Original (Russian)
Я плачу у стены стенаний и печали,
Ликую и скорблю с молитвой на устах,
Мой утлый чёлн уже навечно к ней причален,
Неважно, кем я был, а важно, кем я стал.
А стал я зряч и смел, судьбу переиначив,
Ерушалаим — свет и свет моих очей,
Я не ищу ни славы, ни удачи,
Устав от каруселей и качель.
Круженье по миру —
плетенье зряшных кружев,
Томленье духа лишь и суета сует.
Я опускаю деньги в прорезь кружек —
Нужней порою лепта, чем совет.
Стена, не ограждай меня от мира,
Недаром дух мой поборол юдоль.
Из чадных келий и карающих кумирен
Я вышел на простор, где зеленеет дол.
Бумаге бренной не вверяю мыслей,
Желаний сокровенных и надежд…
У храма веры купол надломился
И рухнул под ноги вандалов и невежд.
Не жду я чуда — чудо вдох и выдох.
Неизречимый Б-г мой — Адонай,
Ты укажи, где он, последний выход,
И на посмешище меня не отдавай…
Стена к стене — вот Храм восстал из праха,
Душа к душе — вот купол воссиял.
И связь времён невидимая пряха
Вновь сопрягла в начало всех начал.
English translation
I weep at the wall of lamentation and sorrow,
I rejoice and grieve with a prayer on my lips,
My frail boat is now moored to it forever,
It does not matter who I was, what matters is who I have become.
And I have become sighted and bold, having remade my fate,
Yerushalayim is light and the light of my eyes,
I seek neither glory nor good fortune,
Tired of carousels and swings.
Circling about the world —
the weaving of useless lace,
Only vexation of spirit and vanity of vanities.
I drop money into the slot of the collection boxes —
At times a mite is more needed than advice.
Wall, do not fence me off from the world,
Not for nothing did my spirit overcome the vale of sorrow.
Out of smoky cells and punishing idol-temples
I came out into the open, where the valley grows green.
I do not entrust to perishable paper my thoughts,
My innermost wishes and hopes…
The dome of the temple of faith cracked
And crashed down at the feet of vandals and ignoramuses.
I do not wait for a miracle — a miracle is breathing in and breathing out.
My ineffable G-d — Adonai,
Show me where it is, the last way out,
And do not give me up to be a laughingstock…
Wall to wall — see, the Temple has risen from the dust,
Soul to soul — see, the dome has shone forth.
And the bond of times the invisible spinner
Has joined again into the beginning of all beginnings.
The English is a literal, line-by-line translation, given so that readers can follow the original.
About the poem
The poem is full of deep feelings:
- Grief and rejoicing: “I weep at the wall of lamentation and sorrow, / I rejoice and grieve with a prayer on my lips”.
- Self-awareness: “It does not matter who I was, what matters is who I have become”.
- Humility: “I seek neither glory nor good fortune”.
- Spiritual growth: “I have become sighted and bold, having remade my fate”.
- The search for meaning: “Circling about the world — / the weaving of useless lace, / Only vexation of spirit and vanity of vanities”.
- Faith: “The dome of the temple of faith cracked / And crashed down at the feet of vandals and ignoramuses. / I do not wait for a miracle — a miracle is breathing in and breathing out. / My ineffable G-d — Adonai”.
- Unity: “Wall to wall — see, the Temple has risen from the dust, / Soul to soul — see, the dome has shone forth. / And the bond of times the invisible spinner / Has joined again into the beginning of all beginnings”.
The language of the poem:
- Rich in imagery: “the wall of lamentation and sorrow”, “frail boat”, “the weaving of useless lace”, “smoky cells”, “the dome has shone forth”, “the invisible spinner”.
- Emotional: “I weep”, “I rejoice”, “I grieve”, “the soul languishes”, “I do not wait for a miracle”.
- Philosophical: “it does not matter who I was, what matters is who I have become”, “vanity of vanities”, “ineffable G-d”.
The poem raises important themes:
- The meaning of life: the search for one’s place in the world, for one’s calling.
- Faith: the role of faith in a person’s life, the search for God.
- History: the destruction of the temple, the bond with the past.
- Unity: the bond between people, the bond of times.
On the whole, the poem makes a strong impression.
