Poems
I Am Not the Man
by Tuvya Ruebner
I am not the man you search for.
I passed through the sea and in between stones.
An ill wind was blowing.
Soon the almond tree will flower, very soon.
Mountains will dance. Kindly wait a while.
I am not the man. A bell will ring,
the heavy curtain will rise, sleep
will flutter lighter than eyelids. I am not the man.
You will sift through these ashes in vain.
I am not the man you search for.
Notes
* ‘carry with it good tidings' is not a literal translation (which would have been ‘answers my spirit' - a play on the two meanings of the word ‘ruakh': ‘wind' and ‘spirit'). TR invented this substitute in English when I pointed out to the problem of translating his intention. Unfortunately, TR's renowned wit is lost here.
** A biblical reference: Psalm 114, 3: ‘The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.' The literal translation from Hebrew would be: ‘The mountains danced like rams...'. This psalm is part of the Passover story (Hagada). The context is exodus and the miraculous breaking up of the red sea to let the Jewish people through. I read this image as a reference to liberation.
Oded Manor
The original version of this poem is written in Hebrew. The literal translation of this poem was made by Oded Manor. The final translated version of the poem is by Workshop.
Other poems by Tuvya Ruebner that we have helped to translate are (When I Arrived the Place Was), Fare Well, Thank You, She Too, Before You the Rain and To Offer a Hand.
You can find out more about the translation process on this website. You can also add your own comments on this poem here.
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