Jerusalem of Gold (song)
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Jerusalem of Gold, or as it is known in Hebrew: Yerushalayim Shel Zahav "ירושלים של זהב", is a popular Israeli song written by Naomi Shemer in 1967. Interestingly, "Jerusalem of Gold" was also a special piece of jewelery mentioned in a famous legend about Rabbi Akiva. Shemer had this in mind when she wrote the song.
The first three verses of this song were written by Naomi Shemer and sung by Shuli Natan at the Israeli Music Festival on May 15, 1967, shortly before the Six Day War. Only 3 weeks later, the Israel Defense Forces captured the eastern part of Jerusalem and the Old City from the Jordanians. Under the period of Jordanian rule, Jews had been barred from entering Jerusalem, and many holy sites had been desecrated, trashed with toilets, or used as animal pens. At that time of Jerusalem's liberation, Shemer wrote the final verse. When the old city was liberated, shofars indeed blew from Temple Mount, which is part of what inspired Shemer to write the line about shofars sounding from the mountain top. Shemer said she had thought of the 2,000 years the Jews were absent from Israel, and not the 19 years since the declaration of Israeli independence.
The song was popularly sung by Shuli Natan and was once considered by the Knesset as a possible replacement to Hatikva, Israel's national anthem.
This song is the song the members of the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps sing before every competition, it is their corps song.
This song has been translated loosely into many languages. It was also chosen as the "Song of the Year" in Israel in 1967. Later that year, the Israeli Knesset introduced a bill to make Yerushalayim Shel Zahav the official national anthem of Israel, instead of Hatikvah. It was never passed.
During the Six Day War, this song was the battle cry and morale booster of the Israeli troops. Shemer even sang it for them before the war and festival. They were among the first people in the world to hear it.
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[edit] Origin
In May 2005, after her death, it was revealed that some of the melody was loosely based on a Basque lullaby Pello Joxepe by Paco Ibanez, who visited Israel circa 1965 and sang this song to a group that included Naomi Shemer and Nehama Hendel. Shemer wrote acknowledging hearing Hendel perform Pello Joxepe in the mid-1960s. Shemer based her melody on the lullaby unconsciously, and said she felt very bad about it when she found out that she had done so.
[edit] Lyrics
Hebrew Lyrics (with vowel marks)
- אֲוִיר הָרִים צָלוּל כַּיַּ֫יִן וְרֵיחַ אֳרָנִים
- נִשָּׂא בְּרוּחַ הָעַרְבַּ֫יִם עִם קֹול פַּעֲמֹונִים
- וּבְתַרְדֵּמַת אִילָן וַאֶ֫בֶן שְׁבוּיָה בַּחֲלֹומָהּ
- הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר בָּדָד יֹושֶׁ֫בֶת וּבְלִבָּהּ חֹומָה
- Refrain:
- יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם שֶׁל־זָהָב וְשֶׁל־נְחֹ֫שֶׁת וְשֶׁל־אֹור
- הֲלֹא לְכָל־שִׁירַ֫יִךְ אֲנִי כִּנֹּור
- יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם שֶׁל־זָהָב וְשֶׁל־נְחֹ֫שֶׁת וְשֶׁל־אֹור
- הֲלֹא לְכָל־שִׁירַ֫יִךְ אֲנִי כִּנֹּור
- אֵיכָה יָֽבְשׁוּ בֹּורֹות הַמַּ֫יִם כִּכָּר הָעִיר רֵיקָה
- וְאֵין פֹּוקֵד אֶת־הַר־הַבַּ֫יִת בָּעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה
- וּבַמְּעָרֹות אֲשֶׁר בַּסֶּ֫לַע מְיַלְּלֹות רוּחֹות
- וְאֵין יֹורֵד אֶל יָם הַמֶּ֫לַח בְּדֶ֫רֶךְ יְרִיחֹו
- Refrain
- אַךְ בְּבֹואִי הַיֹּום לָשִׁיר לָךְ וְלָךְ לִקְשֹׁר כְּתָרִים
- קָטֹנְתִּי מִצְּעִיר בָּנַ֫יִךְ וּמֵאַחֲרֹון הַמְּשֹׁוֽרְרִים
