Simon Bacher
Encyclopedia
Simon Bacher was a Hungarian Neo-Hebraic poet.
Bacher, whose name was originally Bachrach
, came of a family of scholars, and counted as one of his ancestors the well-known Moravian-German rabbi Jair Ḥayyim Bacharach
. He studied Talmud
in his native city, and in Mikulov
under Menahem Nahum Trebitsch
, and under Moses Perles in Eisenstadt
and Bonyhád
. During this period Bacher was much influenced by the new movement of the Haskalah
, and he also studied the secular sciences and literature.
When nineteen years old Bacher returned to Liptovský Mikuláš, where, despite the business in which he was engaged, he continued his studies enthusiastically. After many struggles Bacher in 1874 went to Budapest, where two years later he was appointed treasurer of the Jewish community. This office he held until he died.
When a boy of 7, Bacher had translated German
poems into Hebrew. Thus Schiller's Song of the Bell
first came to be known to the scholars in Bonyhád, who were wholly engrossed with their Talmudic studies. The events of his fatherland and of the Jewish community, festival days and days of mourning, jubilees and funerals, equally inspired his song. He celebrated scholars, preachers, statesmen; orators, singers, philanthropists, and writers; and Jewish legends and history also provided subjects for his poems, in which were mingled reflections and expressions of sentiment, myths, and historical events.
In addition to short scientific and miscellaneous contributions to magazines—the former consisting of linguistic studies on the Talmud and essays in archeology—Bacher wrote some short poems in German. But his place in Jewish literature was won chiefly by his Hebrew poetry. He also translated German, French
, and Hungarian
poems into Hebrew . The translations are classic in form, and reproduce the spirit of the original.
Bacher contributed to many Jewish magazines, and wrote also a number of occasional poems published separately. Among his longer works are the following:
After Bacher's death his son Wilhelm Bacher
published, under the title Sha'ar Shim'on (Vienna, 1894), a selection of Hebrew poems, culled from Bacher's printed works and from unpublished manuscripts, 1894, in three parts: the first of these contains his original poems; the second, translations; and the third, Nathan der Weise. The work is prefaced with a biography of Bacher and a chronological list of his works.
Bacher, whose name was originally Bachrach
Bacharach (disambiguation)
Bacharach is a town in western Germany.Bacharach may also refer to:- People :* Abraham Samuel Bacharach , German Rabbi* Arthur J. Bachrach , American psychologist* Bernard S...
, came of a family of scholars, and counted as one of his ancestors the well-known Moravian-German rabbi Jair Ḥayyim Bacharach
Yair Bacharach
Yair Chayim Bacharach was a German rabbi, initially in Koblenz and remainder of his life in Worms and Metz...
. He studied Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
in his native city, and in Mikulov
Mikulov
Mikulov is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 7,608 . It is located directly on the border with Lower Austria. Mikulov is located at the edge of a hilly area and the three Nové Mlýny reservoirs...
under Menahem Nahum Trebitsch
Nahum Trebitsch
Menahem Nahum Trebitsch was a Czech rabbi.He was a son of Selig Trebitsch, ḥazzan at the Old New Synagogue, and he received a thorough Talmudical training at the yeshiva of Jacob Günsberg...
, and under Moses Perles in Eisenstadt
Eisenstadt
- Politics :The current mayor of Eisenstadt is Andrea Fraunschiel ÖVP.The district council is composed as follows :* ÖVP: 17 seats* SPÖ: 8 seats* Austrian Green Party: 2 seats* FPÖ: 2 seats- Castles and palaces :...
and Bonyhád
Bonyhád
Bonyhád is a town in Tolna County in Southwestern Hungary. It is governed by a city council and a mayor. The current mayor of Bonyhád is Arpad Potapi who has served in this capacity since 2002....
. During this period Bacher was much influenced by the new movement of the Haskalah
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
, and he also studied the secular sciences and literature.
When nineteen years old Bacher returned to Liptovský Mikuláš, where, despite the business in which he was engaged, he continued his studies enthusiastically. After many struggles Bacher in 1874 went to Budapest, where two years later he was appointed treasurer of the Jewish community. This office he held until he died.
When a boy of 7, Bacher had translated German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
poems into Hebrew. Thus Schiller's Song of the Bell
Song of the Bell
The Song of the Bell is a poem that the German poet Friedrich Schiller published in 1798. It is one of the most famous poems of German literature and with 430 lines also one of the longest...
first came to be known to the scholars in Bonyhád, who were wholly engrossed with their Talmudic studies. The events of his fatherland and of the Jewish community, festival days and days of mourning, jubilees and funerals, equally inspired his song. He celebrated scholars, preachers, statesmen; orators, singers, philanthropists, and writers; and Jewish legends and history also provided subjects for his poems, in which were mingled reflections and expressions of sentiment, myths, and historical events.
In addition to short scientific and miscellaneous contributions to magazines—the former consisting of linguistic studies on the Talmud and essays in archeology—Bacher wrote some short poems in German. But his place in Jewish literature was won chiefly by his Hebrew poetry. He also translated German, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
poems into Hebrew . The translations are classic in form, and reproduce the spirit of the original.
Bacher contributed to many Jewish magazines, and wrote also a number of occasional poems published separately. Among his longer works are the following:
- Translations of Ludwig PhilippsonLudwig PhilippsonLudwig Philippson was a German rabbi and author, the son of Moses Philippson.He was educated at the gymanasium of Halle and at the University of Berlin, and maintained himself by tutoring and by doing literary work...
's tragedy Jojachin, Vienna, 1860, and of LessingGotthold Ephraim LessingGotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...
's Nathan the Wise, Vienna, 1866; - Zemirot ha-'Areẓ (Hymns of the Land), Budapest, 1868, and a collection of Hungarian poems:
- Muẓẓal Meësh (Saved from the Fire), Budapest, 1879, a collection of various original poems;
- Melek Ebyon (The Poor King), Budapest, 1881, a collection of romantic Biblical poems;
- Michtame Gleichenberg (Budapest, 1887), "makamas" in the manner of Ludwig August von FranklLudwig August von FranklLudwig August Ritter von Frankl-Hochwart was a Bohemian-Austrian writer and poet. He was a friend of Nikolaus Lenau. Also, he corresponded with Petar II Petrovic Njegos of Montenegro before he died in 1851. Frankl's Gusle, Serbische Nationallieder was dedicated to Vuk Karadžić's daughter in 1952...
.
After Bacher's death his son Wilhelm Bacher
Wilhelm Bacher
Wilhelm Bacher was a Jewish Hungarian scholar, rabbi, Orientalist and linguist, born in Liptó-Szent-Miklós, Hungary to the Hebrew writer Simon Bacher. Wilhelm was himself an incredibly prolific writer, authoring or co-authoring approximately 750 works in an unfortunately short life...
published, under the title Sha'ar Shim'on (Vienna, 1894), a selection of Hebrew poems, culled from Bacher's printed works and from unpublished manuscripts, 1894, in three parts: the first of these contains his original poems; the second, translations; and the third, Nathan der Weise. The work is prefaced with a biography of Bacher and a chronological list of his works.
Sources
- Wilhelm Bacher, in the introduction to his father's Sha'ar Shim'on, 1894