The cover image of Chaya Levy’s ‘Happy and Sad,’ We Shall Disassemble and Assemble (Dorit Nahmias, 2020)
haya Levy’s poetry celebrates life – where “life” oftentimes means not only hope and love but sorrow, anger and even madness. She is a master of finding the sublime in everyday life, and her poetry is straightforward and honest without neglecting poetic complexity. Even when she writes about the extremities of human life, her distinct poetic voice remains free and energetic. And indeed, while hints of Dahlia Ravikovitch and Nurit Zarchi’s poetry can be detected in the poems below, Levy’s voice is utterly unique in its tone and its insistence on extracting joy from language. Translations are by Maayan Eitan.
Life Said
Life said pain. I replied, impertinent:
I’m in bed and you’re in my head as I wish
look at all the crumbs, who can threaten me with death? I haven’t showered in days
all my body hurts, I only want to sleep
and I expect everything to continue in kindness
Imagination solves everything. Slow writing creates little spark
and lots of sorrow. You’re a boring topic, I go
on, toward the end just wink at me or something
you can’t really disappoint those who were sad girls. I stubbornly
researched my way into enjoying everything, memories too
Untitled
This man didn’t read books and so
he didn’t know he should be sad but
he was sad or bitter or his body hurt
or he was happy or he laughed or cooked leaves and onion
he didn’t go to school so there was no one to lie to him
he heard a lot of admonitions and never believed
he missed the bad things and forgot his dreams
this woman didn’t read books and so
she didn’t know she should be sad but
she was sad or bitter or her body hurt
or she was happy or she laughed or cooked leaves and onion
she didn’t go to school so there was no one to lie to her
she heard a lot of admonitions and never believed
she missed the bad things and forgot his dreams
their lives were intertwined like boughs
החיים אמרו
הַחַיִּים אָמְרוּ כְּאֵב. עָנִיתִי לָהֶם כְּמוֹ חֻצְפָּנִית:
אֲנִי בַּמִּטָּה וְאַתֶּם בָּרֹאשׁ שֶׁלִּי כִּרְצוֹנִי
תִּרְאוּ אֶת כָּל הַפֵּרוּרִים, מִי יְאַיֵּם עָלַי בְּמָוֶת? לֹא הִתְקַלַּחְתִּי יָמִים
כָּל הַגּוּף שֶׁלִּי כּוֹאֵב, אֲנִי רַק רוֹצָה לִישֹׁן
וַאֲנִי מְצַפָּה שֶׁהַכֹּל יַמְשִׁיךְ לִהְיוֹת בְּחִבָּה
הַדִּמְיוֹן פּוֹתֵר הַכֹּל. כְּתִיבָה אִטִּית מַצְמִיחָה מְעַט בָּרָק
וְהַרְבֵּה צַעַר. אַתֶּם נוֹשֵׂא מְשַׁעֲמֵם, אֲנִי מַמְשִׁיכָה
הָלְאָה, לִקְרַאת הַסּוֹף פָּשׁוּט תִּקְרְצוּ לִי אוֹ מַשֶּׁהוּ
אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְצַעֵר יוֹתֵר מִדַּי מִי שֶׁהָיְתָה יַלְדָּה אֻמְלָלָה. בְּעַקְשָׁנוּת
חָקַרְתִּי אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ לֵהָנוֹת מִכָּל דָּבָר, גַּם מִזִּכְרוֹנוֹת
ללא כותרת
הַגֶּבֶר הַזֶּה לֹא קָרָא סְפָרִים וְלָכֵן
לֹא יָדַע שֶׁהוּא צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת עָצוּב אֲבָל
הָיָה עָצוּב אוֹ הָיָה לוֹ מַר אוֹ שֶׁכָּאַב לוֹ הַגּוּף
אוֹ שֶׁשָּׂמַח אוֹ שֶׁצָּחַק אוֹ שֶׁבִּשֵּׁל עָלִים וּבָצָל
הוּא לֹא הָלַךְ לְבֵית סֵפֶר אָז לֹא הָיָה מִי שֶׁיְּשַׁקֵּר לוֹ
הוּא שָׁמַע הַרְבֵּה הַטָּפוֹת מוּסָר וְאַף פַּעַם לֹא הֶאֱמִין
הוּא הִתְגַּעְגֵּעַ לִדְבָרִים רָעִים וְשָׁכַח חֲלוֹמוֹת
הָאִשָּׁה הַזּוֹ לֹא קָרְאָה סְפָרִים וְלָכֵן
