This poem, from Amichai’s sixth collection Not for the Sake of Remembering (Ve-lo ‘al manat lizkor), is divided into two stanzas that do not appear to follow a regular pattern of rhyme or meter. However, a close reading of the poem begins to reveal its structure, particularly the poet’s use of long and short lines to create specific emphases and pauses. Lines 3 and 10, for example, consist of one word each, and lines 11 and 17 are the longest lines of the poem. The title “shlom bar” is an example of the construct form in Hebrew, combining the Hebrew words “shalom” (peace) and “bar” (field, open country, wilderness) into “peace of (the) field/wild.” “Bar” is also an Aramaic word for “owner” or “son.” As an adjective in Hebrew, it can mean “clean,” “pure,” and “beloved.” Some translators have chosen to translate “bar” as an adjective—wild peace—but Chana Bloch’s decision to create a compound word acknowledges the grammar of the original Hebrew. 

Suggested Activities: Ask students to consider the poem’s understanding of peace. What is “wildpeace” and how does it differ from “the peace of a cease-fire”? What are some of the different images of peace that the poem proposes? What adjectives, nouns, and metaphors does the author use to describe this peace? Consider Amichai’s use of contrast—for example, the poem describes peace as both “heavy” and “light.” How do these different images and descriptions of “wildpeace” compare to one another? Are these images of peace specific to the conflict in Israel/Palestine or more universal? Ask students to think about the conflicts of their time. Have students come up with their own imagery to describe the resolution of a conflict, either personal or political.