עִם שָׁמֶשׁ | At Sunrise, a poem by Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik (1903)

Shared on: 15 January 2019 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories: Morning Baqashot, Prayers for the Sun's Renewal

Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Light, modern hebrew poetry, Prayers as poems, the sun

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
עִם שָׁמֶשׁ	At Sunrise
עִם־שֶׁמֶשׁ הַשְׁכִּימוּ לֶהָרִים – וּמְצָאתֶם הַזָּהָב הַטּוֹב וְהַכָּתֶם. וִהְיִיתֶם רִאשׁוֹנִים לְאוֹר שֶׁמֶשׁ, וּשְׁאָבוֹ אִישׁ אִישׁ מְלֹא נִשְׁמָתוֹ וּלְבָבוֹ. וִיקַר בֹּקֶר־אֵל, בְּעוֹדוֹ חָדָשׁ וְרָטֹב, יַעֲבָרְכֶם־נָא עָבֹר וְשָׁטֹף, וְכָל־נוֹשָׁן וּבָלֶה בִלְבַבְכֶם – יִתְחַדָּשׁ! וְכָל־פִּגּוּל וּפְסוּל בּוֹ – יִתְקַדָּשׁ! וּצְפַנְתֶּם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם זֶה אוֹצַר זְהַבְכֶם, וְהָיָה לְכַלְכֵּל בּוֹ לְבַבְכֶם. וְאִם כְּבֵדִים בְּחוֹבוֹת יְצָאתֶם, וַעֲנִיִּים – וְשַׁבְתֶּם עֲשִׁירִים וּנְקִיִּים. הוֹ, נְמַקֵּי הַחֹשֶׁךְ וּרְקֵבֵי הָאָמֶשׁ, הִתְפַּלְּלוּ לַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, לַשָּׁמֶשׁ!	Awake with the sunrise! Clamber on the hills To find the gold orient, And being first to greet the sunlight, each Will quaff to his soul’s content. The dear morn of God like a sapful freshet goes Around you, and o’erflows; For all the aged and withered in your heart Its sunlight will revive, And all idolatrous and vile therein The morning star will shrive. Guard ye the golden treasure hid away As succour for your heart. Ye who approached, burdened with sin and care, Guiltless and rich will part. O! ye decrepit, rolled of the night, Pray for the sun – the light.
וּרְטֻבֵּי טַל־אוֹרוֹת, לַאֲחֵיכֶם תָּשׁוּבוּ, וְרָטְבוּ מִכֶּם וְיָנוּבוּ; וְאִישׁ אֶל־בֵּית אָבִיו וְאִישׁ אֶל־בֵּית אֶחָיו תָּבִיאוּ נָא בְּשׂוֹרַת הַמֶּרְחָב. וִיצָאתֶם וּזְרַעְתֶּם מִסָּבִיב אֶת־אוֹרְכֶם – וְנָגַהּ עַל־רֹאשׁ כָּל־בְּנֵי דוֹרְכֶם; וְיָרַד וּמָצָא בַּמַּרְתֵּף הָאָפֵל אֲחִיכֶם הַדָּךְ וְהַשָּׁפֵל, וְרָעַד עַל־לִבּוֹ הָאוֹר וְהִתְרַפֵּק, וְחֶרֶשׁ עַל־לִבּוֹ יִתְדַּפֵּק: “קוּם, אָחִי, הִתְפַּלֵּל – יֵשׁ מָקוֹם לִתְפִלָּה, יֵשׁ מָקוֹם לְתִקְוָה – הוֹחִילָה!” וְקָם וְהִתְנַעֵר אֲחִיכֶם בֶּן־אָמֶשׁ – וְצָמֵא לַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, לַשָּׁמֶשׁ!	Moist with dew of blossoms ye’ll return And deck with mantle green Each one his friend, and each in his father’s house Will tell of the wide demesne. Then in the fields ye will strew the stars to play On the children’s heads to-day. Descend to find in the dark Your brother low and stark, The light will tremble, leaning on his heart, And lips pressed softly ope: “Rise, brother, pray, for there is room for prayer, And a place for hope – come hope!” Then he will awake – your friend of yesternight And thirst for the sun – the light.
וְאִם־תֹּהוּ בִקַּשְׁתֶּם אוֹר־שֶׁמֶשׁ לָעָיִן – צְאוּ וּבְרָאוּהוּ מֵאָיִן! חִצְבוּהוּ מִסֶּלַע, מִצּוּרִים נַקְּרוּהוּ, מִפִּנּוֹת לְבַבְכֶם מִשְׁכוּהוּ! וְחַי אֵל הָאוֹר, כִּי־כַאֲשֶׁר יֵחָשֵׂף כֵּן יִפְרֹץ וְלָעַד לֹא־יֵאָסֵף; וְגַם־נִדָּחֵיכֶם יָקוּמוּ וָבָאוּ וַאֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־נַפְשָׁם יִשָּׂאוּ, וּבְחֵיקְכֶם יַנִּיחוּ אֵת כָּל־גַּעְגּוּעֵיהֶם הַקְּדוֹשִׁים – וּמְסָרוּם לִבְנֵיהֶם, וְדוֹרוֹת לַדּוֹרוֹת יַנְחִילוּ וִיצַוּוּ: חֲיוּ, עִבְדוּ הַרְבֵּה וְקַוּוּ! הוֹ, גְּמוּלֵי מֵחֹשֶׁךְ, עַתִּיקֵי מֵאָמֶשׁ – תְּלוּ שֶׁמֶשׁ עַל־רֹאשְׁכֶם, תְּלוּ שָׁמֶשׁ!	If ye, in search for sunlight, found but void, Go, fashion it from nought, Hew it from crags and quarry from the rocks, In cells of the heart be it sought. And when the God of light draws back the veil ‘Twill spread and never fail; Your waifs will come anew To lift their soul to you And in your bosom they will lodge desires Sacred – to their sons impart This heritage from age to age command: “Live, stint no toil, take heart! “Weaned from the darkness, drawn from the breasts of night, Clasp to your head the light!”

