The Hebrew Language

Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)



The Hebrew Language
It is a boustrophedon
Aleph as leader
Father of All that follows
Pointing to the Creator.

About this poem

Moving from right to left, like a bullock ploughing the soil, and then turning around to continue its labor, the Hebrew language is written as a boustrophedon, with every letter, every word requiring careful inquisitive introspection by the reader, with open invitation to meditate night and day, backwards and forwards, on what is written and what is being read. After having recently composed a poem entitled “Bereshit Unfolded,” a kind reader observed that in referring to the meaning of that poem, I had inadvertently omitted the aleph in the Hebrew spelling of the word bereshit (correctly written in Hebrew as בראשית), which I have since corrected and which, symbolically, is perhaps the most important letter of the Hebrew alphabet, pointing to our Creator Elohim as Creator Father, initiator and finisher of all, the Alpha and the Omega. This one-stanza five-line Tanka poem is composed as a parsimonious tribute to the divine beauty of the Hebrew language. 

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on July 19, 2022

Submitted by karlcfolkes on July 19, 2022

Modified by karlcfolkes on July 19, 2022

6 sec read
320

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDC
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 112
Words 22
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 5

Karl Constantine FOLKES

Retired educator of Jamaican ancestry with a lifelong interest in composing poetry dealing particularly with the metaphysics of self-reflection; completed a dissertation in Children’s Literature in 1991 at New York University entitled: An Analysis of Wilhelm Grimm’s “Dear Mili” Employing Von Franzian Methodological Processes of Analytical Psychology. The subject of the dissertation concerned the process of Individuation. more…

All Karl Constantine FOLKES poems | Karl Constantine FOLKES Books

57 fans

Discuss the poem The Hebrew Language with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Hebrew Language" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/132297/the-hebrew-language>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    4
    hours
    1
    minute

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What animal did Robert Burns call "Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie"?
    A Mouse
    B Spider
    C Mole
    D Sparrow