A Transgendeer Poem -- From the Year 1322!

[Persephone]

I just found this on the 'TransTorah.org' website. It is a remarkable poem written some seven hundred years ago!

On Becoming a Woman

by Qalonymos ben Qalonymos, born in Arles, 1286.
published in 1322 in his magnum opus, Even Bohan (Touchstone)
translated by Peter Cole (The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian
Spain 950-1492. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007. 285-6)

Lord in heaven,
who brought forth wonders
by fire and water for our Fathers,
cooling Abraham’s Chaldean kiln,
so in its flames he’d not be burned;
who altered Dina’s fate in the womb,
and made a serpent of Moses’ wand;
who whited with illness Miriam’s hands
and turned the Sea of Reeds into land—
transforming the muddy bed of the Jordan
into passable sand,
and making from stone and shale
a pool whose springs would not fail
if only you would make me female!

If that alone might be done,
how wondrous then would be my fortune!
Spared the arduous labor of men,
I’d settle down and raise my children.
But why complain and bitterly whine?
If my Father in heaven is so inclined
as to fashion me with a lasting deformity,
how could I ask that He take it from me?
Worry about what just can’t be
is incurable pain and endless misery;
empty condolence is hardly an answer.
“I’ll just have to bear it, “ I said, “though I’ll suffer
until I wither away and die.”

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Claire Cook]

Hi Barbara,

This is so touching. It is remarkable that someone found it -- thanks so much for posting this. I wonder how many other references to gender conflict exist in historical writing?

BTW, does the Trans-Torah site deal with that passage from Deuteronomy (22:5) that a man shall not put on a woman's clothing? This is always cited as a passage stating that cross-dressing is a "sin".

Hugs,

Claire

[pamela7]

if Deuteronomy has that law in it, then it shows the CD-ing was live and flourishing 3000 years ago, and that it was alarming to the rulers at the time.

[Meghan4now]

Barb

That is an Beautiful prayer! I love scripture, new and old, cannon and not. This poem fills my heart with joy.

I know that "Religion" with a capital R is off topic here, but I am so glad that faith is not! And I really appreciate my sisters of different faiths sharing their wisdom, hope and love.

BTW. The whole Dueteronomy thing is a nasty topic, and certainly not universally agreed upon. I could spend hours there one on one but let's keep it out of this thread. I wouldn't want Barbs post to get trashed and the value of her poem to get lost.

[AbigailJordan]

I guess the less said about misinterpretations of ancient texts the better lol. But yes, this is a beautiful work. And it shows that the things we struggle with everyday were being struggled with by many many people before us.

Year Dot - A tailor takes a robe and tailors it for a woman's body and announces to the world "The Dress"
Year Dot + 1 - A man sneaks into his wifes wardrobe while she is at the stoning and tries the dress on.

[Isabella Ross]

Fascinating. You can feel the author's anguish.

[Persephone]

BTW, does the Trans-Torah site deal with that passage from Deuteronomy (22:5) that a man shall not put on a woman's clothing? This is always cited as a passage stating that cross-dressing is a "sin".

Yes, it does, Claire, and I have PM'ed you with more information. If anyone else wants to discuss this aspect of our transgender lives please feel free to PM me.

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Dianne S]

Wow. I wonder how that squares off with the traditional Jewish morning prayer "Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has not made me a woman" ?

[Claire Cook]

That is an Beautiful prayer! I love scripture, new and old, cannon and not. This poem fills my heart with joy.
I know that "Religion" with a capital R is off topic here, but I am so glad that faith is not! And I really appreciate my sisters of different faiths sharing their wisdom, hope and love. BTW. The whole Dueteronomy thing is a nasty topic, and certainly not universally agreed upon. I could spend hours there one on one but let's keep it out of this thread. I wouldn't want Barbs post to get trashed and the value of her poem to get lost.

Meghan,

This IS a beautiful poem and expresses what many of us may feel about our gender identity. I certainly did not mean to detract from it with my comment about "that" passage. As Barb points out, Talmudic scholars have studied this and concluded that it is not a proscription against crossdressing. 'Nuff said.

The Trans-Torah site that she mentioned is a wonderful resource, and not just for those of us who are Jewish. (Check out the Resources.) Thanks, Barb, for bringing it to our attention.

Claire

[Marcelle]

Wow. I wonder how that squares off with the traditional Jewish morning prayer "Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has not made me a woman" ?

I was just thinking the same thing. Well, I guess we can all agree on one thing that Gender Dysphoria has been around as long as misogyny.

Hugs

Isha

[Dianne S]

(I think it's OK to post this.)

Persephone PM'd me and told me the original poem had one last stanza referring to the traditional Jewish blessing "...who has not made me a woman."

In my opinion, that stanza made the poem even more poignant and beautiful, but it wasn't posted for fear of running afoul of the "no religious doctrine" rule.

[Marcelle]

I agree . . . much more complete poem with that stanza and helps to offset the traditional blessing.

[Sandra]

This thread is getting to near the rules about religion, thread closed.