Yocheved Bat-Miriam: From "Cranes from the Threshold" (From Heberew)

In this poem, "you" refers to Russia, the poet's native land which she had to abandon in her youth

From Cranes from the Threshold
By Yocheved Bat-Miriam
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

You remained on the roadway behind me
But the hymn of my steps remains:
A golden sheaf's reflection,
A meadow of cranes upon cranes!
  
I stumble on cloud as on stone.
I stumble on my day as on sin.
I am borne between blue and a star
By your innocent, stammering grin.

Because you once were and shone tearful
And leaned on a painted wave's form
And breathed, as you sailed over yonder,
An invisible shore into storm,

As they pound toward the shore and toward you
(Who are held in its far gold gleam)
My days are poured out for me, pounding
The beat of your cherished dream.

Splendors and meaningless silence!
Splendors and nameless sky!
Unique in the blue is the hour
That is shuttered away from my eye.

Alone to the stone and the threshold
That chanted your hymn to the age
Like a gold-bearing letter they guide me,
Like a name on your very first page.

The Original:

עֲגוּרִים מֵהַסַּף

יוכבד בת-מרים

מֵאַחֲרַי אַתְּ נִשְׁאַרְתְּ עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ, 

וְרוֹנֵן צַעֲדִי הַנִּזְכָּר.

אֲלֻמָּה זְהֻבָּה וּמְהֻרְהֶרֶת,

עֲגוּרִים, עֲגוּרִים עַל הַכָּר!

אֶכָּשֵׁל בְּעָנָן כִּבְאֶבֶן,

אֶכָּשֵׁל בְּיוֹמִי כִּבְחֵטְא.

יִשָּׂאֵנִי בֵּין כְּחוֹל וְכוֹכֶבֶת

תֹּם גִּמְגּוּמֵךְ הַמְרַטֵּט!

כִּי הֶיִית, כִּי הִקְרַנְתְּ מִבֶּכִי,

כִּי גָחַנְתְּ עַל גַּל מְצֻיָּר,

נוֹשְׁמָה, מַפְלִיגָה וְהוֹלֶכֶת

נִשְׁמַת חוֹף לֹא-נִרְאֶה וְנִסְעָר.

מְטַפְּחִים אֵלָיו וְאֵלַיִּךְ

(הַסְּגוּרָה בְּמֶרְחָקוֹ הַזָּהֹב!)

מְטַפְּחִים מִשְׁתַּפְּכִים יָמַי לִי

וְשָׁרִים חֲלוֹמֵךְ הָאָהוּב.

זְהָרִים וּדְמִי לְלֹא-שַׁחַר,

זְהָרִים וּתְכֵלֶת אֵין-שֵׁם;

יְחִידָה הַשָׁעָה הַצּוֹמַחַת

וּמֵעֵבֶר לְעֵינַי תֵּעָצֵם.

יְחִידָה אֶל הַסַּף וְהָאֶבֶן, 

שֶָּׁדוּ  אַגָּדָתֵךְ בְּרֹן,

יוֹלִיכוּנִי כְּאוֹת הַזּוֹהֶבֶת,

כְּשֵׁם עַל דַּפֵּךְ הָרִאשֹׁן.