To err is a human weakness. To forgive is a divine virtue.

The loftiest of my triumphs is to forgive is when my works

are rejected

so you can see on the first page

of my book the names of the rejecters

with a blessing of thanksgiving

Indeed, of all the pages of the book, the dedication page alone is the author’s most

private domain and I stumble from my habits to write

this time

dedication to some people in short versions.

Although this kind of dedication was intended for my enjoyment

and the objects of the dedication,

I also had no sentiments left in me

for the dearest man life.

It is enough to read this to realize that forgiving is a divine

virtue, indeed a great achievement for my victory

as a poet. 

And why should I not congratulate those who helped me or alternatively worked

for me, like those who were appointed to publish

my poetry ? Yes! There is a rationale to these repeated rejections – they are a fertile ground

because of which I continue to write. 

My head reached saturation from a mental, emotional and spiritual process in which I ceased to be the person who will

feel insulted by rejection,

but on the other hand, I see the rejection as a controversy

and an error that must be considered

before the end of days. 

To err is a human weakness. To forgive is a divine virtue.

There are approaches that do not distinguish between human and divine forgiveness

The need for man to ask and receive forgiveness for his sins from a supreme being is a rhetorical need

On the other hand, the need to forgive one another

is more complex

in this matter in particular.

Tali Cohen Shabtai was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and is an international poet of high esteem with works translated into many languages. She is the author of three bilingual volumes of poetry, “Purple Diluted in a Black’s Thick”(2007), “Protest” (2012) and “Nine Years From You”(2018). A fourth volume is forthcoming in 2021.  She has lived many years in Oslo, Norway, and in the U.S.A. Tali is known in her country as a very prominent as a poet with a special lyric, “she doesn’t give herself easily, but subject to her own rules”. Tali is living in Chicago.