Book description
This stunning anthology gathers together the riches of poetry in Hebrew
from 'The Song of Deborah' to contemporary Israeli writings. Verse
written up to the tenth century show the development of piyut, or
liturgical poetry, and retell episodes from the Bible and exalt the
glory of God. Medieval works introduce secular ideas in love poems, wine
songs and rhymed narratives, as well as devotional verse for specific
religious rituals. Themes such as the longing for the homeland run
through the ages, especially in verse written after the rise of the
Zionist movement, while poems of the last century marry Biblical
references with the horrors of the Holocaust. Together these works
create a moving portrait of a rich and varied culture through the last
3,000 years.
T. Carmi (1925-1994) was born in New York City, and settled in Israel
in 1947. He published eight volumes of poetry in Hebrew, and two
collections have appeared in English translation: The Brass Serpent
(1964) and Somebody Like You (1971). He also translated several
well-known plays into Hebrew.
T. Carmi (1925-1994) was born in New York City, and settled in
Israel in 1947. He published eight volumes of poetry in Hebrew, and
two collections have appeared in English translation: The Brass
Serpent (1964) and Somebody Like You (1971). He also translated
several well-known plays into Hebrew.
