Showing posts with label memorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memorial. Show all posts

Saturday, June 14, 2014

الخنساء - اِذْ رابَ دهرٌ وكانَ الدّهرُ ريَّاباَ Al Khansa - When fate is fickle, eternity is an accident


يا عَينِ ما لَكِ لا تَبكينَ تَسكابا          اِذْ رابَ دهرٌ وكانَ الدّهرُ ريَّاباَ
فابْكي أخاكِ لأيْتامٍ وأرْمَلَة ٍ             وابكي اخاكِ اذا جاورتِ اجناباَ
وابكي اخاكِ لخيلٍ كالقطاعُصباً        فقدْنَ لَّما ثوى سيباً وانهاباَ
يعدُو بهِ سابحٌ نهدٌ مراكلهُ              مجلببٌ بسوادِ الَّليلِ جلباباَ
حتى يُصَبّحَ أقواماً، يُحارِبُهُمْ           أوْ يُسْلَبوا دونَ صَفّ القوم، أسلابا
هو الفتى الكامِلُ الحامي حَقيقَتَهُ        مأْوى الضّريكِ اذّا مَا جاءَ منتابَا
يَهدي الرّعيلَ إذا ضاقَ السّبيلُ بهم    نَهدَ التّليلِ لصَعْبِ الأمرِ رَكّابا
المَجْدُ حُلّتُهُ، وَالجُودُ عِلّتُهُ              والصّدقُ حوزتهُ انْ قرنهُ هاباَ
خطَّابُ محفلة ٍ فرَّاجُ مظلمة ٍ           انْ هابَ معضلة ً سنّى لهاَ باباَ
حَمّالُ ألويَة ٍ، قَطّاعُ أوديَة ٍ             شَهّادُ أنجيَة ِ، للوِتْرِ طَلاّبا
سُمُّ العداة ِ وفكَّاكُ العناة ِ اذَا            لاقى الوَغَى لم يكُنْ للمَوْتِ هَيّابا



Oh dear, what´s wrong with you, you are not wailing effusively enough! When fate is fickle, eternity is an accident!

Wail for your brother on behalf of orphans and widow! Wail when refugees arrive!

Wail for your brother on behalf of the horse, like sandgrouse gathering, since our loss remains forever, let it flow freely, surrendered as booty!

His steed´s swimming breast was unencumbered by its legs, cloaked by the black stealth of night,

until morning when he encountered an enemy patrol, he had to fight or they would have attacked, but without back up he was sacked.

He was Semper Fi, Esprit de Corps and certainly of uncommon valor, a protector of the defenseless - always.

He led the light cavalry when they were flanked and weary of their mission, shouldering the command over the downtrodden troops due to the difficulty of the order.

Glory settled upon him and liberality exalted him, the testimony to his reputation is that his opponent respected him.

Addressing a group of people he once settled a grievance that posed a potential problem through diplomacy.

Bearer of the standard, a Ranger navigating treacherous terrain, the testimony of a comrade,
"He took on all odds,

whether striking the enemy or liberating the prisoner, when he entered battle he was not afraid to stare Death straight in the eye!"



translated into English by Mark F Westergreen





Saturday, May 24, 2014

יהודה עמיחי תּל-גּת Yehuda Amichai Tel Gat



הבאתי את ילדי אל התּל שבּו היוּ לי קרבות לפנים
שיבינו למעשי שעשיתי
ויסלחו לי על מעשי שלּא עשיתי

המּרחק בּין רגלי הצּועדות וּבין ראשי
הולך וגדל ואני הולך וקטן
הימים ההם הולכים ממּני והלאה
  וגם הזּמן הזּה הולך ממּני
ואני בּאמצע, בּלעדיהם, על התּל הזּה
עם ילדַי

רוּח צהרים נושבת קלּה
אך רק מעטּים נעים נעים בּרוּח הנּושבת
מתכּופפים קצת עם עשב ופרחים
חרציות רבּות מכסּות את התּל
ואפשר לומר, כחרציות לרב

הבאתי את ילדי אל התּל
וישבנוּ עלי גּבּהּ וצדּהּ
כּמו בּשּיר של שמוּאל הנּגיד
איש תּל ואיש מלחמות כּמוני
ששּר שיר  ערשׂ לחיּליו לפני הקּרב

אך לא דבּרתי אל לבּי, כּמוהוּ
אלּא אל ילדי. והיינוּ תחית המּתים של התּל
וגם היא זמנּית כּאביב הזּה, ונצחית כּמוה


I brought my kids to the knoll
where I engaged in hand to hand combat
so they could understand the things I´d done
and forgive me the things I´d left undone.

The distance between my thought and
my stride grows while I shrink.
The days go by and the time flies.
I´m completely at their mercy,
upon this knoll
with my children.

The afternoon breeze blows lightly
but brings only brief relief,
bending the grass and flowers a little.
Chrysanthemums carpet the knoll.
One could say they were in abundance.

I brought my kids to the knoll.
We sat down "upon its slopes"
like in the song by Samuel Ha-Nagid,
a knoll man and a man of wars like me,
who sang a lullaby to his soldiers before battle.

I don´t pray like he did.
Instead I speak to my kids
and we resurrect the knoll´s dead.
It´s temporary like this Spring and eternal like him.
  
translated into English by Mark F Westergreen
____________________________________________________________

   הבילויים תנשב הרוח

War Poet

Beyond Amichai