לֹא יָדְעָה שֶׁהִיא צְרִיכָה לִהְיוֹת עֲצוּבָה אֲבָל
הָיְתָה עֲצוּבָה אוֹ הָיָה לָהּ מַר אוֹ שֶׁכָּאַב לָהּ הַגּוּף
אוֹ שֶׁשָּׂמְחָה אוֹ שֶׁצָּחֲקָה אוֹ שֶׁבִּשְּׁלָה עָלִים וּבָצָל
הִיא לֹא הָלְכָה לְבֵית סֵפֶר אָז לֹא הָיָה מִי שֶׁיְּשַׁקֵּר לָהּ
הִיא שָׁמְעָה הַרְבֵּה הַטָּפוֹת מוּסָר וְאַף פַּעַם לֹא הֶאֱמִינָה
הִיא הִתְגַּעְגְּעָה לִדְבָרִים רָעִים וְשָׁכְחָה חֲלוֹמוֹת
חַיֵּיהֶם הָיוּ כְּרוּכִים זֶה בְּזֶה כְּמוֹ פֹּארוֹת
Good Night
Good night, I fell asleep
I’m by no means waiting for a sign
I am asleep, dreaming only of food or sex
by no means checking every second if you’re around
if you exist at all thin and unshaved like before
by no means checking if I recovered
from the craziness of the excessive love
if I am still white and stained like the moon in its longings
לילה טוב
לַיְלָה טוֹב, נִרְדַּמְתִּי
אֲנִי בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן לֹא מְחַכָּה לְסִימָן
אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה, חוֹלֶמֶת רַק עַל אֹכֶל אוֹ עַל סֶקְס
בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן לֹא בּוֹדֶקֶת כָּל רֶגַע אִם הָיִיתָ בַּסְּבִיבָה
אִם אַתָּה קַיָּם בִּכְלָל רָזֶה וְלֹא מְגֻלָּח כְּמוֹ קֹדֶם
בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן לֹא בּוֹדֶקֶת אִם הֶחְלַמְתִּי
מֵהַשִּׁגָּעוֹן שֶׁל הָאַהֲבָה הַמְּיֻתֶּרֶת
אִם אֲנִי עֲדַיִן לְבָנָה וּמֻכְתֶּמֶת כְּמוֹ הַיָּרֵחַ בְּגַעְגּוּעִים
What Will You Tell Him
If you see him
don’t be surprised by how he stole my heart
just tell him I’ll be right there
and if he runs away
don’t tell me
and if he’s holding a flower
he picked in other people’s gardens
don’t say a word
don’t say a word
I’m on my way
If you see that he’s without me
don’t be surprised
know that you’re lucky
if he doesn’t steal your heart
if you don’t have to hurt yourself
because of reasons you do not understand
מה תגידו לו
אִם תִּרְאוּ אוֹתוֹ
אַל תִּתְפַּלְּאוּ אֵיךְ הוּא גָּנַב לִי אֶת הַלֵּב
פָּשׁוּט תַּגִּידוּ לוֹ שֶׁתֵּכֶף אֲנִי בָּאָה
וְאִם הוּא יִבְרַח
אַל תְּסַפְּרוּ לִי
וְאִם הוּא יַחֲזִיק פֶּרַח
שֶׁקָּטַף בְּגִנָּה שֶׁל אֲחֵרִים
אַל תַּגִּידוּ כְּלוּם
אַל תַּגִּידוּ כְּלוּם
אֲנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ
אִם תִּרְאוּ שֶׁהוּא בִּלְעָדַי
אַל תִּתְפַּלְּאוּ
תֵּדְעוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָכֶם מַזָּל
אִם הוּא לֹא יִגְנֹב לָכֶם אֶת הַלֵּב
אִם לֹא תִּצְטָרְכוּ לִפְצֹעַ אֶת עַצְמְכֶם
מִסִּבּוֹת שֶׁלֹּא הֵבַנְתֶּם
Translations from the Hebrew by Maayan Eitan.
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Chaya Levy (born 1967) is a poet and teacher and the mother of two girls. She writes her PhD dissertation titled “Wound and Healing in the Poetry of Nurit Zarchi” in the Department of Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University. She has published three books of poetry, and is based in Modi’in.
Read moreMaayan Eitan holds a master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her first novel, titled "Love", was published in Israel this year. Her previous publications in English include I Once Thought That Normalcy Would Come Like Rain or Wind and Charm Me into Submission in the Nov/Dec 2019 edition of the Kenyon Review Online. Her work is regularly published in Israeli literary magazines.
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