Prose from Poetry Magazine
Translator’s Note: “Prayers for the Protection and Opening of the Heart” by Ya'akov Hakohen
BY Peter Cole
The poems attributed to Ya’akov HaKohen are taken from a longer prayer that Scholem describes as “a mysterious hymn.” It employs symbolism characteristic of the Kabbalah of its day, including mention of the kelippot—shards, shells, or husks that embody the forces of evil in the world.
Poet and translator Peter Cole was born in Paterson, New Jersey. His collections of poetry include Draw Me After (2022), Rift (1989), Things on Which I’ve Stumbled (2008), The Invention of Influence (2014), and Hymns & Qualms: New and Selected Poems and Translations (2017). With Adina Hoffman, he wrote the nonfiction volume Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza (2011). Described...