Two Hebrew translations of Poe’s Annabel Lee
ANNABEL LEE
Edgar Allan Poe
ANNABEL LEE
Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s Hebrew translation, translated back into English
‫אנאבל לי‬
1919 ‫ זאב ז’בוטינסקי‬:‫תרגום‬
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
It was long ago and many years ago,
In a kingdom on a misty sea.
There a girl dwelled—her name you wouldn>t know:
I called her Annabel Lee.
No other heart desire but love
There was neither for her nor for me.
,‫זה היה לפנים ולפני שנים‬
.‫במלכות על ים ערפלי‬
:‫ שמה לא תדע‬- ‫שם דרה ילדה‬
.‫קראתי לה אנאבל לי‬
‫משא לב אחר מלבד אהבה‬
.‫לא היה גם לה וגם לי‬
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than loveI and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
A child [m.] was I, and she—a child [f.]
In a kingdom by a misty sea:
But we knew loving [more] than any lovers –
I and Annabel Lee:
And the seraphs of heaven saw us with covetousness,
And they raged over her and me.
‫ והיא ילדה‬,‫ילד הייתי‬
:‫במלכות על ים ערפלי‬
- ‫אך ידענו אהוב מכל אוהבים‬
:‫אני ואנבל לי‬
,‫וראונו שרפי המרום בקנאה‬
.‫וזעום זעמו לה ולי‬
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
This is the reason that there was an occurrence
In a kingdom on a misty sea –
A wind came out of the clouds, and chilled
And put-to-death Annabel Lee
And came her parents, brothers, kinsman
Sons of the noblemen of the Galilee
And carried her away from me to a dark sepulchre
In a kingdom on a misty sea.
‫ שהיה מעשה‬,‫זו הסיבה‬
- ‫במלכות על ים ערפלי‬
‫ וצינן‬,‫רוח יצא מעבים‬
‫והמית את אנאבל לי‬
‫ קרובים‬,‫ אחים‬,‫ובאו הוריה‬
‫מבני אצילי גלילי‬
‫ונשאוה ממני לקבר אפל‬
.‫במלכות על ים ערפלי‬
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and meYes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
There is no joy like ours in the abode of seraphs –
Hence they raged over her and me:
This is the reason (it is known to all
In a kingdom on a misty sea)
That a wind in the night came out of clouds
And put-to-death Annabel Lee.
- ‫אין כאשרנו בנווה שרפים‬
:‫לכן זעמו לה ולי‬
‫היא הסיבה (זה ידוע לכל‬
)‫במלכות על ים ערפלי‬
‫שרוח בלילה יצא מעבים‬
.‫והמית את אנאבל לי‬
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than weOf many far wiser than weAnd neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
But I knew loving better than them all, than them all
Who had many more years than me
And far more wisdom than me:
And there is no seraph or satan in the world,
And there is no gust in a misty sea,
Who will sever or diminish the thread of gold
Between me and Annabel Lee.
‫ מכולם‬,‫אך ידעתי אהוב מכולם‬
‫שרבו שנותם מגילי‬
:‫ורבה חוכמתם משכלי‬
,‫ואין שרף או שטן בעולם‬
,‫ואין סער בים ערפלי‬
‫שיקרע או יגרע את הקו של זהב‬
‫ביני ובין אנאבל לי‬
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
ANNABEL LEE
Edgar Allan Poe
And a moon in the heights to me whispers in a dream
Songs of glimmer about Annabel Lee;
For me every star hints with its beams – its eyes
As the eyes of Annabel Lee:
But in a night of darkness – she is with me entirely [in her entirety],
And I shall rest by the side of my dove the bride1
In our home, hers and mine –
The sepulchre on the misty sea.
Lee-Tina’am (Shall be pleasant to me)
A Hebrew translation to Annabel Lee by Eliyahu Zipper, translated back to English
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
It was a long time ago, in the days of the past
In a seashore-residing kingdom,
There a maiden lived, I did not know her
And I called her Lee-Tina>am.
And that maiden desired none, just one thing her heart pondered,
That with all her might she would shower and obtain love
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than loveI and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
I was a youth [m.], and she – a youth [f.],
In a sandy kingdom by the seashore,
But a love’s yearning that was so hearty
No one has ever experienced.
And seraphs saw her [or it, the love], their wing quivered thou shall not
covet their [mad] caprice,
For they coveted me and her.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
And these were the things in the days of yore
In a seashore-residing kingdom,
How in a dense [same root as cloudy] night, when a storm of tribulation,
Put-to-death Ana-Tina>am on me,
Then supercilious relatives came, her own flesh and blood,
And carried, took her, with them.
