זֶה הֶעָפָר הָיָה פַּעַם הָאִישׁ | This Dust was Once the Man, an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln by Walt Whitman (1871), Hebrew translation by Shimon Halkin (1952)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=30221

Date: 2020-02-12

Last Updated: 2022-09-12

Categories: Lincoln's Birthday (February 12th)

Tags: 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Abraham Lincoln, assassination, Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, elegies, Hebrew translation, Slaveholders' Rebellion (1861-1865), United States

Excerpt: An elegy by Walt Whitman for President Abraham Lincoln after his assassination, in English with Hebrew translation. . . .

Content:

Translation (Hebrew)	Source (English)
זֶה הֶעָפָר הָיָה פַּעַם הָאִישׁ — עָדִין, פָּשׁוּט, יָשָׁר וְתַקִיף — אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ הַזְּהִירָה, מוּל הַפֶּשַׁע הַנֶּאֱלָח בְּדִבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים מִכׇּל שֶׁיָּדְעָה אֶרֶץ אוֹ תְּקוּפָה, הִנָּצֵל נִצְּלָה בְּרִית הַמְּדִינוֹת הָאֵלֶּה.	This dust was once the man, Gentle, plain, just and resolute, under whose cautious hand, Against the foulest crime in history known in any land or age, Was saved the Union of these States.

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“This Dust was Once a Man” is an elegy written in 1871 by Walt Whitman, a poem on the tragic death of American president Abraham Lincoln. “This Dust Was Once the Man” was included in Book 22 of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass (fifth edition).

Source(s)

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Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
  Bio: 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.)
  Website: https://aharon.varady.net
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady
• 
  Name: Shimon Halkin (translation)
  Bio: Shimon Halkin (Hebrew: שמעון הלקין) (born October 30, 1899; died 1987) was an Israeli poet, novelist, teacher, and translator. He was born in Dovsk near Rogachev (now in Belarus), then in the Russian Empire in 1899. Halkin emigrated to New York City with his family in 1914. He lived and studied in the United States from 1914 to 1932. He studied at the Hebrew Union College and Columbia University. In the US, he taught Hebrew Literature and Language. He worked as an English teacher in Tel Aviv from 1932 to 1939, but then returned to America, to become professor of Hebrew Literature at the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. He made his final move to Israel in 1949, when he succeeded Joseph Klausner as Professor of Modern Hebrew Literature and became head of the department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Halkin
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/shimon-halkin
• 
  Name: Walt Whitman
  Bio: Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/walt-whitman

Featured Image:

Title: Abraham-Lincolns-letter-to-his-sons-school-teacher
Caption: Abraham Lincoln and his son