Iris Eliya Cohen
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DREAMING OF A NEW DAY
Iris Eliya Cohen is an Israeli novelist and poet. Her poems especially blend yearnings and hope for a better present; a strong belief in the power of human spirit and kindness; and a tremendous sensitivity and sense of responsibility for justice.
These themes are interwoven throughout the following poems, written in different times and circumstances. We invite you to read the poems and try some of the suggested exercises. We hope that your experiences with these poems will help shape your personal vision and prayers for Israel: the people, the state, the land, and the nation.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Try “automatic writing” using one of these poems as the inspiration. Put on a timer for 5 minutes (or any time period) and let your mind take over and just write whatever you are thinking about. What came out? Did it change how you felt about the poem?
2. Take a line (or a few) that resonates with you and use them as the basis for your own poem, piece of writing, picture, etc.
3. Choose a few words from one of the poems that stand out to you and use them to create a new sentence on the topic of hope or what inspires you when you look toward the future.
4. There are two strong images in these poems: one of gan eden (paradise) and one of the single fig, forgotten at the end of summer.
a. When you think of the word “paradise,” which memories, experiences, and images of Israel come to mind?
b. When you think of this fig, consumed by the heat of Israeli summer, which memories, experiences, and thoughts come to mind?
LONGING | געגוע
IRIS ELIYA COHEN
A single fig
That was forgotten on the tree
At summer’s end
Reminds me
That here there could have been
Paradise.
Translation: Jonathan Paradise
איריס אליה כהן
תְּאֵנָה אַחַת
שֶׁנִּשְׁכְּחָה עַל הָעֵץ
בְּסוֹף הַקַּיִץ
מַזְכִּירָה לִי
שֶׁיָּכֹל הָיָה לִהְיוֹת פֹּה
גַּן עֵדֶן
PRAYER | תפילה
IRIS ELIYA COHEN
Let someone say
or tell us
something weak
let someone whisper, quieten hush
let someone open up a window a hatch
a light
let someone loosen, untie
let someone fasten the edges gently
or not
let someone wrap or hug
let someone put a thing within
the nothing
If someone will return bring back
whatever isn’t his
let someone listen to the dew the sound of the sky
let someone open up their eyes
and see, let someone wait and then
look back until
someone please calm down this time
goes by
איריס אליה כהן
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יַגִּיד דְּבַר מָה
קָלוּש שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יִּלְּאַט, יִּלְּחַש
אוֹ יְּהַסֶׁה
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יִּפְּתַח חַלּוֹן
אֶׁשְּנָב אוֹ צֹהַר
צַר, שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יַרְּפֶׁה, יַתִּיר
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יִּקְּשֹר
אֶׁת הַקְּצָווֹת, בְּרֹך
אוֹ לֹא
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יִּכְּרֹך, יִּצְּנֹף
אוֹ יְּחַבֵּק אֵּלָיו
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יַנִּיחַ יֵּש בְּתוֹך
הָאֵּין שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יַחֲזִּיר
יָשִּיב כָל מַה שֶׁלֹּא שֶׁלּוֹ
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יַקְּשִּיב לַטַל
לַמַיִּם צְּלִּיל שָמַיִּם
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יִּפְּקַח עֵּינַיִּם
וְּיִּרְּאֶׁה, שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ
יַבִּיט אָחוֹרָה עַד
שֶׁמִּישֶׁהוּ יַרְּגִּיעַ
אֶׁת הַזְּמַן הַזֶׁה
A Prayer in Times of Destruction | תפילה בשעת חורבן
IRIS ELIYA COHEN
I want to pray quietly
Alone
With power
With all my wits about me
To pray
That the dreadful clamor will fall silent
That the cruel one will show compassion
May absolute evil turn its heart to good
That if there is justice in this world
Let it come—
Shine forth! Now!
Translation: Jonathan Paradise
איריס אליה כהן
אֲנִי רוֹצָה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּלָּאט
לְבַד
בְּיֵשׁ אוֹנִים
כְּשֶׁכָּל עֶשְׁתּוֹנוֹתַי עִמִּי
לְהִתְפַּלֵּל
שֶׁהָרוֹעֵשׁ הַמַּחֲרִיד יִדֹּם
שֶׁהָאַכְזָר יַחֲמֹל
הָרֹעַ הַמֻּחְלָט יָסֵב לִבּוֹ לְטוֹב
שֶׁאִם יֵשׁ צֶדֶק בָּעוֹלָם
—יָבוֹא
!יוֹפַע מִיָּד
FOR WEEKS I’VE BEEN BLEEDING POEMS | מזה שבועות אני מדממת שירים
IRIS ELIYA COHEN
I name the file “sorrow”
I delete
Name it “October”
Change it to “7”
Replace it with “chasm”
Change: “chasms”
Name it “hell-like”
I name it “hope”
Command the computer to remember
It responds “saving hope”
Translation: Jonathan Paradise
איריס אליה כהן
“אֲנִי קוֹרֵאת לַקֹּבֶץ ”יָגוֹן
מוֹחֶקֶת
“קוֹרֵאת לוֹ ”אוֹקְטוֹבֶּר
“מְשַׁנָּה לְ”שִׁבְעָה
“מַחֲלִיפָה לְ”תְּהוֹם
“מְשַׁנָּה: ”תְּהוֹמוֹת
“קוֹרֵאת לוֹ ”כִּשְׁאוֹל
“קוֹרֵאת לוֹ ”תִּקְוָה
מוֹרָה לַמַּחְשֵׁב שֶׁיִּזְכֹּר
“הוּא עוֹנֶה לִי ”שׁוֹמֵר אֶת תִּקְוָה
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