Yoem Kepor, 5775

Editing The Pardaes Dokkument, I re-discovered this poem:

Yoem Kepor

Thay* wok arrownd a Greek ruwenz,              * the 4 who ascended
Marbel kollumz spred in dissarray
That trase the rokkee ej ov a koest,
The opellessen serf bersts intu spray.

The sajez in Pardaes now tern inward
And enter a groev in its fraegren breez.
Heer thay begin the attonel praerz,
Opellessen versez swerl ammung the treez.

    “Hu by fiyer and hu by wotter?
    “Hu with rezen and hu by trezen?
    “Awl ov us wil depart aer long.
    “Hu bak intu the worp ov addom?
    “Hu for toyel; hu despoyeld?
    “Hu with the reeper and hu with song?”


I decided to send the poem out as a New Year's greeting this year, but naturally, I felt it needed some tweaking. This is the result. I'm not sure which version I like more:

Yoem Kepor

Thay wok arrownd Kassarreyahz* ruwenz,           * Caesarea
Marbel kollumz spred in dissarray
That trase the rokkee ej ov a koest.
    The opellessen serf bersts intu spray.
    A groen in the roer. Iz it sezerz goest?

The sajez in Pardaes then tern inward
An enter a groev in its fraegren breez.
Now thay kan heer the attonel praer.
    Opellessen versez swerrel ammung the treez.
    The Lor iz the seengen. Hu iz prepaerd?

    "Hu by fiyer, smoken flame.
    "Hu by fiyer, greef an blame.
    "Hu will seenk in addomz foeldz?
    “Hu will klime the rungz ov soel?
    "Sum will take but wun short step.
    "Sum, the fawl seemz infinnit.

    “Hu by fiyer, smoken flame?
     “Hu by wotter, drownd in chaenj.
    “Hu will drown an hu will bern
    “An hu wil pray an make a tern?
    “An hu woud yet remaen the same,
    “An hu wil not remaen the same?

    "Awl ov yu wil depart aer long.
    "Hu with rezen an hu by trezen?
    "Hu with reeper, hu with song?"

Opellessen versez swerl in the aer.
The wayz ov teshuvah*, us impaerd.             * turning, repentance