When Amos met Cinderella & Theodore Herzl

“You have crushed me
With the burden of your love.
You have made of me your rattle,
A tin kettle on your stove.

Why did you poach on my grounds?
What wrong had I done, or what good?
No poet or prophet was I,
But a simple cutter of wood.

A woodcutter, a man of the ax,
Performing my daily chore.
But the day is done, and my arms are weak,
And the dull-bladed ax cuts no more.”

This is the English translation of the Hebrew poem written in 1911 during the personal and professional crisis of Chayim Nachman Bialik, who would become known as the national Hebrew poet. But he was not feeling appreciated or respected at the time - and  felt like he had no words left and no respect from the public. The title of the poem echoes the words hurled at the prophet Amos - we just read these yesterday on our journey below the bible belt. Hozeh Lech Brach! Prophet - be gone! Run away! 

Those words, spoken with wrath by the priest of Bethel who wanted to censor and silence the prophet’s protest against excessive wealth and religious corruption - have become quite famous even as more protests and poems are silenced by those in power - everywhere. 

I’ve known this phrase - but I didn’t quite know the specifics of this scene and the origins of these famous words until recently. Now it makes sense and it helps me make sense of one of my favorite songs -a classic Israeli ballad from 1971  that is on my playlist and never fails to get me singing along and get teary eyed.

 The title is -  ‘Prophet, Run Away.’ The lyrics are by Yankale Rotblit , music by Shalom Chanochm, sung by Oshik Levi --  the song captured something of the mood in Israel post 1967, as some began to question the occupation and possibly more were trying to voice their opposition to what would soon become a messianic mythic force that would take over much of Israeli society.  

The words are weird, combining biblical references with fairy tales, Amos and Cinderella, the dark night and open questions. Who is the prophet who now has to flee? Who are those seven dwarves in the middle of the forest? 

The video clip, from 1971, leaves one political hint at the very end, humorous but dark, an insider’s joke at the role of the prophet. 

The Hebrew word used by the priest Amazia to banish Amos is ‘Hoseh’ - Seer. It’s one of the synonyms for prophets. In modern times the one to carry this title is Theodoer Herzl, whose book and vision are considered the prophetic heralds of the Zionist era. Is that why Herzl shows up at the end of this weird clip,  a parody of his famous portrait on the balcony in Basel where he declared the future of the Jewish state? 

Prophets and poets continue to speak up and dare challenge power - then, now, through words and art, music and musings, often subtle, sometimes somber, always at the heart of where it hurts and what can help us get to change our minds, our hearts, convictions and fear-based control.

It’s often music that can melt our hearts and open wider our perspectives. Just ask Joni Mitchell who gave us this past week the most haunting version of ‘Both Sides Now.’ 

Wishing us all prophetic poetry to help resist the tyrannies and hope for healing everywhere, and peace. 

Shabbat Shalom. 

Bialik's poem 'Seer, Run Away' (Hebrew)

Hebrew/English Lyrics: Seer, Run Away (1971)

Video Clip - Seer, Run Away!  (1971)