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 –