And closed her forever in a ghastly tomb crypt
In a seashore sweeping kingdom.
‫וירח ברום לי לוחש בחלום‬
:‫שירי זוהר על אנאבל לי‬
‫ עיניו‬- ‫לי רומז כל כוכב בקרניו‬
:‫כעיניה של אנאבל לי‬
,‫ עמדי היא כולה‬- ‫אך ב ליל אפלה‬
‫ואנוח על יד יונתי הכלה‬
- ‫בביתנו שלה ושלי‬
.‫הוא הקבר על ים ערפלי‬
)”‫לי‬-‫תנְ ַעם (“אנבל‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ִל‬
1997 ,‫ אליהו ציפר‬:‫תרגם‬
‫ָהיָ ה זֶ ה ִמ ְּז ַמן ִמ ָּי ִמים ִמ ׁ ֶּש ְּכ ָבר‬
,‫יָ ם‬-‫ׁשֹוכנֶ ת חֹוף‬
ֶ ‫ְּב ַמ ְלכּות‬
‫אֹות ּה‬
ָ ‫ָּבה ַחיְ ָתה נַ ֲע ָרה לֹא ִה ַּכ ְר ִּתי‬
.‫תנְ ַעם‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ ִל‬:‫אתי ֶאת ׁ ְש ָמ ּה‬
ִ ‫וְ ָק ָר‬
,‫אֹות ּה נַ ֲע ָרה ְמאּום לֹא ָח ְפ ָצה ַרק ַא ַחת ָהגָ ה ְל ָב ָב ּה‬
ָ ְ‫ו‬
.‫ ִהיא ַּת ְר ִעיף וְ ִת ּטֹל ַא ֲה ָבה‬,‫ׁ ֶש ְּב ָכל ְמא ָֹד ּה‬
,‫יתי וְ ִהיא נַ ֲע ָרה‬
ִ ִ‫נַ ַער ָהי‬
,‫חֹולית ְלחֹוף יָ ם‬
ִ ‫ְּב ַמ ְלכּות‬
‫ַא ְך ֶע ְר ַּגת ַא ֲה ָבה ׁ ֶש ּכֹה נִ ְל ְּב ָבה‬
.‫עֹולם‬
ָ ‫אֹות ּה ִאיׁש ֵמ‬
ָ ‫לֹא ָחוָ ה‬
,‫אּוה ְש ָׂר ִפים ֶא ְב ָר ָתם ָר ְט ָטה לֹא ַּת ְחמֹד ׁ ִשגְ יֹונַ ם‬
ָ ‫וְ ָר‬
.‫אֹות ּה‬
ָ ְ‫אֹותי ו‬
ִ ‫ִּכי ָח ְמדּו ֵהם‬
‫ימה‬
ָ ‫וְ ָהיּו ַה ְּד ָב ִרים ִמ ָּי ִמים יָ ִמ‬
,‫יָ ם‬-‫ׁשֹוכנֶ ת חֹוף‬
ֶ ‫ְּב ַמ ְלכּות‬
‫סּופת ַּת ְלאּובֹות‬
ַ ‫ ֵעת‬,‫יך ְּב ַליְ ָלה ָעבֹת‬
ְ ‫ֵא‬
,‫תנְ ַעם‬-‫ה‬
ִּ ‫יתה ֶאת ַא ָּנ‬
ָ ‫ִלי ֵה ִמ‬
‫ּוב ָש ָׂר ּה‬
ְ ‫ ַע ְצ ָמ ּה‬,‫רֹובים יַ ְח ָסנִ ים‬
ִ ‫ָאז ָּבאּו ְק‬
.‫לּוה ִע ָּמם‬
ָ ‫וְ נָ ְשׂאּו נְ ָט‬
‫נֹורא‬
ָ ‫כּוך ֶק ֶבר‬
ְ ‫רּוה ָל ַעד ְּב‬
ָ ָ‫ּוסג‬
ְ
.‫יָ ם‬-‫ְּב ַמ ְלכּות גּ ֶֹור ֶפת חֹוף‬
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and meYes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
O, then angels laughing in the heights,
Who envied and avenged her and me
For yes! That was the cause (as is known
in a kingdom to the shore of my longing)
When a furious wind raged from a cloud
Then killed Lee-Tina>am in one stroke,
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than weOf many far wiser than weAnd neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
The song of our song carried on, and became stronger and wider to infinity
And surpassed those elder then I –
Their wisdom as Proverbs2 next to mine –
And there is not even an angel who will thunder in the skies
nor a satan in the deep mire3,
who will sever in a blow the glory of majesty
Which beautifies my bride Lee-Tina’am.
