Every Man Has a Name by Zelda

I dont know when or why it started but sporadically I come across a piece of poetry displayed at a bus stop instead of an advertisement. I have come across this poem a handful of times and every time I see it I feel the inexplicable pull to stop and read it the poem in its entirety (in Hebrew). I dont know why this poem touches me deeply but it simply does.



“Every Man has a Name”


Every man has a name
Given him by God
And given by his father and his mother
Every man has a name
Given him by his stature and his way of smiling,
And given him by his clothes.
Every man has a name
Given him by the mountains
And given him by his walls
Every man has a name
Given him by the planets
And given him by his neighbors
Every man has a name
Given him by his sins
And given him by his longing
Every man has a name given him by those who hate him
And given him by his love
Every man has a name
Given him by his holidays
And given him by his handiwork
Every man has a name
Given him by the seasons of the year
And given him by his blindness
Every man has a name
Given him by the sea
And given him
By his death.

Zelda [Mishkovsky]

The poem was written in Hebrew and if you'd like to read it in Hebrew click here

(Flickr Image Courtesy of Dave Ward )