משאת נפשי | Mas'at nafshi | Heart's Desire (1912)

Artist: Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938)

Lyrics: M.Z. Mane

Tune: Folk Tune (Jewish)

The text of this song was written by Mordechai Zwi Mane (1859-1886) in 1886 and published in Kneset Yisrael (Warsaw, 1886: p. 460-461). This is the last song Mane wrote.

“Mas'at nafshi” was popular among the early Zionists, who sang it both in the diaspora and in Erets Yisrael. It depicts the poet's suffering and his longing for freedom, which he will achieve in his homeland. He sings of the beauty of Erets Yisrael in the springtime and the hope to be there and be resurrected with nature.

The melody, whose source is unidentified, is in a minor key.

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