Each of Us Has a Name
by Zelda (trans. Marcia Falk)

Each of us has a name
given by God
and given by our parents

Each of us has a name
given by our stature and our smile
and given by what we wear

Each of us has a name
given by the mountains
and given by our walls

Each of us has a name
given by the stars
and given by our neighbors

Each of us has a name
given by our sins
and given by our longing

Each of us has a name
given by our enemies
and given by our love

Each of us has a name
given by our celebrations
and given by our work

Each of us has a name
given by the seasons
and given by our blindness

Each of us has a name
given by the sea
and given by
our death.

“Each of Us Has a Name,” excerpted from The Spectacular Difference: Selected Poems of Zelda, translated from the Hebrew by Marcia Falk (Hebrew Union College Press, 2004). Copyright (c) 2004 by Marcia Lee Falk.  Used by permission of the translator.
Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky (1914 – 1984), known simply as “Zelda” to her readers and legions of fans, published her first book of poems, P’nai (Leisure), in 1967. The Russian native, who immigrated to Palestine at age twelve, went on to write five more books of verse. In addition to receiving critical acclaim and Israel’s most prestigious literary awards, Zelda’s books were and remain bestsellers.