Monthly Archives: September 2015

Amichai’s Yom Kippur

Today, the day before Yom Kippur, marks the 15th anniversary since Yehuda Amichai’s death on Sept. 22, 2000. In his honor, I am posting my translation of his poem, “Yom Kippur,” which is included in The Amichai Windows. Continue reading

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Filed under Hebrew Poetry, Translating Amichai, Yehuda Amichai

Translating Amichai

“Poetry is what gets lost in translation,” Robert Frost is often quoted as saying.

It’s true, but it’s not true. The original connotations and impact of a poem is lost in translation, that’s true. One can not move from one country to another without a sense of dislocation, of newness, of discovery. But, that’s just it. A new language presents the opportunity for the poet to be discovered by a new audience — and for the poem to resonate in new ways. It might not be the same as the original but it can take on a life of its own. Continue reading

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Filed under Hebrew Poetry, Translating Amichai, Yehuda Amichai