- כִּי שִׁמֵךְ צֹורֵב אֶת־הַשְּׂפָתַ֫יִם כִּנְשִׁיקַת שָׂרַף
- אִם אֶשְׁכַּחֲךָ יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם אֲשֶׁר כֻּלָּהּ זָהָב
- Refrain
- חָזַרְנוּ אֶל בֹּורֹות הַמַּ֫יִם לַשּׁוּק וְלַכִּכָּר
- שֹׁופָר קֹורֵא בְּהַר־הַבַּ֫יִת בָּעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה
- וּבַמְּעָרֹות אֲשֶׁר בַּסֶּ֫לַע אַלְפֵי שְׁמָשֹׁות זֹוֽרְחֹות
- נָשׁוּב נֵרֵד אֶל יָם הַמֶּ֫לַח בְּדֶ֫רֶךְ יְרִיחֹו
- Refrain
Hebrew Lyrics (without niqqud)
- אוויר הרים צלול כיין וריח אורנים
- נישא ברוח הערבים עם קול פעמונים
- ובתרדמת אילן ואבן שבויה בחלומה
- העיר אשר בדד יושבת ובליבה חומה
- Refrain:
- ירושלים של זהב ושל נחושת ושל אור
- הלו לכול שיריך אני כינור
- ירושלים של זהב ושל נחושת ושל אור
- הלו לכול שיריך אני כינור
- איכה יבשו בורות המים כיכר העיר ריקה
- ואין פוקד את הר הבית בעיר העתיקה
- ובמערות אשר בסלע מיללות רוחות
- ואין יורד אל ים המלח בדרך יריחו
- Refrain
- אך בבואי היום לשיר לך ולך לקשור כתרים
- קטונתי מיצעיר בניך ומאחרון המשוררים
- כי שמך צורב את־השפתים כנשיקת שרף
- אם אשכחך ירושלים אשר כולה זהב
- Refrain
- חזרנו אל בורות המים לשוק ולכיכר
- שופר קורא בהר־הבית בעיר העתיקה
- ובמערות אשר בסלע אלפי שמשות זורחות
- נשוב נרד אל ים המלח בדרך יריחו
- Refrain
Hebrew Transliteration with English Translation
Original Lyrics written in early 1967
[edit] Hebrew Lyrics
- ʼĂwīr hārīm ṣālūl kayyạyin Wərēaḥ ʼŏrānīm
- Niśśā bərūaḥ hāʻarbạyim ʻĪm qōl paʻămōnīm
- Ūḇṯardēmạṯ ʼīlān waʼẹḇen Š(ə)ḇūyā baḥălōmāh
- Hāʻīr ʼăšẹr bāḏāḏ yōšẹḇeṯ Ūḇəlibbāh ḥōmā
- Refrain:
- Yərūšālạyim šel zāhāḇ Wəšel nəḥōšeṯ wəšel ʼōr
- Hălō ləḵol šīrạyiḵ ʼĂnī kinnōr
- Yərūšālạyim šel zāhāḇ Wəšel nəḥōšeṯ wəšel ʼōr
- Hălō ləḵol šīrạyiḵ ʼĂnī kinnōr
- ʼĒḵā yāḇ(ə)šū bōrōṯ hammạyim Kikkār hāʻīr rēqā
- Wəʼēn pōqēḏ ʼeṯ Har habBạyiṯ Bāʻīr hāʻattīqā
- Ūḇamm(ə)ʻārōṯ ʼăšer bassẹlaḥ Məyalləlōṯ rūḥōṯ
- Wəʼēn yōrēḏ ʼẹl Yām hamMẹlaḥ BəḎẹreḵ Yərīḥō
- Refrain
- ʼẠḵ bəḇōʼī hayyōm lāšīr lāḵ Wəlāḵ liqšōr k(ə)ṯārīm
- Qāṭōntī miṣṣəʻīr bānạyiḵ Ūmēʼaḥărōn hamməšōrərīm
- Kī š(ī)mēḵ ṣōrēḇ ʼeṯ haśś(ə)p̄āṯạyim K(i)n(ə)šīqạṯ śārạp̄
- ʼĪm ʼeškaḥăḵā Yərūšālạyim ʼĂšer kullāh zāhāḇ
- Refrain
Lyrics added to the song after Israel recaptured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967:
- Ḥāzarnū ʼẹl bōrōṯ hammạyim Laššūq wəlakkikkār
- Šōp̄ār qōrē bəHar habBạyiṯ Bāʻīr hāʻattīqā
- Ūḇamm(ə)ʻārōṯ ʼăšer bassẹlaḥ ʼAlp̄ē š(ə)māšōṯ zōr(ə)ḥōṯ
- Nāšūḇ nērēḏ ʼẹl Yām hamMẹlaḥ BəḎẹreḵ Yərīḥō
- Refrain
[edit] English Translation
- Mountain air 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
- is the city that sits solitary, and in its midst is a wall.
- Refrain:
- Jerusalem of gold
- And of copper and of light
- Behold for all your songs
- I am a violin.
- How the water cisterns have dried; the market-place is empty
- and no one frequents the Temple Mount in the Ancient City
- And in the caves in the rocks the winds howl
- And no one descends to the Dead Sea by way of Jericho.
- Refrain
- Yet As I come today to sing to you, and to adorn you with crowns
- I am not as worthy as your youngest child, or as the last one of the poets
- for your name scorches the lips like the kiss of a seraph
- if I forget thee, Jerusalem, which is all gold...
- Refrain
[edit] Additional lyrics
Added to the song after Israel recaptured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967:
- We returned to the water cisterns, to the markplace, and to the square
- A shofar calls out on the Temple Mount in the Ancient City
- And in the caves in the rocks thousands of suns rise
- We will again descend to the Dead Sea by way of Jericho
