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One of Dr Ghil`ad Zuckermann's
Italo-Hebraic Bilingual Homophonous Poems

The following is constrained literature, a logological piece, in which the Israeli Hebrew part sounds identical to the Italian. From the English translations provided below, one can see that the poem(s) makes sense, although it has a surreal, evocative flavour, and modernist style. Poetic licence is fully employed. As Thomas Paine once said, 'The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately. One step above the sublime makes the ridiculous; and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again.' (The Age of Reason, Part 2: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology, London: Daniel Isaac Eaton, 1796, p. 20).

שֶדֶל (שִיר דוּ-לְשוֹנִי) עִבְרִי-אִיטַלְקִי מס' 31

גלעד צוקרמן

Libido, Eva, ליבִּי דוֹאב,
esce da האש עֵדה.
Nicolet, אני קוֹלֵט
che tale dá: קטע לידה
animelle, אני מילא
animali, אני מה לי?
pedali, פֵּה דל לי,
regali. Matteotti רגע לי מטֵה אותי.
pone gabinetto da Roma. פּוֹנֵה גבִּי נֵטו דרומה;
Mó tira la carrozzella da galeotto מותיר הלה כּר או צלע דג. גלה אותו!
Domani, Anna, vai a scuola! דומני: ענווה היא אסכּולה,
Scemo villano maresciallo שמובילה, נאמר, רֵשע. לא
stamani me lo diceva סתם אני מלודי. שבע!
a colpo sicuro. הכּל פה סיקור או
C'é marinaro a bordo, e allora? שמא רינה רואה בוֹר דואֶה על אורה?
Alla nave, ballerina אללא נע וְ-בּא לרינה,
(i tacchi belli armoniosi funesti) איתה קיבל לי ארמון, יוסיפון. אֵסְתִי
lascia borsa nera, לשה בוֹר שנֵא רע;
bozza locale, sambe, ossa... בּוֹצהּ לא כַּלֵה סם בְעושה
Ero in culo alla הרוֹאין - כּוּלוֹ "אללא".
balena! בּלֵה נא!
Gabbia di matti! גבִּי... עדִי... מתִי!
Miracolo: מי רע קולו?
alti crani. אל תקראני
Amor di miele המורדים, מי אלה?
annulla pere. ענוּ לַפֶּרֶא!
Amarti coll'anemone אמרתי: קול, ענֵה! מונֵה
alpina e על פי נאֵה.
col cuore a pezzi... Vattene, קול קורע-פּה ציווה טנא
primipara primitiva פְּרִי מִפּרה, פְּרִי מִטִּבעה:
da mozzarella, דם אוצר אֵלה.
col cane! קול קנֵא:
Sacchi, no! Ho capito "סכִּינו או כּפִּיתו,
apologo reale d'oro. אפּוֹ לא גוֹרֵע לדוֹרוֹ".
Calda attenzion קל דעת, אֵין ציוֹן;
ha cambiato la reazion!!! הקם - בִּיאתו לרֵע, ציון!


ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE ISRAELI
HEBREW PART

My heart is languishing,
the fire is a witness.
I am absorbing
one of the stages of labour.
Never mind me,
What is there for me?
This moment is repulsing me.
My back turns due south;
it leaves a pillow or a fish rib. Discover it!
It seems to me that humility is a school,
which leads, say, to wickedness. Not
without reason am I melodious, it’s seven o’clock!
Everything here is coverage or
is it that Rina sees a pit gliding over Ora?
Allah is moving and coming to Rina,
with whom Yosifun was granted a palace. Esti
kneaded a pit which hates evil;
her mud does not use up the drug while making
heroin which is all ‘Allah’.
Please enjoy yourself!
Gabby… Adi… Matty!
Whose voice is bad?
Do not call me.
The rebels – who are they?
Answer the savage!
I said ‘voice, answer!’, counting
according to a handsome man.
A mouth-tearing voice ordered a basket
of fruit from a cow, fruit from its nature:
blood, treasure of a goddess.
A jealous voice:
‘his knife or his spoon,
his nose does not detract from his generation’.
Light-minded, there is no Zion;
The comer – his arrival at his friend’s is Zion!


ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE ITALIAN PART

Libido, Eva,
comes out of Nicolette,
who gives the following:
sweet-bread,
animals,
pedals,
gifts. Matteotti
puts down a toilet from Rome.
Now he pulls the convict’s pram.
Tomorrow, Anna, you go to school!
An idiotic, rude marshal
told me that this morning,
without fail.
There is a seafarer on board, what now?
On the ship, a ballerina
(the beautiful, harmonious, sad heels)
leaves a black bag,
a local draft, sambas, bones…
I was in a whale’s
arse! [i.e. I was lucky!]
A cage of madmen!
A miracle:
long skulls.
Love of honey
overrides pears.
Loving you with Alpine
anemone and
with a broken heart… Go away,
a primitive primipara [a first-time mother]
of mozzarella,
with the dog!
Sacks, no! I understood
a golden royal fable.
Ardent attention
changed the reaction!!!

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