Read by the tongue
הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ
ha-zorʿim be-dimʿah, be-rinnah yiqtzoru
A Psalm verse that became a household weekly prayer — and the way Mandarin, Russian, Korean, and Persian each circle the same observation about hardship undertaken and harvest expected.
אִישׁוֹן עֵינוֹ
ishon eino
Why Hebrew said the beloved is the little man reflected in the eye — and how the same image, in Latin, English, and Arabic, became a doll, an apple, and the coolness of tears.
לֵךְ־אֶל־נְמָלָה עָצֵל; רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם.
lekh el-n'malah atzel; re'eh drakheha va-hakham
Why Hebrew wisdom literature sent the lazy man to the ant — and how Aesop, La Fontaine, and Mandarin make the same recommendation with very different feelings about the ant herself.