Jerusalem of Gold

"Jerusalem of Gold" (Hebrew: ירושלים של זהב, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) is a popular Israeli song written by Naomi Shemer in 1967. Interestingly, "Jerusalem of Gold" was also a special piece of jewelry 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. At that time Shemer wrote the final verse. When the Old City was taken, 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 however 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.

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.

Lyrics

Hebrew Lyrics (with vowel marks)

אֲוִיר הָרִים צָלוּל כַּיַּיִן 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 הָשׁוּק 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 השוק 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

Hebrew Lyrics

Avir harim tsalul ka'yayin

     Ve-rei'ah oranim

Nissa be-ru'ah ha'arbayim

     Im kol pa'amonim

U-ve-tardemat ilan va-even

     Sh'vuyah ba-halomah

Ha-ir asher badad yoshevet

     U-ve-libbah homah

Refrain:

Yerushalayim shel zahav

     Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or

Ha-lo le-khol shirayich

     Ani kinnor

Eicha yavshu borot ha-mayim

     Kikkar ha-shuk reikah

Ve-ein poked et Har ha-Bayit

     Ba-ir ha-attikah

U-va-me'arot asher ba-selah

     Meyallelot ruhot

Ve-ein yored el Yam ha-Melah

     Be-derech Yericho

Refrain

Ach be-vo'i ha-yom la-shir lach

     Ve-lach likshor ketarim

Katonti mi-tse'ir bana'ich

     U-me-ah'ron ha-m'shorerim

Ki shemech tsorev et ha-s'fatayim

     Ke-neshikat saraf

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim

     Asher kullah zahav

Refrain

Hazarnu el borot ha-mayim

     La-shuk ve-la-kikkar

Shofar koreh be-Har ha-Bayit

     Ba-ir ha-attikah

U-va-me'arot asher ba-selah

     Alfei sh'mashot zorhot

Nashuv nered el Yam ha-Melah

     Be-derech Yericho

Refrain

English Translation

Mountain air, clear as wine and the scent of pine,

     is carried by the twilight breeze, along with the sound of bells.

And in the slumber of tree and stone, captured in her dream,

     is the city that sits solitary, and deep within her, a wall.

Refrain:

Jerusalem of gold

     of copper and light

For all your songs

     I am a violin.

How the water cisterns have dried; the marketplace is empty

     and no one visits the Temple Mount in the Old City

And in the caves in the rocks the winds howl

     and no one goes down 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 of the poets

For your name will scorch my lips like a seraph's kiss

     if I forget thee, Jerusalem, golden in your entirety.

Refrain

Additional lyrics

Added to the song after Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967:

We have returned to the water cisterns, to the marketplace, and to the square:

     a shofar sounds on the Temple Mount in the Old City.

And in the caves, in the rocks, thousands of suns rise:

     we will again go down to the Dead Sea by way of Jericho!

External links

• Website dedicated to the song (in English)