Today during Shabbat services I was reading some of the poems in the Aleinu and Mourner's Kaddish section of our Mishkan T'filah. I thought I'd read them all over the past seven months of going to services, but guess I missed this one by Chaim Stern. It really touched something in me:
It is a fearful thing to love
what death can touch.
A fearful thing to love,
hope, dream: to be --
to be, and oh! to lose.
A thing for fools this, and
a holy thing,
a holy thing to love.
For
your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.
To remember this brings a painful joy.
'Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing,
to love
what death has touched.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
How lovely.
ReplyDeleteWow, such a lovely and sad poem. A good reminder of how scary it is to be out in the world risking ourselves. But we still try to reach for that next rung on the jungle gym, even when we're scared of falling.
ReplyDeleteI recently heard this for the first time at a Bar Mitzvah. I am a christian and so was reading along in the prayer book during prayers. At a certain point they named those who are missed (those who died) and then the rabbi read this poem that was in the book. I had to stop and reread it alone a few times.
ReplyDeleteI lost my husband 9 yrs ago this coming Jan. I think this will be one I will use at his memorial mass.
This is a profound and very beautiful poem and I thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteActually it was written by Yehuda HaLevi, a Jewish sage in the 12th Century.
ReplyDeleteIt was read at my mom's funeral.