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Yehuda Amichai [or Amikhai]

Yehuda Amichai was born in Würzburg, Germany on May 3, 1924, to an Orthodox Jewish family. His father and uncle owned a store and made their living as merchants in Würzburg. The family lived in a large community of other

Child is Something Else Again, A

by Yehuda Amichai [or Amikhai] (1924–2000)

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2<author>
3  <person id="480" sex="1" role="author">
4    <name>
5      <firstname>Yehuda</firstname>
6      <lastname>
7        Amichai [
8        <i>or</i>
9        Amikhai]
10      </lastname>
11    </name>
12    <life-events>
13      <date ty="birth" circa="false" suffix="ad">1924</date>
14      <date ty="death" circa="false">2000</date>
15      <text-value>(1924–2000)</text-value>
16    </life-events>
17    <biography>y</biography>
18  </person>
19</author>
20

A child is something else again. Wakes up

in the afternoon and in an instant he's full of words,

in an instant he's humming, in an instant warm,

instant light, instant darkness.

A child is Job. They've already placed their bets on him
but he doesn't know it. He scratches his body
for pleasure. Nothing hurts yet.
They're training him to be a polite Job,
to say "Thank you" when the Lord has given,

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