The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse

By Various

This stunning anthology gathers together the riches of poetry in Hebrew from 'The Song of Deborah' to contemporary Israeli writings. Verse written up to the tenth century show the development of piyut, or liturgical poetry, and retell episodes from the Bible and exalt the glory of God. Medieval works introduce secular ideas in love poems, wine songs and rhymed narratives, as well as devotional verse for specific religious rituals. Themes such as the longing for the homeland run through the ages, especially in verse written after the rise of the Zionist movement, while poems of the last century marry Biblical references with the horrors of the Holocaust. Together these works create a moving portrait of a rich and varied culture through the last 3,000 years.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140424679
• ISBN13: 9780140424676
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

hebrew poetry

This book covers a very broad time range of poetry by Hebrew writers from ancient to modern. It is in translation but has the Hebrew also. I found that it fills in a very important perspective of poetry in the middle ages from a scholarly point of view. And it is really a pleasure. C

Breathtaking - combines poetry and scholarship

An impressive compendium of a vast body of material. Fresh translations side-by-side with the original Hebrew. Annotations explain the history of the piece and the ambiguities of the language. One section introduces the authors and places them religiously, philosophically and historically. A masterpiece that deserves more attention.

A continuous three - thousand year old tradition of poetry

T.Carmi the compiler of this anthology was one of the foremost poets of the Amichai generation in Israel. His love and knowledge of the Hebrew language its stages of development and nuances are second to none. This anthology brings samples of Hebrew poetry from the Biblical beginning to the contemporary. It is rich with very great poetry and underlines how strongly the Hebrew tradition in poetry is largely a religious one. It is of course possible to quarrel with the selections. I myself would argue that as the greatest Hebrew poetry is Tehillim( Psalms) a much richer selection of the Psalms should be included. On the other hand it is possible to argue that Psalms are available everywhere while the poems of Moses ibn Ezra and Rachel are not. On the whole this work is filled with tremendously moving poetry, poetry a good share of which has inspired not only the people of Israel but mankind as a whole. Carmi has done a great service in putting together this collection. It should be in the library of each and every lover of great poetry.

The definitive Hebrew anthology

This wonderful anthology of Hebrew verse by Carmi, himself no mean poet, combines a lyrical English translation with the (fully pointed!) Hebrew text of each poem. The book ranges through Hebrew poetry from Biblical times, through Merkava verses and the Arabising styles of al-Andalus, to the early modern work of Bialik and on as far as Dan Pagis. The most contemporary won't be included as the book was first published perhaps twenty years ago. But it is one of the great anthologies, and even has its place itself in Hebrew literary history. Buy it!

Excellent Representative Sampling of the Best Hebrew Verse

This volume was my introduction to the melodious magic of Hebrew-language poetry over 20 years ago, and it remains one of my favorite collections. There is something in here for everyone who can pause and reflect. "At Twilight" by Bialik captured my whole life's theme, and the translation into English managed to retain the essence and music of the original Hebrew. This collection I would recommend to any lover of literature, and is part of the music that should accompany every Jewish soul.