There Are Many Riddles in Life
There are many riddles in life,
Mounds and mounds of answers too;
The wise men have many solutions,
The morons have a desire for life.
Once a wise man told me:
“There is one essence of being,
Only the forms . . .” and didn’t finish;
Before us passed a funeral.
The wagon slowly progressed
And disappeared. My guest said,
“There is one essence of life,
And of death as well . . .” and didn’t finish.
A girl passed in front of us
Utterly charming, and we rose to gaze;
But the girl blessed me
With shining eyes.
Translated by Karen Alkalay-Gut.
Credits
Yaakov Shteynberg [Jacob Steinberg], “Harbe ḥidot” [There Are Many Riddles in Life], in Shirat ha-teḥiyah ha-‘Ivrit: Antologyah historit-bikortit, ed. Benjamin Harshav, vol. 2 (Jerusalem: Bialik Institute and the Open University, 2000), p. 371.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 7.
You may also like
Hear, O Israel!
Hear, O Israel!
Will you never tire of repeating in your prayers:
“Praised be the Eternal, who avengeth my injuries,
Who protecteth my rights, who supporteth me in need,
Who crusheth my foes, who…
Untitled, from The Book of Satires
Everyone loved . . . it was a plague
of infatuation, of kisses;
But the people soon became quiet,
the mothers were already nursing.
The drum of youth was laid
in the corner, and the…
Speak to Us in Jewish
This Zionist poem from 1910 advocates for Hebrew to be the language of the Jewish future.
The Ages of Man
Let but the son of earth Remember from his birth That in the end He shall return: As at his birth he was, So shall he be.“Arise and prosper,” say ye unto himOf five years, whose…
Untitled
I walked solitary on my way
And reveled alone in my holiday,
Drunken from the wine of my illusions,
From the luster of my delusions;
I created blinding suns
From every shining dew drop,
I fashioned…
Serenade
And if the night
In its blue cloak
Abandons wood and vale,
And softly cries
With tears of dew
And crystal shards,
Then tear my heart
Out of my breast
And wash it in the dew—
And with your lips
Suck…
You may also like
Hear, O Israel!
Hear, O Israel!
Will you never tire of repeating in your prayers:
“Praised be the Eternal, who avengeth my injuries,
Who protecteth my rights, who supporteth me in need,
Who crusheth my foes, who…
Untitled, from The Book of Satires
Everyone loved . . . it was a plague
of infatuation, of kisses;
But the people soon became quiet,
the mothers were already nursing.
The drum of youth was laid
in the corner, and the…
Speak to Us in Jewish
This Zionist poem from 1910 advocates for Hebrew to be the language of the Jewish future.
The Ages of Man
Let but the son of earth Remember from his birth That in the end He shall return: As at his birth he was, So shall he be.“Arise and prosper,” say ye unto himOf five years, whose…
Untitled
I walked solitary on my way
And reveled alone in my holiday,
Drunken from the wine of my illusions,
From the luster of my delusions;
I created blinding suns
From every shining dew drop,
I fashioned…
Serenade
And if the night
In its blue cloak
Abandons wood and vale,
And softly cries
With tears of dew
And crystal shards,
Then tear my heart
Out of my breast
And wash it in the dew—
And with your lips
Suck…