"A Foolish Bird with Bright Colored Feathers": A Key Motif in Leah Goldberg's Poems

Abstract:This article examines the role of birds in Leah Goldberg's poems, and the ways birds open a window onto her inner world. In her literary work, Goldberg, the well-known Israeli poet (1911–1970), refused to write poems dealing with wars and politics, and by using birds as similes, metaphors and symbols, she delicately expressed positions about public issues as world wars and the Israeli wars. A few poems for children, collected in [inline-graphic 01] (What the Does Do) (1949), as well as early and late poems for adults, reveal that Goldberg expressed secret desires, painful emotions and hidden hopes through birds. Deciphering these appearances sheds light on several of Goldberg's enigmatic poems as well as her poetic style and her gentle poetic shifts from personal emotions to political protest.