Ory Bernstein: Abraham Turned Human (From Hebrew)

Abraham Turned Human
By Ory Bernstein
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

She didn't promise me anything else,
Didn't tempt me with a thing or try. 
Not when I went out ahead of the army
and not when the army passed by. 

One of my sons I sent to die,
the other I tried to sacrifice,
while I maintained an innocence
no longer useful or wise.

When all the prophecies come to pass
as, for evil, they always do,
My eyes like a heifer's eyes will rise
pleadingly toward you.

Behold my affliction, see how my days
are numbered. After all, I was bound
to be no more than a happenstance 
for things to happen around.



Audio of me reciting this translation in English

Audio of me reciting this poem in Hebrew


Commentary with Literal Translation:

Avraham Naˁase Enoši

Abraham Is Made Human

Lo hivṭaḥt li davar šone
lo pitit oti bedavar.
Gam kšeyatsá'ti lifney hamaḥane
Vegam kšehamaḥane ˁavar

You didn't promise me any other thing, you did not tempt me with a thing. Both when I went out ahead of the army, and when the army passed. 

In this first stanza, the second person pronoun forms are feminine, addressing presumably either Sarah or Hagar. Reference to going out ahead of the army alludes to Abraham leading his retainers on a rescue operation. It also invokes wording used in Exodus 14. 

Yéled eḥad šaláḥti lamut,
Ve'eḥad nisíti laˁaqod
Vešamárti ˁal temimut
Šelo tesayaˁ li ˁod

One son I sent to die, and one I tried to bind, and I preserved an innocence which is not helpful to me anymore. 

The two sons are of course Ishmael and Isaac. The word temimut "innocence" has biblical overtones not only of naiveté but of purity, Godfear and uprightness.

uxšekol hanvu'ot mitqaymot
vetamid mitqaymot leraˁ
ˁeynay eléyxa muramot
bitḥina, keˁeyney para.

And when all the prophecies take place — and they take place for evil — my eyes will be lifted to you in supplication like the eyes of a heifer. 

Here the addressee is grammatically masculine and may thus refer to either God, Isaac or Jacob. Probably to God. Reference to a heifer invokes a passage from Numbers 14 dealing with the sacrifice of a heifer, an ironic inversion of the story in which Abraham attempts to kill his son at God's request.



re'e oti beˁonyi, re'e
oti kešeyamay nisperu
Haíti, kixlot hakol, raq miqre
šesvivo hadvarim qaru

Behold me in my affliction, behold how my days are numbered. I was, after all, just a hap which things happened around.

Like "days are numbered" the phrase "behold... in affliction" is a Biblical formula (e.g. Gen 29:32, Exodus 3:7). In the Hebrew Bible, for God to "behold someone in their affliction" implies that God will also have mercy on them and ease their suffering. Here, though, it has an ironic tone. Perhaps something to the effect of: "just look what a screwed-up life I've had. I'm only human and you, Yahweh, manipulated me as a tool. But please take pity on me. I'm at your mercy in this cruel universe." Or at least that's how I read it (heh heh.)

The Original:

אברהם נעשה אנושי

לֹא הִבְטַחְתְּ לִי דָּבָר שׁוֹנֶה.

לֹא פִּתִּית אוֹתִי בְּדָבָר.

גַּם כְּשֶׁיָּצָאתִי לִפְנֵי הַמַּחֲנֶה,

וְגַם כְּשֶׁהַמַּחֲנֶה עָבַר.

יֶלֶד אֶחָד שָׁלַחְתִּי לָמוּת,

וְאֶחָד נִסִּיתִי לַעֲקֹד.

וְשָׁמַרְתִּי עַל תְּמִימוּת 

שֶׁלֹּא תְּסַיַּע לִי עוֹד.

וּכְשֶׁכָּל הַנְּבוּאוֹת מִתְקַיְּמוֹת –

וְתָמִיד מִתְקַיְּמוֹת לְרַע – 

עֵינַי אֵלֶיךָ מוּרָמוֹת 

בִּתְחִנָּה, כְּעֵינֵי פָּרָה.

רְאֵה אוֹתִי בְּעָנְיִי, רְאֵה

אוֹתִי כְּשֶׁיָּמַי נִסְפְּרוּ.

הָיִיתִי, כִּכְלוֹת הַכֹּל, רַק מִקְרֶה 
שֶׁסְּבִיבוֹ הַדְּבָרִים קָרוּ.