Steal a breeze from summer's chamber,
Hum and mumble as they stroke it,
Smooth, caress, and gently coy it,
So this murmur spreads the voices
Of the praying Synagogue,
As each lip repeats the sinning
Of his selfish, godless living;
By each murmur low recounting
Every single sin and crime:-
How he falsified his neighbor,
Made a stumbling-block for blindness,
Cursed the deaf, unstaid the cripple,
Played his son and daughter wrong,
Tattled of his wife's behavior,
Made his father's age a load,
Spoke belittling of his mother,
Took advantage of the stupid,
Made the hungry buy their bread,
Turned the needy from his threshold,
Shut the stranger from his fold,
Never begged forgiveness, pardon
For a wrong aimed at a foe,
Never weighed the love or mercy
Of the Father of the world.
Low the lips are now repenting;
Every murmur is a sob
Ebbing from the font of being.
Who has ever heard Kol Nidra
Gushing from the breast of man;
Rising, falling, as the ocean
Lifts the waves in joy or fear?
From Time's ocean has it risen;
Every age has lent a murmur,
Every cycle built a wail;
Every sorrow ever dwelling
In the tortured heart of man,
Tears and sighs together swelling,
Answer for the pangs of ages.
'Tis the voice of countless pilgrims,
Sons of Jacob, with a cry,
Moaning, sighing, grieving, wailing,
Answering in thousand voices,
Fate and destiny of man;
Wander-song of homeless traveller,
Outcast from the ranks of men;
Echoes from the throes of mortals,
Questioning the ways of God;
'Tis a saintly aspiration
Of a holy soul in prayer ;
'Tis the music hummed by mercy,
Love, forgiveness, in a union,
Sweeping o'er the span of ages,
Flooding earth with one majestic,
Universal hymn of woe,
As if God had willed his children
Weep in but one human strain.
Who can hear this strange Kol Nidra
Without dropping in the spell?
Lift the visage of the present,
Like the momentary fleeting
Of the evening with the past.
YOM KIPPUR
They of great faith have ceased,
Men girt with spirit-power,
Who, standing in the breach,
Became our shelt'ring tower.
They wrestled through the night,
Whilst we from God had turned;
Lay prostrate in the dust,
As His fierce anger burned.
They changed to mercy-wrath,
And stay'd the chastening rod;
For their sakes we found grace
With an offended God.
Woe, woe! that through our sins
Our helpers we have lost!
They now are at their rest,
Whilst we by tempests tossed.
For those of mighty hearts
We search the earth in vain;
And yet will not despair
God's gracious ear to gain.
Alone we come to Thee
In sorrow and in shame;
With daring hope and trust,
Now Thy forgiveness claim.
O, blest the gracious word,
Th'evangel of this day,
That none who turn to Thee
Are ever cast away.
FROM THE HEBREW OF THE TENTH CENTURY
Translation by Rabbi Gustav Gottheil
To Thee we give ourselves to-day,
Forgetful of the world outside;
We tarry in Thy house, O Lord,
From eventide to eventide.
From Thy all-searching, righteous eye
Our deepest heart can nothing hide;
It crieth up to Thee for peace
From eventide to eventide.
Who could endure, should'st Thou, O God,
As we deserve, forever chide!
We therefore seek Thy pardoning grace
From eventide to eventide.
O may we lay to heart how swift
The years of life do onward glide;
So learn to live that we may see
Thy light at our life's eventide.
HYMN FOR TABERNACLES
Thy praise, O Lord, will I proclaim
In hymns unto Thy glorious name.
O Thou Redeemer, Lord and King,
Redemption to Thy faithful bring!
Before Thine altar they rejoice
With branch of palm and myrtle stem;
To Thee they raise the prayerful voice-
Have mercy, save and prosper them.
Mayst Thou, in mercy manifold,
Dear unto Thee Thy people hold;
When at Thy gate they bend the knee,
And worship and acknowledge Thee,
Do Thou their heart's desire fulfil;
Rejoice with them in love this day;
Forgive their sins and thoughts of ill,
And their transgressions cast away.
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