Kamień i ból. Obraz Jerozolimy w poezji Jehudy Amichaja

Abstract

The article presents the image of the Holy City of Jerusalem in the poetry of one of the most distinguished Israeli artists, Jehuda Amichai. Here, the imagery includes the dominant motifs of stone, water, and light. Stone, as shown in the images of soaring temples and houses, symbolizes, on the one hand, power and stability; it guards the past and expresses religious zeal. On the other hand, however, it emerges as if from “below” to represent decay, chaos, oblivion, and death. Mourning associates stone with water – through the image of tears or sea – and with artificial light, which again is semantically negative. Furthermore, while the light, for example, helps to reveal the nocturnal glory of ancient architecture, it becomes associated with the lightning – the biblical symbol of God’s wrath. Eventually, it warns us and, at the same time, foresees the impending catastrophe.