Poetry Magazine, Elisha Porat, April 2000

Elisha Porat

ISRAEL

Elisha Porat, a 1996 winner of Israel's Prime Minister's Prize for Literature, has published more than a dozen volumes of fiction and poetry, in Hebrew, since 1973. His works have appeared in translation in Israel, the United States, Canada and England. Mr. Porat was born in 1938 to a "pioneer" family in Petah Tikva, Israel. In the early 1930's his parents were among the founders of Kibbutz Ein Hahoresh, where Mr. Porat was raised and still makes his home. Mr. Porat was drafted into Israeli Army in 1956, served in a frontline reconnaissance unit and fought the Six Day war in 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. A short story by him -- On the Road to Beirut is also posted at Ariga. Several of his short stories are available at http://the-manhattanite.com , a New1.com publication. As a lifelong member of his Kibbutz, Mr. Porat has worked as a farmer as well as a writer. Mr. Porat currently performs editorial duties for several literary journals.

"Migrating Birds", in two translations, 
English and Italian. The Italian translation, 
with other Israelis poets and their poems, 
in a special Hebrew Italian Anthology 
"Poeti d' Israele Antologia" - 
will given to the POPE in his visit in Jerusalem.

UCCELI MIGRATORI A Shaul

SUL FARO DI "STELLA MARIS" 
ALEGGIANO DUECENTO PELLICANI, 
ARIA GRAVIDA OGGI E IL LENTO STREPITIO 
SUL MARE GRIGIASTRO, 
SULLE ROCCE DEL MONTE VERDEGGIANTI. 
COME PUNTA DI FRECCIA INCLINATA ALL'INSU 
SI CONGIUNGONO CODA TESTA 
CHIUDONO UNA STRUTTURA BLOCCATA E PROTETTA. 
E SOLO ALL'IMPROVVISO S'INFRANGE LA LORO FILA 
E LE LORO PIUME VOLANO E SI DIFFONDONO, 
DALLO SPAVENTO DELL'ELICOTTERO IN UN MISCUGLIO 
ABBASSANDOSI SUI TETTI E CERCANDO PRECIPITOSI. 
DISPERATO IL CENTRO DEL QUADARATO LUMINOSO: 
LA STRETTA SUPERFICIE DELL'ATTERRAGGIO 
ALL'OSPEDALE "RAMBAM", SUL MARE.

April 1985.

 Traduzione: Rachele Amir, (Baranes)Elisha Porat is the Author of 
"The Messiah of LaGuardia", a collection stories.Se questa poesia 
ti ispira emozioni visive, realizzale e inviaci la Tua interpretazione, sar? 
pubblicata accanto alla poesia Per sapere come fare torna allapagina 
precedente

MIGRATING BIRDS

by Elisha Porat

                         for Shaul, my son.

Above the Stella Maris lighthouse
two hundred pelicans in flight.
The air is heavy today, and their flapping sluggish
across the graying sea,
above the green mountain cliffs.
Like an arrowhead pitched north
they join head to tail
forging a blocked secure formation.
All at once their line breaks
their feathers scatter
from the threat of the spinning chopper
descending toward roofs,
urgently, despairingly, seeking
the center of the bright square:
the landing tract of "Ramba`m Hospital" on sea.

Translated from the Hebrew by Tsipi Keler.