Hareut

Hareut (friendship, fellowship, comradeship in English, here esp. brotherhood in arms) is a Hebrew poem written by Haim Gouri and set to music by Sasha Argov. The song was written a year after the outbreak of the 1947–1949 Palestine war and commemorates those who fell in the war. The song is often performed at memorial ceremonies.

The song was originally performed by the Chizbatron with Gideon Singer as a soloist. Other well-known performances of the song have been by the NAHAL Entertainment Troupe, and popular singers Shoshana Damari and Yehoram Gaon. Prior to Israel's 60th Independence Day, the song was elected by IDF soldiers on the Army Radio, as their favourite Hebrew song, ranking ahead of the popular Jerusalem of Gold. The song was highly ranked in other competitions.

The song represents the social ideals of the period of the 1947–1949 Palestine war including one's sacrifice for the homeland, the individual's concern for all, and the sanctity of the memory of the fallen.

In the 1990s the song also became identified with the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Yitzhak Rabin admitted that this was one of his favourite songs, and it was performed by Shoshana Damari at the Peace Rally at which he was later assassinated. It is regularly performed at ceremonies commemorating the memory of Yitzhak Rabin.

Lyrics

Original

הרעות
על הנגב יורד ליל הסתיו
ומצית כוכבים חרש חרש
עת הרוח עובר על הסף
עננים מהלכים על הדרך.
כבר שנה לא הרגשנו כמעט
איך עברו הזמנים בשדותינו
כבר שנה ונותרנו מעט
מה רבים שאינם כבר בינינו.
אך נזכור את כולם
את יפי הבלורית והתואר
כי רעות שכזאת לעולם
לא תיתן את ליבנו לשכוח
אהבה מקודשת בדם
את תשובי בינינו לפרוח.
הרעות נשאנוך בלי מילים
אפורה עקשנית ושותקת
מלילות האימה הגדולים
את נותרת בהירה ודולקת.
הרעות כנערייך כולם
שוב בשמך נחייך ונלכה
כי רעים שנפלו על חרבם
את חייך הותירו לזכר.
ונזכור את כולם...

English translation

The friendship
An autumn night descends on the Negev
And gently, gently lights up the stars
While the wind blows on the threshold
Clouds go on their way.
Already a year, and we almost didn’t notice
How the time has passed in our fields
Already a year, and few of us remain
So many are no longer among us.
But we'll remember them all
The elegant, the handsome
Because friendship like this will never
Permit our hearts to forget
Love sanctified with blood
will once more bloom among us
Friendship, we bear you with no words
Gray, stubborn and silent
Of the nights of great terror
You remained bright and lit
Friendship, as did all your youths
Again in your name we will smile and go foreword
Because friends that have fallen on their swords
Left your life as a monument
And we'll remember them all…
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