12 August 2014

Peter Cole: establishing a symmetry - from Jerusalem

Not that I looked for it, but the circumstances forced me to read an article On the Slaughter by Peter Cole, "an American Jewish poet who lives in Jerusalem and New Haven".

In the article Cole translates a poem On the Slaughter by Hayim Nahman Bialik, considered to be the Israel's national poet. Says Peter Cole:
“On the Slaughter” was the thirty-year-old Odessan Hayim Nahman Bialik’s immediate response to the April 1903 pogroms in the Bessarabian town of Kishinev, where some forty-nine Jews were slashed, hacked, and cudgeled to death, or drowned in outhouse feces, and hundreds were wounded over the course of several days.
At this point I am almost finished with quoting. Suffice to add that, after presenting his own narrative (again that word) of the current strife in Gaza, Mr Cole arrives to the following conclusion:
But political poems lead strange lives, and if one didn’t know the circumstances of the composition of “On the Slaughter,” or who its author was ... — one could easily think it had been written by a Palestinian. Yesterday.

Who is being slaughtered now? Who cries out for an absent justice? Who for revenge? Where is cruelty? And where iniquity?
So the historical parallel is established and descendants of the slaughtered became the butchers, that much is clear.

But, using the same technique of (seemingly) rhetoric questions:

These people, you know, the ones slaughtered in Kishinev, were they demonstrating on the streets with homemade rocket models? Were they shouting "Itbach Itbach al Goy"? Were they launching rockets (well, translate it to stones for 1903) at their gentile neighbors for nigh 14 years, hiding behind their children? Were they threatening to drown them in... well, Dniester river?

Were they, Peter?

Now I guess you know, Peter, what you could do with your symmetry.

And now, to illustrate further your (and your supporters') deep understanding of Israeli culture, a seemingly insignificant remark you made: to "syrupy pop songs" (the inevitable sound track to war in this country: “I Don’t Have Another Land,”...). I had me a brief discussion on the subject with one such supporter, who called this song "nationalistic"...

Yeah, this is a classic - from a man whose Hebrew is unmatched and whose in-depth knowledge in the subject matter has no rivals. And from his supporter calling it "nationalistic", whatever she means by that.

Only:
The song was written as a criticism of incompetence and lack of attention to the unnecessary deaths of many soldiers, in his opinion, during the war. When the song came out it was perceived as a protest against the war in Lebanon that took place at that time and adopted by protesting against it.
Yep. And was sung during the biggest anti-war demo ever in history of Israel. And yours truly was singing it too - as a song of protest, syrupy or not...

Oh well.

23 comments:

Dick Stanley said...

Leftists are always looking for a news hook to hang their sorry ideology on, no matter how irrelevant. It's their smug attitude that lets them think it works.


It probably does help Cole's attitude that he can always go back to New Haven. So far. At this stage I wouldn't want to test whether the country would back Obama, as we did Bush, on a reprise of 9/11, much less weeks of rocket fire from Canada or, even worse, Mexico.

Dick Stanley said...

Most pols can afford to stray from the party line a bit. But not when the party is in the killing business. Unless the pol has a death wish.

fred lapides said...

please do not encourage that nut to go back or to stay in New Haven...I was born there 85 years ago and I now live 12 minutes outside of that city...It needs a breath of fresh air and not poetry from the septic tank

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Yes, a good point re going and coming. Interesting where he wrote that piece.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Hamas' VIP all have a healthy attitude to life. Martyrdom is for their marks, not for them or their families.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Why, Fred, he may be an interesting neighbor. Knows his Bible backwards and could engage you in interesting political discussions ;-)

Sennacherib said...

Why do you keep this insult of a visage on your site, Sennacherib wants to know. We Assyrians feel that this man and his kind are only good for skins to decorate our trophies at Ninevah.

Sennacherib said...

Ah, but I disagree. Now for our outdoor trophies we of course used only the best and most durable skins. His though would have been perfect for indoors and more private and intellectual festivities.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

OK, that's a deal then, one skin in reasonable condition to be shipped soon. No warranty, though...

Dick Stanley said...

"Comments are disabled for this video" spoils it, however.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Imagine the kinds of comments it inevitably attracts... better this way.

Sennacherib said...

Too late my Torah toting friend. After that Jerusalem set to in 701BC where your guy Hezekiah got on the divine hot line and brought down plagues and other nasty business on us, we Assyrians decided that Alamites, Amalkalites, Amorites, and especially Babylonians, were the way to go for fun and profit.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Oh... fine than. Could we offer a few (used, but in prime condition) Babylonian carcasses?

Dick Stanley said...

Worse, I think. It would be instructive to see which side of the comments won out. This video and the still of the 7-year-old from Australian holding the severed head have the power to change a lot of politics. Which way is the question.

Sennacherib said...

Do you deliver?

SnoopyTheGoon said...

I don't know about the way US will change its politics, but Europe will only cower down, hoping the threat will go away, as they always do.

Russians, maybe, but no one knows - maybe ISIS or whatever they call self these days have enough money to buy weaponry from Russia, then they will look the other way for sure.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Sure, every place on the globe, including oversea territories and Hawaii. Possible airlift and/or airdrop - by special arrangement.

Dick Stanley said...

A lot of ISIS seems to be FROM Europe. That ought to give their PMs pause.

Dick Stanley said...

Cool. I want the three kinds of cheese, thin crust. Hold the meat and the anchovies. Thanks.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Their PMs are too busy playing for Muslim voters.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

OK.

Sennacherib said...

Might be interested, but the last guy pawned off a couple old Eamites. It took us 2 weeks to get the smell out of the ziggurat! And people wonder why we use incense!

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Ours are pickled to perfection.