קוּבֶּה אָדֹם Red Kubbeh

קוּבֶּה אָדֹם

כָּל כָּךְ הַרְבֵּה
תָּלוּי בְּ
סִיר מָרָק
קוּבֶּה אָדֹם 
.שֶׁל סָבָתִי נָעִימָה
שִׁפְתִי אֶת הַסִּיר וְגַם צְקִי בּוֹ מַיִם
,לְקָרֵב אֶת נְהָרוֹת בַּבֵל אֶל נְכָדַיִךְ
.נֹחַם בְּגָלוּת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
.דָּאר-אִל-יַהוּד נֶעֶלְמָה כְּבָר מִזְּמַן
גַּם יָדַיִךְ אֵינָן. יָדֶיהָ שֶׁל אִמִּי 
חוֹצוֹת סָהַרוֹנֵי סֶלֶק, מְלַטְּשׁוֹת
,יַהֲלוֹם סֹּלֶת מִגַּרְעִינֵי הַחִטָּה
.מוֹסְרוֹת אֵלַי סוֹדוֹת מֶשֶׁךְ
 
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.דָּאר-אִל-יַהוּד: "חצר היהודים". אחת משתי שכונות היהודים בבגדד
 

Red Kubbeh

So much depends upon
A pot 
Of my grandmother Naima’s
Red kubbeh soup. 
 
Put the pot on the fire and pour in the water
To bring close to your grandchildren the rivers of Babylon,
A comfort in Jerusalem in exile. 
Dar-il-Yahud disappeared a long time ago. 
Your hands are also gone. The hands of my mother
Slice crescents of beetroot, polish
A diamond of semolina from the grains of wheat, 
To me they pass the secrets of duration. 
 
Note:
Dar-il-Yahud (Arabic: "The Jews' court"): One of the two Jewish neighbourhoods in Baghdad.
 

Red kubeh

So much depends on
A pot of soup
Kubeh red
Of my grandmother Naima.
 
Put on the fire the pot and also pour in it water
To bring close the rivers of Babylon to your grandchildren,
A consolation in the exile of Jerusalem.
Dar-il-Yahud disappeared a long time ago.
Also your hands are gone. The hands of my mother
Are slicing crescents of beetroot, are polishing
A diamond of semolina from the grains of wheat.
They pass to me secrets of duration.
 

The poem begins with an allusion to William Carlos Williams’ famous poem (“so much depends / upon // a red wheel / barrow // glazed with rain / water // beside the white / chickens”). Dori-Carlier’s witty reworking of this in the opening stanza sets up the context for a deep investigation of family, time and exile through a simple meal: a rich beetroot soup.

Note: Dar-il-Yahud (Arabic: “The Jews’ court”): One of the two Jewish neighbourhoods in Baghdad.

Edward Doegar

Original Poem by

Batsheva Dori

Translated by

Micha Meyers with The Poetry Translation Workshop Language

Hebrew

Country

Israel