by Josh Yarden
Translation has its limitations
how do you say…
we stumble, severely at times
We do not realize when we do not realize
understanding stands down
misunderstanding stands in
The translator pretends to be Superman
disguised as a reporter for the Daily Planet
able to leap tall constructs in a single bound
Translators transcend boundaries
across time and place
we have all sorts of advantages
Just one mysterious weakness
we are vulnerable to the substance of our planet
Kryptonite is a cryptic message
Once free of the burden of place
eternal outsiders are never stuck at home
odd ducks can swim in any lake or just fly away
We carry our roots on the journey
pick them up put them down
leave them behind move on
No wonder the journey gets confusing
take Jacob, resting at the Jabok crossing
stumbling in hesitation, guessing and second guessing
Translating Genesis
I try to figure out what I can understand
what the other superheroes may have missed
It's not just the words that are there
the power is in-between the lines
this is where the revelation lies
“Jacob” is a meaningless word, in English
the Hebrew, “Ya’akov,” tells us he is a follower
a shadow perhaps, cast on the path toward his future self
Ya’akov fears the light of day
is about to hit his face
he walks West to Canaan
His shadow will disappear at high noon
in time for a duel with Esau
to prepare, he must first encounter himself
. . .
Jacob is left alone1
a man wrangling with him[self]2
until the dawn ascends
he sees that he cannot contend with him[self]
touches his thigh, wrenches his hip
Jacob, in his struggle with him[self]
and he says force me3 as the dawn is ascendent
and he says I will not force you
unless you bless me
and he says, what is your name
and he says Jacob
and he says no longer will your name be Jacob-Shadow, but rather Israel-Eternal Struggler
because you have struggled with the eternal
and with people
and you are able
and Jacob asks, saying, tell me your name
and he says why ask my name
and he blesses him there
and Jacob names the place Facing Eternity
because I saw the Eternal face-to-face
and my soul was saved
and the sun rises up in the east
when he transitions past Facing Eternity
and he stumbles on his hip
. . .
We all stumble at times
on the way
or on the way back
Looking for his way
Jacob gets hold of himself
grabs himself in a dream
Imagine the stress
by day he leads his household
by night he wanders and wonders
Carries all their trauma
feels the promise patiently
squeezing through a precarious passage
He has to imagine
a path he cannot see
darkness hovers again over the abyss
Jacob closes his eyes to rest
wishing there would be light
he imagines a new beginning
He can see his own anticipation
just a few feet beyond
his anxiety
Suddenly he is locked in a hold
he sees his own face looking back at him
he beholds his own stumbling block
So nearly exhausted
tell me your name, he says
and he says why ask my name
For a split second
he is looking
in two directions
Offering a blessing to his future self
watching his former self fade into the past
he envisions the light of his reinvention
The synapses fire
beginning in his mind’s eye
he realizes his eternal potential to become
Emerging from fear
calls for ingenuity
words cannot suffice
1. The next 24 lines are translated from Genesis 32:23-33. Here is the Hebrew text:
וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ
וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ
עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר
וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ
וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף-יְרֵכוֹ וַתֵּקַע כַּף-יֶרֶךְ
יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ
וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי כִּי עָלָה הַשָּׁחַר
וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ
כִּי אִם-בֵּרַכְתָּנִי
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מַה-שְּׁמֶךָ
וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב
וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ–כִּי, אִם-יִשְׂרָאֵל
כִּי-שָׂרִיתָ עִם-אֱלֹהִים
וְעִם-אֲנָשִׁים
וַתּוּכָל
וַיִּשְׁאַל יַעֲקֹב וַיֹּאמֶר הַגִּידָה-נָּא שְׁמֶךָ
וַיֹּאמֶר לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ שָׁם
וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם פְּנִיאֵל
כִּי-רָאִיתִי אֱלֹהִים פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים
וַתִּנָּצֵל נַפְשִׁי
וַיִּזְרַח-לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ
כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַר אֶת-פְּנוּאֵל
וְהוּא צֹלֵעַ עַל-יְרֵכוֹ
עַל-כֵּן לֹא-יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה
אֲשֶׁר עַל-כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
כִּי נָגַע בְּכַף-יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב, בְּגִיד הַנָּשֶׁה
2. There is no definitive indication in the passage that Jacob/Ya'akov is the man wrangling with himself, but neither is there any other clear indication who the man is or how he entered the scene. Most translations suggest that there is some other being there, human or Divine, actually or as a metaphor. The passage does, however, clearly indicate that Jacob is alone at night, and we know that he is a dreamer. It stands to reason, as one possible reading of this ambiguous text, that Jacob himself, the herdsman, is a lone wrangler, dreaming about his future in the form of symbols that only make sense in the unconscious light of a dream.
3. Here the verb, שלח/sh-l-kh, is the same one used in reference to Adam & Eve being forced out of the Garden, and it is the same that Moses uses to exhort Pharaoh to force the Israelite slaves out of Egypt. It seems that these are all struggles with authority, human and eternal, divine or existential. Liberation from oppression is always a challenge, always won through a struggle with a more powerful entity, never handed down on a platter, for if that were the case, there would have been no oppression, and no need for liberation.
Image Credits:
http://pixgood.com/superman-weak-kryptonite.html
http://www.mardierees.com/jacobs-struggle