Bialik: Just a Ray (From Hebrew)

Just A Single Ray
By Haim Nachman Bialik
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

Just a single ray of sun upon you,
And you grew to glory, rose near-divine.
One ray unfurled your lure, your flesh
And you ripened like a fruited vine.

Just a single night of storm in spoil
Has ravished your flush and bud away.
In your lime beauty vile dogs afar
Can smell your cadaverous decay.


The Original:

רַק קַו-שֶׁמֶשׁ אֶחָד עֲבָרֵךְ,
וּפִתְאֹם רוֹמַמְתְּ וְגָדָלְתְּ;
וַיְפַתַּח חֶמְדָּתֵךְ וּבְשָׂרֵךְ,
וּכְגֶפֶן פֹּרִיָּה בָּשָׁלְתְּ.

וְרַק סַעַר לֵיל אֶחָד עֲבָרֵךְ,
וַיַּחְמֹס אֶת-בִּסְרֵךְ, נִצָּתֵךְ;
וּכְלָבִים נְבָלִים בַּהֲדָרֵךְ
יָרִיחוּ מֵרָחוֹק נִבְלָתֵךְ –

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