refleja.
Acógenos al amor de tu Templo
tejido con lamentaciones,
peregrinos, humillamos la sandalia
ante el clamor de la piedras.
Inmersa estás en un tiempo
sin consuelo, doncella mandarina
del olivo y la azucena.
Jerusalem. Danos el pan de tus olivos
presente en la paz que ilumina
nuestra comunión de sangres.
Nosotros, los huérfanos de luz.
Oramos por tus resplandores.
Umbilical cordón del mundo.
________________________
If I Forget Thee
Teach us to pray under your light
offer us your lips
to reach grace
Let us rest in the temptation
of your hills
Neve free us from this passion
of your dawns
Teach us to walk your peace
by narrow passageways of calvaries
by silvered oriental domes
by the Cross that Golgotha reflects.
Welcome us to the love of your Temple
woven with lamentations
pilgrims, we put off the sandal from our foot
before the clamor of the stones
You
without solace, tangerine maiden
of the olive tree and the lily.
Jerusalem. Give us the bread of your olive trees
present in the peace that illuminates
our communion of bloods.
We, the orphans of light.
We pray for your brilliance.
Umbilical cord of the world.
______________________________________________________
Carla Isaak, Argentina
Retazos del derrumbe
(Fragmento IV)
“Hace doce años
me volteó la luna,
me abrazo de espaldas
al empujarme contra el muro”.
Con cuerpo de gruta
logró rotar
el ciclo de la vida.
Jerusalem,
antifaces que circulan
una y otra vez,
doblan apuestas
por una luz oblicua.
Pasó la mano liviana
sobre el polvo de la mesa.
¡Tanta sal que viene de las rocas
Y el mar está tan lejos!
____________________
Fragments of Collapse
(Fragment IV)
“Twelve years ago
the moon turned me around,
hugged me from behind
while pushing me toward the wall.”
With a body of caverns
it succeeded in turning
the cycle of my life.
Jerusalem,
masks that circulate
once and again,
double bets
by an oblique light.
I passed its lightweight hand
over the dust on the table.
So much salt that comes from the rocks
And the sea is so far away!
________________________________
These poems were translated by Stephen A. Sadow and J. Kates
____________________________________
Manuela Fingueret, Argentina
Jerusalem sin fecha
puerta por Puerta
mosaico raíz del mosaico
cráter del desierto
herida
muy vasta
contra
costurón que no cierra
al aire
desde Zippori
por ejemplo
la piel
del dromedario
y la ruina de los templarios
cuatro esquinas afianzadas
con sarcófagos de mármol veteado
de huesos y sesos
acaso para despreciar
a los muertos
en los vivos
de oro iluminada
vergel
y a tus pies.
____________________________
Jerusalem, Timeless
Door by door
Mosaic root of mosaic
Desert center
deep
wound
attached scab
that doesn’t close
in the air
the air
from Zippori
for example
the skin
of the camel
and the temple’s ruins
four corners supported
by streaked marble sarcophagi
of bones and brains
perhaps
to scorn
the
dead
among the living
illuminated gold
orchard
subdued
at your feet.
Translated by Celeste Kostopolos-Cooperman
_________________________________________________________________
Luisa Futuransky
Jerusalem, Una copa de vértigo
Las rosas de Jerusalén son complicadas
Los peregrinos desesperan
El camino de las rosas de la ciudad
es absoluto.
Y me duele/s tanto
_______________________________
Jerusalem, a Whirling Glass
The roses of Jerusalem are complicated
They pilgrims despair
the rose-lined road to truth
is absolute
And you/it hurts me so.
Translated by Celeste Kostopolos-Cooperman
_____________________________________________________________________________
Sara Riwka B’raz Erich, Brasil
Jerusalém
Jerusalém criança que renasce a cada dia
Adolescente iluminada e rebelde
Mulher, violentada, odiada, amada sempre
Jerusalem, Mãe viúva, solitária e sofrida
Poeira mística e o bálsamo que cobre
Teu corpo retalhado e revelado
Abrigando e expondo todas as dores, desesperanças, esperanças
“Salem” do Rei David. Herodiana. Romana. Bizantina
Bíblica e pré-bíblica
Teu solo já não suporta mais corpos sacrificados
Não nasceste para ser cidade-cemitério, cidade-museu
Ruinas reservadas para os olhos de turistas
Difícil pisar em teu solo, tão dolorida pareces
Meu corpo é pesado para teu sensível chão
História da Humanidade
Cruzo e atravesso teus Portões “cujos nomes fazem sonhar”
Subo ao alto de tuas muralhas, escadarias, recantos
Em toda parte, cicatrizes, feridas excavadas
Quem sabe, um dia, talvez, não muito distante
O alento de tuas Pombas
Transformará as balas mortíferas que te atacam
Em leite e mel?