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
And a moon shined for me, whispered to me, dream
About my beautiful, my pure, Lee-Tina>am;
A star up high also sparkled and twinkled for me,
My beautiful Lee-Tina>am I shall love, I shall adore;
And thus in a dark night bowed on a cot
On my side my beloved Lee-Tina>am will dazzle for me
Beside the still waters4 your rest, my delight –
And the wave of the sea shall be a monument5 to your memory – and a
peak.
,‫ׂשֹוח ִקים ַּב ׁ ְש ָח ִקים‬
ֲ ‫ ָאז ַמ ְל ַא ִכים‬,‫הֹו‬
‫ּובי‬
ִ ‫ׁ ֵש ִּק ְּנאּו וְ נָ ְקמּו ָּבה‬
,‫ִּכי ֵכן! זֶ ה ָהיָ ה ַהגּ ֵֹורם ַּ(כנּ ָֹודע‬
)‫ְּב ַּמ ְלכּות ׁ ֶש ְלחֹוף יְ ָה ִבי‬
‫ ֵמ ָענָ ן ִה ְת ַא ֵּנף‬,‫רּוח זָ ֵעף‬
ַ ‫ֵעת‬
.‫תנְ ַעם הּוא ָה ַרג ָאז ִּב ְמ ִחי‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ִל‬
‫ וְ ָע ַצם וְ ִה ְר ִחיב ָל ֵאינְ סֹוף‬,‫ירנּו נִ ַּשׂא‬
ֵ ‫ׁ ִשיר ׁ ִש‬
- ‫ילי‬
ִ ‫ישים ִמ ִּג‬
ִ ׁ ‫וְ ָד ַר ְך וְ ָע ָלה ַעל ְק ׁ ִש‬
- ‫ָח ְכ ָמ ָתם ְּכ ִמ ׁ ְש ֵלי ִמ ׁ ֶּש ִלי‬
‫וְ ַאף לֹא ַמ ְל ָא ְך ַּב ׁ ָּש ַמיִ ם יִ ְר ַעם‬
,‫צּולה‬
ָ ‫לֹא ָש ָׂטן ִּביוֵ ן ְמ‬
‫ׁ ֶש ִּי ְב ַקע ְּב ַמ ָּכה ֶאת ֲה ַדר ֲאצֻ ָּלה‬
- :‫תנְ ַעם‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ָּבם יָ ְפ ָתה ַּכ ָּל ִתי ִל‬
‫ ָח ַלם‬,‫ ָל ַחׁש ִלי‬,‫וְ יָ ֵר ַח ָק ַרן ִלי‬
;‫תנְ ַעם‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ ִל‬,‫ ָּב ָר ִתי‬,‫אֹודֹות יָ ָפ ִתי‬
,‫ַּגם ּכ ָֹוכב ַּב ָּמרֹום ִלי ִר ֵּצד וְ ָק ַרץ‬
;‫תנְ ַעם יָ ָפ ִתי ֶא ֱא ַהב ֶא ֱע ַרץ‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ִל‬
‫א ֶֹפל ָעקֹב ַעל ִמ ׁ ְש ָּכב‬-‫וְ ָכ ְך ְּב ֵליל‬
‫תנְ ַעם ִלי ִּת ְר ַהב‬-‫י‬
ִּ ‫ְל ִצ ִּדי ֶח ְמ ָּד ִתי ִל‬
- ‫ׂשֹושׂי‬
ִ ‫נּוח ֵת ְך ְמ‬
ָ ‫ַעל ֵמי ְמנּוחֹות ְמ‬
.‫ וְ ִשׂיא‬- ‫עד יְ ִהי ָל ְך‬-‫ל‬
ֵ ַ‫יָ ם ְלג‬-‫וְ גַ ל‬
Footnotes
1. “My bride” and “my dove” are allusions to the Song of Songs, where they serve as nicknames for the loved one who is urged to rise and awaken. For example: “I come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I
gather my myrrh with my spice, I eat my honeycomb with my honey, I drink my wine with my milk […] I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen! my beloved is knocking. Open to me, my sister, my love, my
dove, my perfect one; for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.” (Song of Songs 5:1-2); “My beloved speaks and says to me: Arise, my love [wife], my fair one, and come away; for
now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines
are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love [wife], my fair one, and come away. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for
your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely” (2: 10-14).
2. ‫משלי‬, literally: the book of Proverbs. Also an allusion to wise proverbs.
3. Psalms 69:2.
4. Psalms 23.
5. Literally: a wave, which both stands forever and testifies.