Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-02-11

live with his grandfather strict fuuacnl old man who
looked with stern eyes the jolly naive pnyfuness of tho
young child And in order be able live. least
in his fancy the life he desired, little Nacan suffering
under the strict watcfuncss OF his grandfather developed
his Imagination and poetic Frequently he used
to run away from his guardians outlook life by
going or far far away beyond the city giving himself
up to the contemplation of nature thing that his grand.
father regarded as great sin,
At the Of thirteen, he left the clcdcr and his
teachers aud went to the Beth Hamcresh study for
himself The house study which he learned was sit.
unted at the end of the 1t seldom that anybody
there except time prayers. The emotions
of Young boy studying by himself and lonesome in
far away House of Study, later found echo
in his poem The Masmid'
Biak to the leshivah Wolozu at the time when
the in life in the shape Of the Chbas
Zion movement had spread its influence every field
of thought
liialik did not stay long at the Yeshynh. lie
convinced himself That he would never attain what he
sought here and he started TO study general subjects
ngagcs and modern sciences At this period of his
velopment, ~ Gnsburg tAchad Hoaml great thinker
of the Chibas Zion movement, unusually efrecn-
influence him.
liiak after first pcrfeciing himself in secular knowl-
edge went TO Oddcssa He did not stay here very long
The death of his grandfather brought him Zhtomr
in 1881 Baliks poverty reached the degree where II
necessary for him to do something in order to live He be
came wood merchant later on he went TO Susnoyz,
where he lessons and began occupy himself
literary work From time to time there appeared poems
from his pen in the Odessa Hebrew Almanac and in the
IIaSheloach Achad IIoam's monthly Journal 1t
long before Balks poetry had made such deep impres
sion the apprccativc readers that his friends
brought him to Odessa and provided the means for him
work in the field wherein his his deep pea-
aogca incinaIions would have clEncco express
selves.
From thai time Bulik lived in Odessa. To-
ac;hrr with Iainshy and Ben Zion he later established
he Iipbrc Aloriu At the, lime Inc
became frequent contributor and then second editor of
"lIashcloach in collaboration with Dr. j. Klausner.
Hebrew Poetry has had many talented figures but
the National Poet belongs only to Cham Nachman
Biak.
BaIiks popularity has grown with the years. In
1901 Biuk Palestine and there received the kind
Of reception which only who has expressed the best
aud deepest in the peoples hearts, deserves
Several years ago, Biulik Palestine his perma-
home. The Russnn Soviet Government. which at
that time placed obstacles in the way anyone wishing
leave the land especially those were not con
sidered friendly could not however refuse great
personality Bulik and him special permission
leave the country.
Biaik achieved fame when after the terrible slatgli-
ter uf Jews in kcslnon, and other communities of
iStic Russia he sorncd the Jewish world
with his poems about the unti-Iewlsh eNccSscs.
But Balik is not only poet of destruction His
serve to awaken national hope.
At the time when the political leaders of Zion
Bial inspiring the Jewish people and recalling them
to themselves
liHik the first poet among Us who has discovered
the form for poetry which expresses the strongest
must powerful feelings of tortured soul His is
the ordinary yricSsmthc kind that deals with feelings
of quiet and which Is In the main very
icctvc. Ballk poetry. the contrary expresses
jcctircy not only his subjective suferings but the
ings aud torture of whole pcoplc-hs own people
Halik is not the poet of visions and fanccs, the
poet of emotions The images which in his poetry
of primary interest him. neither Is his
the painters fine line Ills strength lies fact that
he can lit his rich powerful emotions into the ordinary
words of the unguagc But since the ordinary words
the language are not enough for strong feelings he
them masonry in building towers lie takes
tens Of stones at timc-he takes many words-pcrhus
too many worlSund from them structure which
his stormy soul
This is why Biak's poetry is the prophetic:
ui'crs aud throws of emotion our life
Yet Biaik man oi great feeling frequently surprises
with his rCtCcnsC His silence the sketchnCss his
picture the fruguy. the wundrous modesty
in Tie poetic phrase is amazing At the time
give ,cugc Of words and pictures which give the i'm
preston Of heap of diamonds and stones in sand
here ever it is the BialS talking To us In
the luugmge of emotion, language which can he silent
In Hood of word, which be fluent when le only
utters The word hard. uoiscd and shining like din
moud. When Biak is silent aud short his word sounds
like The lonely knell of bell in u quiet dark night.
and when Bialik por forth many words they
like the stream ot broad river which stirred L,