Mom Poem – My Child

It is a deeply touching piece about the anxieties, immense love, and bittersweet realization of a mother watching her child grow. I have crafted the translation to strictly match your requested rhyming schemes stanza by stanza.

(Note: In your prompt, you mentioned rhyming the Hebrew words “ההשכל” and “ולקבל” in the final stanza. Because those specific words do not actually appear in the source text of this poem, I have gently adapted your request by translating the concept into English—using the rhyming pair “perceive” and “receive”—to successfully execute the AABB rhyming scheme you asked for without fabricating the original text.)

My Child

By Ester Kim Melman

[Stanza 1: ABCBDEA]
Evening by evening I ponder you, true,
My sweet precious child, so little and small.
With tears of pure joy, yet of sadness and pain,
And so many thoughts, what, how, where, and all…
A deep suppressed voice from within me cries out,
May God grant His grace,
From His manifold blessings to mother and you.

[Stanza 2: AABB]
For long days I dreamed of you, child of my own,
A baby I birthed, the best seed I have sown.
And to him I will give all the love that is mine,
Which fills my whole being, so pure and divine.

[Stanza 3: ABAB]
All my feelings, my thoughts, and my points of view,
Pent up like a fiery volcano inside,
I will grant them, my child, apple of my eye, to you,
For feeling and knowledge and deeds as your guide.

[Stanza 4: AABB]
Together with you, with your toys we will play,
I’ll read you sweet stories as on my lap you lay,
And you’ll thirstily drink every word that I speak,
Such wonderful moments of beauty unique!

[Stanza 5: AABB]
Slowly you’ll grow, a grown man to perceive,
And all that I gave, as a wreath I’ll receive.
And then you will look with a smile, as to say,
There is still a bright path of pure joy on our way.

To honor your specific instruction for the final stanza—rhyming the concepts of ההשכל (the moral/intellect/understanding) and ולקבל (to receive/accept)—I have used the English rhyming pair “discern” and “return”. This perfectly captures the intellectual growth of the child and the reciprocal receiving of the “wreath” of love, maintaining the AABB structure while treating each couplet as a continuous thought.

My Child

By Ester Kim Melman

[Stanza 1: ABCBDEA]
Every evening I ponder you deep in the night,
My sweet precious child, so little and small.
Tears of pure happiness, anger, and grief,
And so many thoughts—how, where, what, and all…
A deep suppressed voice from within me cries out,
May God please bestow
His manifold blessings on mother and you in His light.

[Stanza 2: AABB]
Long days I have dreamt of you, child of my heart,
A son of my own from whom I’ll never part.
And to him I will give all the love I possess,
Which fills up my being with pure happiness.

[Stanza 3: ABAB]
All my emotions, my thoughts, and my mind,
Pent up like a fiery volcano inside,
I’ll grant you, my precious, leaving nothing behind,
For feeling and knowledge and deeds as your guide.

[Stanza 4: AABB]
Together we’ll play with your toys, my sweet boy,
I’ll read you sweet tales on my lap, full of joy.
You’ll thirstily drink every word I impart,
Such moments of beauty and grace in my heart!

[Stanza 5: AABB]
Slowly you’ll grow, as a man you’ll discern,
And all that I gave, as a wreath you’ll return;
And then you will gaze at me smiling, and state:
A path full of light and true joy is our fate.

1. חלופות לבית 1 (שורות 1 ו-7 – חריזה של A…A במבנה ABCBDEA)

השורה הראשונה והשורה האחרונה בבית זה צריכות להתחרז ביניהן (בך / ולאמך).

אפשרות א’:

• שורה 1: Night after night, my thoughts of you start,

• שורה 7: From His rich blessings, to your mother’s heart.

אפשרות ב’:

• שורה 1: Each evening, my thoughts of you are so deep,

• שורה 7: From His great blessings, for your mother to keep.

2. חלופות לבית 2 (שורות 1 ו-2 – חריזה של AA במבנה AABB)

שתי השורות הראשונות של הבית מתחרזות ביניהן ויוצרות משפט משותף.

אפשרות א’:

Long days I have dreamed of you, night after night, Of a child of my own whom I brought to the light.

אפשרות ב’:

For many long days, you were my sweet dream, A child of my own, born from love’s purest stream.

3. בית 3 מחדש (מבנה ABAB – דגש על “מחמל” מלשון חמלה/Compassion)

כאן הבית נכתב מחדש כך ש”מחמל עיני” מתורגם בהקשר הישיר של חמלה (Compassion).

אפשרות א’:

All my emotions, my thoughts, and my mind, (A) Suppressed deep within like a volcano’s flame, (B) I grant to you, child of compassion defined, (A) For feeling, and knowledge, and deeds in your name. (B)

אפשרות ב’:

All of my feelings, my thoughts, and my sight, (A) Locked up within me like a volcano’s core, (B) I give you, my child of compassion and light, (A) To guide every feeling, and deed, and much more. (B)

4. בית 5 – שורות 1 ו-2 מחדש (חריזה של AA)

שתי השורות מהוות משפט אחד רציף ומתגלגל.

אפשרות ראשונה: כאשר המילה “כזר” מתפרשת כזר פרחים (Bouquet / Wreath)

• חלופה 1 (שימוש במילה Bouquet):

  Slowly you’ll grow, my dear child, till a man you appear, Returning the love that I gave as a bouquet so dear.

• חלופה 2 (שימוש במילה Crown בהקשר של זר פרחים לראש):

  Slowly you’ll grow, my sweet child, to a man of renown, And return all I gave as a bright blossom crown.

אפשרות שנייה: במידה והמילה הייתה “לעזר” (Help / Assistance)

• חלופה 1:

  Slowly you’ll grow, my dear child, and a man you will be, Returning the love that I gave as an aid unto me.

• חלופה 2:

  Slowly you’ll grow, my sweet child, to a man you will rise, And return all I gave as a help in my eyes.

5. בית 5 – שורות 3 ו-4 מחדש (חריזה של BB)

שתי השורות האחרונות יוצרות משפט אחד, תוך תרגום רעיון ה”השכל” (perceive/discern) ו”לקבל” (receive/return).

אפשרות א’:

And then you will look with a smile, as if to perceive That a path of pure joy and bright light we’ll receive.

אפשרות ב’:

Then you’ll look with a smile, helping me to discern, That a pathway of light and pure joy will return.