See my comments below.
| Transliteration | English translation | Original Hebrew |
|---|---|---|
Verse 1
| ||
| Yedid Nefesh av harachaman, | Beloved of the soul, Compassionate Father, | ידיד נפש אב הרחמן |
| meshoch avdechah el retzonechah, | draw Your servant to Your Will; | משוך עבדך אל רצונך |
| ya'arutz avdechah kmo ayal, | then Your servant will hurry like a hart | ירוץ עבדך כמו איל |
| yishtachave el mul hadarecha, | to bow before Your majesty; | ישתחוה אל מול הדרך |
| ye-erav lo yedidotecha, | to him Your friendship will be sweeter | יערב לו ידידותיך |
| minofet tzuf v'chol ta-am. | than the dripping of the honeycomb and any taste. | מנפת צוף וכל טעם |
Verse 2
| ||
| Hadur na-e ziv ha-ōlom, | Majestic, Beautiful, Radiance of the universe, | הדור נאה זיו העולם |
| nafshi cholat ahavatecha, | my soul pines [lit: is sick for] for your love. | נפשי חולת אהבתך |
| ana el na r'fa na lah, | Please, O God, heal her now | אנא אל נא רפא נא לה |
| b'harot lah noam zivecha, | by showing her the pleasantness of Your radiance; | בהראות לה נעם זיוך |
| az teet-chazeik v'titrapei, | then she will be strengthened and healed, | אז תתחזק ותתרפא |
| v'hayta lah simchat olam | and eternal gladness will be hers. | והיתה לה שמחת עולם |
Verse 3
| ||
| Vatik yehemu na rachamecha, | Enduring One, may Your mercy be aroused | ותיק יהמו נא רחמיך |
| v'chuso na al bein ahuvecha, | and please take pity on the son of Your beloved, | וחוסה נא על בן אהובך |
| ki ze kama nichsof nichsafti, | because it is so very long that I have yearned intensely | כי זה כמה נכסף נכספתי |
| lir'ot m'heiro b'tiferet uzecha, | to see speedily the splendour of Your strength; | לראת מהרה בתפארת עזך |
| eile chamdah libi, | only these my heart desired, | אלה חמדה לבי |
| v'chuso na v'al tit-alom. | so please take pity and do not conceal Yourself | וחוסה נא ואל תתעלם |
Verse 4
| ||
| Higalei na ufros chavivi alai, | Please, my Beloved, reveal Yourself and spread upon me | הגלה נא ופרש חביבי עלי |
| et sukat shlomecha, | the shelter of Your peace; | את סכת שלומך |
| ta-ir eretz mich'vodecha, | illuminate the Earth with Your glory, | תאיר ארץ מכבודך |
| nagila v'nism'cha bach. | that we may rejoice and be glad with You; | נגילה ונשמחה בך |
| Maheir ehov ki va mo-ed, | hasten, show love, for the time has come, | מהר אהוב כי בא מועד |
| v'chaneinu kimei olom. | and show us grace as in days of old. | וחננו כימי עולם |
Comments by Mahx:
In verse 1 the prayer is that the soul would be drawn to the will of G-d, the Father of Israel. The soul experiences inconsistency in its will to do and hear the will of G-d. And it prays that these inconsistencies would be made to cease through the attraction of the will of G-d. This attraction of the will of G-d to the soul is the attraction of the commandment of G-d. The soul prays for the power of the commandment of G-d to come upon it, for it knows that G-d's word is His commandment, the power to convert the soul.
The prayer is an acknowledgement that the soul does not convert itself to the will of G-d, did not convert itself in the beginning to the will of G-d and cannot convert itself in the end to the will of G-d. The prayer is an acknowledgement that the great power of G-d's loving will itself overcomes all weakness and resistance in the soul, in order to convert the soul to the truth of G-d's love, which is higher than the soul is able to know or think and which can only be known and learned through obedience to the commandment of G-d, the expression of His glorious will.
In verse 2 the prayer is to be healed through the spiritual vision of G-d's beautiful radiance, His Presence. It is the essence of the condition of being spiritually lost to be lonely for G-d. No other loneliness can be measured with it. It is a loneliness that is so deep, so existential, that normally people do not recognize that what they are feeling is loneliness. They do not know that the great, painful emptiness of their souls is loneliness for G-d.
In verse 3 the prayer pleading for The Enduring One to take pity "on the son of your beloved" is in other authorities translated, "on your beloved son". Although the whole prayer is for the soul, here we begin to see clearly that when I pray for my soul, not only do I pray together for every soul of Israel but in praying this prayer my longing and hope is for the root soul of all Israel. If the translation is "the son of your beloved", then the reference can be to none but all Israel as the one to whom the Shekinah gives birth from Above in a creation made new. If the translation is, "your beloved son", then the reference is to all Israel as represented in the soul of the True Tzaddik.
In verse 4 in continuance and summary of verse 3 the essence of the prayer is that G-d would reveal himself to all the world as the One True G-d who declares Himself to be Israel's G-d, as in the day when He brought Israel up out of Egypt, now bringing all Israel up out of the Egypt in their hearts as well as out of the Egypt of all the nations, bringing judgement on the first and fallen order of Humanity and passing over in judgment the Israel born from Above, in the final Passover.
The prayer is an acknowledgement that the soul does not convert itself to the will of G-d, did not convert itself in the beginning to the will of G-d and cannot convert itself in the end to the will of G-d. The prayer is an acknowledgement that the great power of G-d's loving will itself overcomes all weakness and resistance in the soul, in order to convert the soul to the truth of G-d's love, which is higher than the soul is able to know or think and which can only be known and learned through obedience to the commandment of G-d, the expression of His glorious will.
In verse 2 the prayer is to be healed through the spiritual vision of G-d's beautiful radiance, His Presence. It is the essence of the condition of being spiritually lost to be lonely for G-d. No other loneliness can be measured with it. It is a loneliness that is so deep, so existential, that normally people do not recognize that what they are feeling is loneliness. They do not know that the great, painful emptiness of their souls is loneliness for G-d.
In verse 3 the prayer pleading for The Enduring One to take pity "on the son of your beloved" is in other authorities translated, "on your beloved son". Although the whole prayer is for the soul, here we begin to see clearly that when I pray for my soul, not only do I pray together for every soul of Israel but in praying this prayer my longing and hope is for the root soul of all Israel. If the translation is "the son of your beloved", then the reference can be to none but all Israel as the one to whom the Shekinah gives birth from Above in a creation made new. If the translation is, "your beloved son", then the reference is to all Israel as represented in the soul of the True Tzaddik.
In verse 4 in continuance and summary of verse 3 the essence of the prayer is that G-d would reveal himself to all the world as the One True G-d who declares Himself to be Israel's G-d, as in the day when He brought Israel up out of Egypt, now bringing all Israel up out of the Egypt in their hearts as well as out of the Egypt of all the nations, bringing judgement on the first and fallen order of Humanity and passing over in judgment the Israel born from Above, in the final Passover.
