מָעוֹז צוּר | Maoz Tsur for Yom ha-Atsma'ut, a complete poetic translation with an added stanza for the State of Israel's Independence Day by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer • the Open Siddur Project

Tags: 13th century C.E., 21st century C.E., 51st century A.M., 58th century A.M., Acrostic signature, High Middle Ages, Mainz, rhyming translation, מעוז צור Maoz Tsur, פיוטים piyyutim

Excerpt: This is a complete poetic rhyming translation of Maoz Tsur with all six of its stanzas including a seventh, final stanza written by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer specifically for Yom ha-Atsmau'ut. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
מָע֣וֹז צ֭וּר יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י לְ֝ךָ֗ נָאֶ֥ה לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ׃ תִּכּ֣וֹן בֵּ֣ית תְּפִלָּתִ֑י וְשָׁ֖ם תּוֹדָ֣ה נְזַבֵּֽחַ׃ לְעֵ֨ת תָּכִ֗ין מַטְבֵּ֘חַ מִצָּ֢ר הַ֫מְנַבֵּ֥חַ אָ֣ז אֶגְמֹ֑ר בְּשִׁ֣יר מִזְמ֣וֹר חֲ֝נֻכַּ֗ת הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃	Stronghold rock who rescues me, to You all praise is seeming. Let us offer thanks, we plea, in the house of our dreaming. And when You thwart the scheming Of the enemies teeming, On that date I’ll dedicate Hymns with sacred theming.
רָעוֹת שָׂבְעָה נַפְשִׁי בְּיָגוֹן כֹּחִי כָּלָה חַיַּי מֵרְרוּ בְקֹשִׁי בְּשִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכוּת עֶגְלָה וּבְיָדוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה הוֹצִיא אֶת־הַסְּגֻלָּה חֵיל פַּרְעֹה וְכׇל־זַרְעוֹ יָרְדוּ כְּאֶֽבֶן בִּמְצוּלָה׃	When my soul was full with stress, my being struck with grief. Life made hard with bitterness, slaves to a bovine chief. But from our belief you gave us relief, Pharaoh’s forces in their courses sunk like rocks to the reef.
דְּבִיר קׇדְשׁוֹ הֱבִיאַֽנִי וְגַם שָׁם לֹא שָׁקַֽטְתִּי וּבָא נוֹגֵשׂ וְהִגְלַֽנִי כִּי זָרִים עָבַֽדְתִּי וְיֵין רַעַל מָסַֽכְתִּי כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַֽרְתִּי קֵץ בָּבֶל זְרֻבָּבֶל לְקֵץ שִׁבְעִים נוֹשַֽׁעְתִּי׃	To the sanctum You brought me But there I found no repose. Came a foe who exiled me And o’er us strangers impose. In wine I’d decompose but just as this arose, Babylon was come and gone, in seventy years it goes.
כְּרוֹת קוֹמַת בְּרוֹשׁ בִּקֵּשׁ אֲגָגִי בֶּן־הַמְּדָתָא וְנִהְיָתָה לוֹ לְפַח וּלְמוֹקֵשׁ וְגַאֲוָתוֹ נִשְׁבָּֽתָה רֹאשׁ יְמִינִי נִשֵּֽׂאתָ וְאוֹיֵב שְׁמוֹ מָחִֽיתָ רֹב בָּנָיו וְקִנְיָנָיו עַל הָעֵץ תָּלִֽיתָ׃	Thus sought Hammedatha’s son to cut the cypress down. In its trap he was undone; You silenced his renown. The right hand to the crown’s foe You turned around, His family and property strung up before the town.
יְוָנִים נִקְבְּצוּ עָלַי אֲזַי בִּימֵי חַשְׁמַנִּים וּפָרְצוּ חוֹמוֹת מִגְדָּלַי וְטִמְּאוּ כׇּל־הַשְּׁמָנִים וּמִנּוֹתַר קַנְקַנִּים נַעֲשָׂה נֵס לַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים בְּנֵי בִינָה יְמֵי שְׁמוֹנָה קָבְעוּ שִׁיר וּרְנָנִים׃	Greeks amassed opposing me in Hasmonean years. Smashed the walls, explosively defiled oils clear. But from one vial austere a miracle appeared! Sages let this eight-day set be song and joyous cheer.
שְׁנ֣וֹת אַ֭לְפַּֽיִם בְּגָל֑וּת ע֖וֹד הִבַּ֣טְתִּי אַֽרְצָה׃ נֶ֨עֶרְמָה־בִּ֥י אֲבֵל֑וּת צָרָתִ֣י עָלַ֣י רָבְצָֽה׃ בְּעֵ֨ת׀ קָרַבְתִּ֣י קָצָה֮ תִּקְוָתִ֪י לֹ֫א־נִרְעֲצָ֥ה בְּעֶזְרָתְךָ֣ בְּאַרְצְךָ֑ בַּ֣ת עַמִּ֣י נֶחֱלָֽצָה׃	Exiled for two thousand years, still I gazed to the land. In… heaps great woe beset my ears, sorrow none could withstand. When… I took my last stand, then my hope was not abandoned! By Your grace, we found Your place, Your people no longer stranded.
חֲשׂוֹף זְרוֹעַ קׇדְשֶׁךָ וְקָרֵב קֵץ הַיְשׁוּעָה נְקֹם נִקְמַת עֲבָדֶיךָ מֵאֻמָּה הָרְשָׁעָה כִּי אָרְכָה הַשָּׁעָה וְאֵין קֵץ לִימֵי הָרָעָה דְּחֵה אַדְמוֹן בְּצֵל צַלְמוֹן הָקֵם לָנוּ רוֹעִים שִׁבְעָה	Now reveal Your holy arm bring near the final upheaval Now avenge your servants harmed by the nation of evil Long since time primeval we’ve seen no reprieval Crush the red to darkest dead! Begin the time of retrieval!

This is a complete poetic rhyming translation of Maoz Tsur with all six of its stanzas including a seventh, final stanza written by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer specifically for Yom ha-Atsmau’ut. The poetic translation of the first stanza also differs from the translation he offered in his earlier translation of Maoz Tsur for Ḥanukkah.