Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!
- What do you imagine was in the mind and heart of the person who wrote these words?
- When you consider your own experience and what we've been discussing about Kolehet, how do these words resonate or not? How do you feel in response to this perspective?
- How might this teaching inform your Elul cheshbon hanefesh practice? How might it relate (or not) to this season of teshuva?
שִׁירֵי סוֹף הַדֶּרֶךְ
לאה גולדברג
א
הַדֶּרֶך יָפָה עַד מְאֹד - אָמַר הַנַּעַר.
הַדֶּרֶך קָשָׁה עַד מְאֹד - אָמַר הָעֶלֶם.
הַדֶּרֶך אָרְכָה עַד מְאֹד - אָמַר הַגֶּבֶר.
יָשַׁב הַזָּקֵן לָנוּחַ בְּצַד הַדֶּרֶך.
צוֹבְעָה הַשְּׁקִיעָה שֵׂיבָתוֹ בְּפָז וָאֹדֶם,
הַדֶּשֶׁא מַבְהִיק לְרַגְלָיו בְּטַל-הָעֶרֶב,
צִפּוֹר אַחְרוֹנָה שֶׁל יוֹם מֵעָלָיו מְזַמֶּרֶת:
- הֲתִזְכֹּר מַה יָּפְתָה, מַה קָּשְׁתָה, מָה אָרְכָה הַדֶּרֶך?
ב
אָמַרְתָּ: יוֹם רוֹדֵף יוֹם וְלַיְלָה - לַיְלָה.
הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים - בְּלִבְּךָ אָמַרְתָּ.
וַתִּרְאֶה עֲרָבִים וּבְקָרִים פּוֹקְדִים חַלּוֹנֶיךָ,
וַתֹּאמַר: הֲלֹא אֵין חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ
ג
לַמְּדֵנִי, אֱלֹהַי, בָּרֵך וְהִתְפַּלֵּל
עַל סוֹד עָלֶה קָמֵל, עַל נֹגַהּ פְּרִי בָּשֵׁל,
עַל הַחֵרוּת הַזֹּאת: לִרְאוֹת, לָחוּשׁ, לִנְשֹׁם,
לָדַעַת, לְיַחֵל, לְהִכָּשֵׁל.
לַמֵּד אֶת שִׂפְתוֹתַי בְּרָכָה וְשִׁיר הַלֵּל
בְּהִתְחַדֵּשׁ זְמַנְּךָ עִם בֹּקֶר וְעִם לֵיל,
לְבַל יִהְיֶה יוֹמִי הַיּוֹם כִּתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם.
לְבַל יִהְיֶה עָלַי יוֹמִי הֶרְגֵּל.
כתבי לאה גולדברג, שירים, כרך שני, ספרית פועלים
End of the Road Poems
Leah Goldberg
“The road is so very beautiful - said the boy
The road is so very hard - said the youth
The road is so very long - said the man
The old man sat by the road to rest
The sunset dyes his white hair with gold and red
The grass shimmers at his feet with evening dew
The last bird of the day sings above,
Can you remember
how beautiful, how hard, how long the road ?
B.
You said day follows day, and night - night.
The days progress - you said in your heart,
and you saw evenings and mornings in your windows,
and you said, there is nothing new under the sun”
C
“Teach me, my God, to bless and pray
over the withered leaf's secret, the
ready fruits grace,
over this freedom: to see, to feel, to breathe,
to know, to hope, to fail.
Teach my lips blessing and song and praise
when your days are renewed morning and night,
lest my day be today like all the yesterdays,
lest my day be for me an unthinking haze.
- Look closely at perek beit of the poem- how does the poem point to the text of Kohelet? (more than 1 answer)
- What does this poem add to your discussion of אין חדש תחת השמש ?
לַמְּדֵנִי, אֱלֹהַי, בָּרֵך וְהִתְפַּלֵּל
עַל סוֹד עָלֶה קָמֵל, עַל נֹגַהּ פְּרִי בָּשֵׁל,
עַל הַחֵרוּת הַזֹּאת: לִרְאוֹת, לָחוּשׁ, לִנְשֹׁם,
לָדַעַת, לְיַחֵל, לְהִכָּשֵׁל.
לַמֵּד אֶת שִׂפְתוֹתַי בְּרָכָה וְשִׁיר הַלֵּל
בְּהִתְחַדֵּשׁ זְמַנְּךָ עִם בֹּקֶר וְעִם לֵיל,
לְבַל יִהְיֶה יוֹמִי הַיּוֹם כִּתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם.
לְבַל יִהְיֶה עָלַי יוֹמִי הֶרְגֵּל.
Lyrics:
Oh Lord my God, please teach me how to bless and pray
The truth of falling leaves and fruits of summer's day
The freedom that it brings To see, to feel, to breath
To know, to yearn, and even fail
Teach my lips a song that tells us how to praise
The mornings and the nights, the secrets of your ways
Guide my mind to find the truth To see through the haze
Cause I don't want just ordinary days'
Teach me how to see, Teach me how to pray
The truth of falling leaves and fruits of summers day
Teach my lips a song that tells me how to praise
Cause I don't want just ordinary days
צִפּוֹר אֲחוּזַת קֶסֶם
זלדה
כַּאֲשֶׁר הַגּוּף הָרַךְ
מָט לִנְפֹּל
וְהוּא מְגַלֶּה חֶרְדָּתוֹ מִפְּנֵי הַקֵּץ
לַנְּשָׁמָה,
מַצְמִיחַ עֵץ הַשִּׁגְרָה הַנָּמוּךְ
שֶׁאָבָק אֲכָלוֹ
עָלִים יְרֻקִּים פִּתְאֹם.
כִּי מֵרֵיחַ הָאַיִן יַפְרִיחַ
הָדוּר נָאֶה
וּבְצַמַּרְתוֹ צִפּוֹר
אֲחוּזַת קֶסֶם.
Enchanted Bird
Zelda
When the feeble body
is about to fall
and reveals its fear of death
to the soul,
the lowly tree of routine,
devoured by dust,
suddenly sprouts green leaves.
For out of the scent of Nothingness—
the tree blossoms—
glorious, beautiful.
and in its crown—
an enchanted bird.
Translated by Marcia Falk