Podcasts religion Israel in Translation Israeli poetry's brightest flame

Israeli poetry's brightest flame

Published: May 6, 2015, 1:37 p.m.

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Tonight is Lag B\'Omer, the Jewish holiday of light celebrated by lighting bonfires. Here\'s a\\xa0glimpse of poet Agi Mishol\'s very own Lag B\'Omer bonfire:

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You piss on my love as if

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it were a bonfire, extinguishing it

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ember by ember with the arrogance

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of the perfect crime...

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One of Israel\'s most popular living poets, Agi Mishol\'s work has been described thus by literary scholar Dan Miron:

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In contemporary Israeli poetry, intense, white flames appear against the dark, burning background, whose smoke is greater than the fire\\u2026 Agi Mishol\\u2019s poetry is one of the brightest of these flames.

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Texts:

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\\u201cSermon at Latrun\\u201d translated by Joanna Chen

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\\u201cWax Flowers\\u201d translated by Joanna Chen

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Further Reading:\\xa0Look There, translated by Lisa Katz, Graywolf Press, St. Paul, MN, 2006

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Music:

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Rivka Zohar - Rabi Akivah (lyrics by Dahlia Ravikovitch)

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Maya Mishol - Rakavet Tachana

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