I Am Not the Man
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.
* 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
I Am Not the Man
I am not the man you keep looking for.
I passed/gone through thesea and among stones.
This wind does not carry with it good tidings
A short while and the almond tree will blossom, just a short while.
Mountains will dance*. Please wait another hour
I am not the man. A bell will ring
The heavy curtain will rise, sleep
Will be lighter than eyelids. I am not the man.
In these ashes you will look only in vain.
I am not the man you keep looking for.
* 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