Jerusalém Espíritu
As minorias, os que têm fome e sede de justiça
Oram por ti, Jerusalém
A Humanidade necessita de ti
Unicamente em ti poederá ser celebrada
A Grande Festa Universal
Muro de Lamentações
Getsemani
Monte de Oliveiras
Mar de Galileia
Haifa, Beer-Sheba
Jerusalém, Israel
Transcendentes canções nos unem
Nos reencontramos e a despedida foi e é impossível.
Nos sabemos desde aquela madrugada tecida de confidências amarelas
A beira do deserto.
Testemunhadas ao longe por beduínos e suas prediletas
Poços ocultos e estrelas ao alcance de nossas mãos.
__________________________________________
Jerusalem
Jerusalem a child reborn every day
A tear-away teen enlightened and rebellious
A woman, raped, loathed but forever loved
Jerusalem, widowed mother, solitary sufferer.
Mystic dust is the balm that soothes
Your torn and exposed body
Sheltering and un-shielding all its pains, hopes and despairs.
Shalem of King David. Herodian. Roman, Byzantine.
Biblical and pre-Biblical
Your soil cannot bear any more broken bodies
You were not born to be a burial city, embalmed museum,
stately ruins reserved for tourists’ eyes.
How difficult to tread on your sacred soil, too painful,
my body too heavy for your sensitive ground,
history of all humankind
I enter the gateways whose very name makes one dream
I climb to the summit of your walls, your steps and hidden nooks
On every side the scars, the open wounds, the excavations
Perhaps on a day that can’t be distant now
The courage of your gray-winged doves
Will transform the deadly bullets that yet assail you
Into milk and honey?
Oh spirit of Jerusalem
The outcasts who hunger and thirst for justice
Pray for you, Jerusalem
Humanity needs you
In you alone can we celebrate
The great unending universal festival
Wall of lamentations
Gethsemane
Mount of Olives
Sea of Galilee
Haifa, Beer-Sheva
Jerusalem, Israel
Transcendent songs unit us all as one
We meet again and, again, farewell was and is impossible.
This we have known since the dawn of yellow confidence
on the edge of the desert
witnessed in the distance by Bedouins and their favorites
hidden wells and stars within range of our grasping hands
Translated by Auristela Xavier, Sara Riwka B’raz Erlich and J. M Tesser
_____________________
Poems by Manuela Finguiret, Luisa Futuransky and Sara Rifka B'raz Erlich come from Marjorie Agosín, ed. Miriam's Daughters. Santa Fe: Sherman Asher Publishers, 2001.
Para leer más de la obra de estos poetas, vaya a:/To read more of the work of these poets go to:
Marjorie Agosín: https://wordpress.com/post/jewishlatinamerica.wordpress.com/8190
Daniel Chirom, Argentina: https://wordpress.com/post/jewishlatinamerica.wordpress.com/806
Sara Riwka B’raz Erlich, Brasil: https://jewishlatinamerica.com/2018/03/28/sara-riwka-braz-erlich/
Kalina, Rosita, Costa Rica:
https://jewishlatinamerica.com/2018/04/16/rosita-kalina-poeta-jud-poet/
https://wordpress.com/post/jewishlatinamerica.wordpress.com/8996
Muñiz-Huberman, Angelina
https://wordpress.com/post/jewishlatinamerica.wordpress.com/686
Esther Seligson, México:https://wordpress.com/post/jewishlatinamerica.wordpress.com/4075
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Good morning Steve,
As always we are enjoying your posts and thinking about you and your family.
Liliana and I are scheduled to receive our second vaccination shot and hopefully we’ll be able to connect with more family and friends in the relatively near future.
We are watching the political developments with both hope and concern and are somewhat comforted by the relative civility of the new Administration.
Best wishes to you and all of your family.
Joel and Liliana
________________________________
Good morning, Joel,
Thank you so much for your comment on the blog and family. It makes me feel good.
Massachusetts is behind in receiving vaccine, so we haven’t had our turn yet. We’re scheduled for the first shot for the week after next.
I share your views on the political situation. It’s a wait and see time.
On Sunday, we’ll be visiting our wonderful twin grandchildren, who are growing like crazy, and showing a lot of personality.
Ari’s photo of the inauguration poet is extraordinary..
Warmest and best wishes, Steve