The pine tree. Fir tree. Glacier. Hallelujah.
The hornet's diligence. The gibbon's voice.
The pale reprieve of snow. Hallelujah.
The volcano's unrestricted exultation.
The forest's lazy ease. The desert's fury.
Our own extraneous efforts at creation.
(The handiwork
if
God
and then
His glory.)
6. (Sudden
Michtam)
To
the Conductor, a plea to be spared from destruction,
by David, a michtam. (Psalm
57: 1)
And suddenly what I'm reading is a
michtam.
I look at a number of English versions–
Not knowing what a
michtam
is-and every
Last one of them-some still collecting royalties–
Tells me what I'm reading is a
michtam.
Oh, thank you, King James; thank you, Rabbi Hillel
Danzigher; thank you, translation comm.ittee
Of the Jewish Publication Society;
But couldn't you do a little better than
I'llichtam?
Luckily, the Hebrew-English dictionary
(The Alcalay, a three-volume set)
Through which I always travel very slowly,
Says:
epigram, aphorism, golden poem.
And mentally I write a thank-you note
To Mr. Alcalay: My dear R. Alcalay,
If there is ever anything you need-
A letter of recommendation, a poem,
Advice on the niceties of English–
Please don't hesitate to ask me.
And another one to Rabbi Danzigher,
With a duplicate to JPS:
Though it's a bit expensive, I'd direct you
To the Alcalay Hebrew-English Dictionary
Where it says that
michtam
is a golden poem,
The very phrase my bubbe would have used
If she'd made it to a hundred-one;
In her no-longer-thriving native tongue
There is no higher praise than
goldene.
On the telephone, she would have told her friends ,
