Hannah Senesh > Quotes

“There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.”
― Hannah Senesh

“To die,
so young to die.
No, no, not I,
I love the warm sunny skies,
light, song, shining eyes,
I want no war, no battle cry,
No, no, not I.”
― Hannah Senesh

“Blessed is the match, consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the heart's secret places.
Blessed is the heart that knows, for honors sake, to stop its beating.
Blessed is the match, consumed in kindling flame.”
― Hannah Senesh

“I could have been 23 next July
I gambled on what mattered most, the dice were cast. I lost.”
― Hannah Senesh, Hannah Senesh: Her Life and Diary, the First Complete Edition

“My God, my God
May there be no end
To the sea, to the sand,
The splash of the water,
The glow of the sky,
The prayer of man”
― Hannah Senesh

“In my life's chain of events nothing was accidental. Everything happened according to an inner need.”
― Hannah Senesh

“In the mountains one involuntarily hears the query: "Where shall I send you?" And the answer, "Send me to serve the beautiful and good!”
― Hannah Senesh

“Hora to an Exiled Girl

A hora, roaring, tempestuous, blazes around me
With the mystery of rhythm, gladdening and forging,
It tugs at my body and heart
The foot marches, the back quivers, the song is ignited, a searing chorus
Dance and song, a wordless prayer,
Hail to the future, hail to creation

But then a figure flutters before my eyes
My arm has escaped my friends’ embrace
My heart spurns the tempestuous singing,
Far and near it consumes me whole

Blue eyes
Such a bewildered glance
A sad silence and a stubborn mouth
The stillness grows in me
I remain standing
Alone, in a crowd of a hundred, her and I

(Translation by Elie Leshem)”
― Hannah Senesh