When the silver cord snaps
And the golden bowl crashes,
My dust will return to the ground,
And the rest will return to You.
And all of this hurry
To appreciate my vigor,
To enjoy my youth while young
Will have been for naught.
But even when I am dead,
And my body grows still
As a sleeping child—
Still there will be the sea
That is never full
But has many streams:
The quest for wisdom,
The struggle for justice,
The longing for love
That planted the seed
Of the whole world.
Adonai Tz’vaot—
Please give me
The zeal
To swim in these waters
The courage
To hear their rushing waves.
For they will run
As long as time,
Louder than the house of mourning
Or the house of joy,
Stronger than all things
That live beneath the sun.
ברוך אתה יהוה
מקדש השבת וישראל והזמנים
Blessed are You, Eternal One
Who sanctifies Shabbat, Israel, and the times.
