A discovery...

Today was exceedingly cold. Far colder than it has any right to be in nearly June...
I was planning on planting mom's veggie garden today, but it didn't end up happening. I pretty much did chores and hauled my butt back inside. I am a little worried about Gourdo (a lamb), since he isn't drinking his whole bottle. Not much of it, in fact. I know he was just learning to get on it by himself, so I even tried to help him with that. Alas, the poor sweet lamb has not been blessed with the brains that God gave a turnip.

Anyway... it was cold! As a result, I spent most of my day surfing the net, finding really awesome Israeli music. I even made a playlist of my finds on Youtube. I was already a big fan of Ofra Haza and Moshav, but I've now added to my list of Israeli musical adorations: Sarit Hadad, Haim Moshe and Idan Yaniv. I found an absolutely beautiful song by Sarit Hadad called "Sh'ma Israel (Hear, O Israel)." More importantly, one of my favorite songs I just found an English translation for. "Yerushalaim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)" has always been one of my favorite Hebrew songs. It's more traditional than contemporary, but my favorite version is sung by Ofra Haza. The lyrics (in English) are very beautiful and provided a lot of insight to me. I thought I'd share them.

Yerushalaim Shel Zahav
Jerusalem of Gold

The mountain air is clear as wine
And the scent of pines
Is carried on the breeze of twilight
With the sound of bells.

And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captured in her dream
The city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

How the cisterns have dried
The market-place is empty
And no one frequents the Temple Mount
In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain
Winds are howling
And no one descends to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

But as I come to sing to you today,
And to adorn crowns to you
I am the smallest of the youngest of your children
And of the last poet

For your name scorches the lips
Like the kiss of a seraph
If I forget thee, Jerusalem,
Which is all gold...

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and to the market-place
A shofar calls out on the Temple Mount
In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain
Thousands of suns shine -
We will once again descend to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho!

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

Shalom al Israel.
Shalom al Yerushalaim.

--Anna Grace