הכתל המערבי | Ha-kotel ha-ma'aravi | The Western Wall (1912)

Artist: Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938)

Lyrics: Yaakov Cohen

Tune: Familiar Melody

The text of this song was published in the second volume of Ha-Zamir (Odessa, 1903: p. 37) and in Yaakov Cohen's Sefer Ha-Shirim (Warsaw, 1902: p. 70).

In Ha-kotel ha-ma'aravi, the Western Wall, the remnant of the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem stands alone, buffeted by the winds of Jerusalem. Elders weep at the wall while a ray of light shines amidst the surrounding mountains, signifying hope.

The melody, whose source is unidentified, begins in E minor and shifts to E major.