Translated from the Hebrew by Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld
“The two of them together and each of them alone”
—from a rental contract
Another summer, my girl, is over and gone,
And Dad didn’t come to Luna Park to play.
Still, all the swings go on swinging away.
The two of us together and each of us alone.
The seas horizon keeps losing its ships-
Holding onto anything now is hard indeed.
The fighters are waiting behind the hills.
Compassion is what we dearly need.
The two of us together and each of us alone.
The moon is sawing the clouds in half.
Come, let’s step forth for a lovers’ duel.
Just the two of us at love before the warring camps.
It still may be possible to change it all.
The two of us together and each of us alone.
My love turns me like a salt sea it seems,
Into sweet drops of autumn’s first rain.
I’m brought to you slowly as I fall. Take me in.
For us there’s no angel who will come to redeem.
For we are together. Each of us alone
The two of us together and each one alone - Yehuda Amichai
Translated from the Hebrew by A.Z. Foreman
My dear, another summer's turned dark
And my dad hasn't come to the amusement park.
The seesaw still goes up and down.
The two of us together and each one alone.
The horizon loses its ships off the shore.
Hard to hold onto a thing anymore.
The fighters crouched behind the hill.
How much we need of mercy still!
The two of us together and each one alone.
The moon is sawing the clouds in two.
Let hand-to-hand love bring me against you.
We alone will make love where the two camps fight.
Perhaps we can still make everything right.
The two of us together and each one alone.
My love has changed me, it seems plain,
As the salt sea to drops of sweet first rain.
I am brought to you slowly and falling, my dear.
Receive me. No angel redeems us here.
Because the two of us are together. Each is alone.