The poem, “Im Shamesh” (At Sunrise) was written by Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik in Kishinev on 24 Sivan 5664 (19 June 1903). This English translation by Dr. Leonard Victor Snowman was published on pages 98-99 of Chaim Nachman Bialik: Poems from the Hebrew, an anthology of Bialik’s work edited by L.V. Snowman (with an introduction by Vladimir Jabotinsky) in 1924. Transcription of the Hebrew by Project Ben-Yehuda. I have made some very slight changes to Bialik’s lines in order to accomodate the English translation. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“עִם שָׁמֶשׁ | At Sunrise, a poem by Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik (1903)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

the Ben Yehuda Project (transcription)

Founded in 1999, the Ben Yehuda Project digitally transcribes Hebrew works in the Public Domain.

Leonard Victor Snowman

Leonard Victor Snowman (1900-1976) was one of Anglo-Jewry's most esteemed physicians and mohelim who contributed a lifetime of service to the community in many educational fields. Snowman followed in the footsteps of his father, Dr Jacob Snowman, in his zeal for communal work. Jacob had had the honour of being mohel to the Royal family and Leonard was accorded a like distinction. He served the Initiation Society as medical officer for some 45 years and trained large numbers of future mohelim in their sacred calling. He was surgeon-mohel to the London Jewish Hospital and Bearsted Memorial Hospital from 1931 to 1970 and also served for many years as honorary medical officer to Jews' College. Allied to medical expertise was a profound love and knowledge of Hebrew literature and Dr Snowman wrote extensively on the subject in the Jewish Chronicle and other journals. He translated and published several Hebrew poets into English, specialising in Bialik and Tchernichovsky. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Hampstead Synagogue, where he was a regular worshipper, he wrote a Hebrew ode. Dr. Snowman was president of the Union of Hebrew and Religion Classes, one of the forerunners of the London Board of Jewish Religious Education, and was for many years chairman of the education committee of the LBJRE.

Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik

Hayim Nahman Bialik (Hebrew: חיים נחמן ביאליק‎‎; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934), was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew but also in Yiddish. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. (via wikipedia)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

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“Morning Birch Forest Sunrise Forest” (credit: blickpixel, license: CC0)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17

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