Diti Ronen on Simple Action by Yasmeen Godder
דיתי רונן על פעולה פשוטה מאת יסמין גודר
*english follows
עַד כַּמָּה פָּשׁוּט לְהַרְפּוֹת
אֶת הַמֵּצַח אֶת הַגַּבּוֹת אֶת הָרַקּוֹת
אֶת הָעֹרֶף אֶת הַקָּדְקוֹד
אֶת הַפֶּה אֶת הַלְּסָתוֹת.
בְּגוּפָה הִיא אוֹמֶרֶת לִשְׁכֹּחַ
אֶת מַחְשַׁבְתָּהּ אֶת דְּבָרָהּ
אֶת אֲחִיזַת גַּפֶּיהָ, גֵּוָהּ
אֶת יְצִיבָתָהּ.
רוּחָהּ עוֹלָה שָׁעָה
שֶׁאֲגַנֶּה מַכֶּה בִּכְבֵדוּת בָּרִצְפָּה.
הוּא לֹא מְרַפֶּה.
אֲבָל הִיא, רְאוּ, הִיא מְנִיחָה לִשְׁרִירֶיהָ
כִּנְחִיתַת הַצִּפּוֹר הִיא אוֹסֶפֶת
אֶחָד אֶחָד אֶת עִצְבּוּבֵיהַּ
מִלְּמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה
בְּצַוָּאר מֻטֶּה
בִּזְרוֹעוֹת שְׁמוּטוֹת הִיא
מַשְׁקִיטָה אֶת מְשִׁיכוֹת הַחַיִּים
מִלְּמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה
סָבִיב בָּאֲלַכְסוֹן
בְּזָוִית הַיָּרֵךְ הַבֶּרֶךְ הַשּׁוֹק
בְּזָוִית הַקַּרְסֹל כַּף
הָרֶגֶל נִשְׁמֶטֶת.
הֵנָּה כָּךְ הִיא מְנִיחָה
לַזּוּלָת לְכַוֵּן אֶת נְפִילָתָהּ
אֶל בֶּטֶן הָאֲדָמָה.
אוֹ לֹא. הוּא לֹא מְרַפֶּה.
מִי מוֹשִׁיט יָד לִתְמֹךְ
אֶת הַזְּמַן, אֶת הַשִּׁוְיוֹן.
הַמִּשְׁקָל עוֹבֵר מִצַּד לְצַד
מְאַחֵד לַשֵּׁנִי, כְּאִלּוּ מְדֻבָּר בָּרַעְיוֹן.
בְּתוֹךְ הַיְּרִידָה מַטָּה, בְּתוֹךְ
הַפְּעֻלָּה הַפְּשׁוּטָה שֶׁל
הַיְּרִידָה הַשְּׁקֵטָה, הַנִּשְׁמֶטֶת
לְעֵבֶר עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ,
אֲנִי מִתְבּוֹנֶנֶת בְּחוֹמוֹת הָאֶבֶן
חוֹמוֹת הַהֲגָנָה הָעַתִּיקִים, הֶעָבִים,
תּוֹהֶה מָה הֵם נוֹצְרִים.
דּוֹרוֹת שֶׁל אֲנָשִׁים נוֹפְלִים
כּוֹרְעִים תַּחְתֶּיהָ, נִצָּבִים
How simple it is to release
The foreheard the eyebrows the temples
The neck the crown
The mouth the jaws.
In her body she says to forget
Her thoughts her words
Her holding of limbs, torso
Her posture.
Her spirit rises while
Her pelvis heavily hits the ground.
He doesn’t lay off.
But she, see, sets her muscles
Like a landing bird she gathers
Her nerves one by one
From top to bottom
Neck inclined
Arms strewn she
Quiets the pulls of life
From top to bottom
Around on a diagonal
In the angle of the thigh the knee the calf
In the angle of the ankle the
Foot is dropped.
Here, that’s how she allows
The fellow to direct her fall
To the belly of the Earth.
Or not. He doesn’t lay off.
Who outstretches a hand to support
The time, the equality.
The weight passes from side to side
From one to other as if it was an idea.
In the going down, in the
Simple action of
The quiet fall, the dropping
To the dust of the Earth,
I look at the stone walls
The ancient barrier walls, thick,
Wonder what they treasure.
Generations of people falling in battles
Crouching under their heaviness
While standing upright, oh Heroes,
Straight, on end, with their fists
Ready to punch.
Simple Action by Yasmeen Godder was presented at the Tower of David Museum on December 4 as part of Jerusalem International Dance Week hosted by Machol Shalem Dance House.
Dr. Diti Ronen is a poet, an editor and a translator of poetry. Ronen has published six full length poetry books, as well as numerous essays and articles. Her poetry has been translated into many languages and published in literary magazines and anthologies worldwide. Ronen performs her work on different stages in Israel and around the world. She was awarded three International poetry awards, including the Terra Poetica Award, two national awards , prizes of honors, poetry residencies and scholarships. Her poetry is derived from her personal narrative, being part of a persecuted minority, as well as from imaginary alternative narratives. Accordingly, Ronen’s literary work is varied from feminist poetry, like in the book “Inner Moon: Note book” (Hakiboutz Hameuchad, 2002) that relates to the female Menstrual cycle in relation to the Moon monthly cycle, to her own family memory, like in the book “littlebird” (Bar Ilan, 2010) that relates to a specific event in The Holocaust, and to journey poetry, like in the book “The return of the house and its wanderings” (Hakiboutz Hameuchad, 2016) that relates to her search for a home (The book was awarded by the Kugel Literary Award). Her upcoming book, “Many Mothers“, relates to her collective-personal memories of her own feminine existence in previous generations. Ronen has also edited five poetry books, all of them published in Israel (Pardess Publishing House, Haifa, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). She is currently in a process of editing two additional poetry books, one of them is expected to be published in 2018, and the second in 2019. Ronen has translated and published numerous poems, all of them translated from English along and together with the poets. Currently she is working together with the poet Amir Or on a Young Georgian Poetry Anthology. Beside her literary work, Ronen is a lecturer and a researcher of Arts, Theatre & Cultural Policy and she writes policy papers and advises on culture and arts to different organizations. She recently left her work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to focus on poetry. She is the former head of Cultural Policy, Theatre and Literature Departments in the Israeli Ministry of Culture. Her academic work is in Theatre, and her research explores the Actor’s cognitive work while performing his role as a character on stage in front of an audience. Diti was born in Tel Aviv. She is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and the mother of five. She lives with her spouse in Neve Monoson, a community near Tel Aviv.