'Yerushalayim Shel Zahav': One of the most beautiful songs about a city

Tonight a song was going through my head whose sweet melody often comes to my mind, but which I had never seen translated.

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"Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) was written in 1967 by Israeli singer-songwriter Naomi Shemer (1933-2004). The melody is based on a Basque song, "Pello Joxepe". The lyrics of the Hebrew song evoke the long journey of the people of Israel back to the land of their ancestors, a journey that was fraught with hardship, so the joy of seeing the city of Israel again Jerusalem is conveyed in a truly heartfelt way, making it one of the most beautiful songs ever written about a city. You can listen to Naomi Shemer singing it here:

And here is a version sung by Ofra Haza and with the text of the song translated into Spanish:

In 1993, this beautiful song appeared in the final sequence of the film "Schindler's List", which ends with the image of the descendants of the Jews saved by Oskar Schindler:

This is the translation of the lyrics into English:

The mountain air is clear as wine
And the smell of the pines
Carried by the evening wind
With the sound of bells.

And when the tree rests on the stone,
Prey to his dream,
The city stands alone
And in his heart a wall.

Jerusalem of gold,
Of copper and light,
Of all his songs
I am violin.

We have returned to the watering holes
to the market and the square,
The shofar [ram's horn] is blown again
on the Temple Mount, in the ancient city.

And in the caves in the rock
Thousands of suns shine,
We will go down again to the Dead Sea
On the way to Jericho.

Jerusalem of gold,
Of copper and light,
Of all his songs
I am violin.

But when I come today to sing to you
And to adorn you with crowns,
I am the youngest of your children
And the last of your poets.

Because your name would burn the lips
Like the kiss of an angel,
If I forgot you, Jerusalem,
Full of gold.

Jerusalem of gold,
Of copper and light,
Of all his songs
I am violin.

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Photo: Pxhere.com.