哭牆 | The Wailing Wall – Overseas Taiwanese Pen Club

何康隆 | Khang-Loon Ho

哭牆

十一月的耶路撒冷
暮色來得早
才午后四時
古城已是日色稀薄
哭牆靜立
斜影漸移
蒼茫中
有黑袍敎士
撫牆暗泣
這乾旱之地
究竟
要有多少涙
才能潤濕牆上野草？

我把昨晚
寫好的祈文紙條
依千年習俗
塞入石牆間隙
默念默禱
驀然
牆上所有紙條
紛紛掉落
石縫剝裂如窗
恍然瞥見
所羅門王的華麗
然後
猶太人流離的腳印
然後
幾聲悠長嘆息

入夜之後
哭牆
隠入歷史皺摺
鐘磬無聲，經卷不語
萬籟隨之沉寂
只有百合花
隨風搖曳，於
空曠的古老野地

** 公元前1千年猶太大衛王的兒子所羅門，在耶路撤冷的錫安山上，興建―座華麗的聖殿，所羅門聖殿，用以朝拜猶太敎神主耶和華，這是耶路撤冷“第—聖殿”。公元前586年，巴比倫攻佔耶路撒冷，將第—聖殿毀之―炬，四萬多猶太人被虜，史稱“巴比倫之囚”。公元前19年，羅馬大希律王在舊址重修聖殿，是為“ 第二聖殿 ”。公元70~135年間，羅馬皇帝三次遠征耶路撤冷，將耶路撤冷，連同聖殿，夷為平地。百萬猶太人或殺或虜為奴，并且驅離耶路撤冷，放逐天下。

** 哭牆 ( Wailing Wall )又稱為西牆 ( Western Wall )，亦有“ 嘆息之壁”之稱，位於耶路撤冷舊城區内。長約50米，高約21米，由大石塊築成。猶太人認為哭牆是聖殿唯一留下的遺跡，是最靠近上帝的地方，最神聖的祈禱所在。多少世紀以來，猶太敎徒到此面壁祈禱，追憶聖殿被毀，袓人被廹流離失所的殘痛歷史，便不禁哀悼哭泣，哭牆因之而得名。禱告者或以手撫牆，或唸誦經文，或將寫著祈文紙條塞入牆壁縫隙，以達天聽。歷經千年的風雨洗滌和朝聖者的撫觸，哭牆石面也散放著如泣如訴的泛泛亮光。哭牆在猶太人的心中，不但是神聖的聖殿遺跡，敬神之處，更是猶太民族災難史的總集，象徵猶太民族百折不屈的堅毅信念。

** 新約聖經馬太6:28~29:
「何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想，野地的百合花，怎麼長起來，它不勞苦，也不紡織，然而我告訴你們 : 就是所羅門王極其榮華的時候，他所穿戴的還不如這花一朵呢！」有人認為這是新約聖經最美的一段經文，「你想，野地的百合花」，是意境悠遠，富含詩意的一句話。耶穌把百合花和所羅門王的榮華對比，百合花遠勝於所羅門王身上的華麗，遠勝於所羅門王的—切，遠勝於他所建造的聖殿，統領的國土。—朵百合花遠勝於世上所有人為的事物。去野地看看百合花吧！安靜地思想神的奇妙，恩典和慈愛。也許透過—朵百合花，透過神的創造物，要比去聖殿敬拜，去哭牆懺悔，更能親近神，直接和神對話，領悟神的旨意，滋潤新鮮的生命。

新約聖經馬太6:28~29:「何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想，野地的百合花，怎麼長起來，它不勞苦，也不紡織，然而我告訴你們 : 就是所羅門王極其榮華的時候，他所穿戴的還不如這花一朵呢！」

** 台灣野百合是台灣特有種植物，白色花瓣中背脊的紫褐色條紋是它最鮮明的辨識特徵，也展現出這種野地花朵的獨特韻味。它們不需修飾、不倚人力，自然地在海風與陽光中茁壯，展現出生命的純粹與堅韌。 (圖文/台灣旅行趣網站)

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Links for 《Jewish Songs》:

<2026-04-06>

中文 | English

The Wailing Wall

November in Jerusalem—
dusk comes early.
By four in the afternoon,
light has already thinned over the old city.
The Wall stands still.
Slanting shadows drift.
In the vast dimness,
a man in black robes
leans against the stones,
weeping in silence.
In this arid land,
how many tears
would it take
to moisten the wild grass
growing from the wall?

Last night,
I wrote my prayer
on a small slip of paper.
Following a custom of millennia,
I press it
into a crevice of stone—
murmuring, praying.
Suddenly—
all the notes in the wall
begin to fall.
The cracks in stone
split open like windows.
In a fleeting glimpse,
I see
the splendor of King Solomon—
then
the wandering footprints
of a scattered people—
then
a few long, lingering sighs.

After nightfall,
the Wall
folds into the wrinkles of history.
No bells, no chants, no scripture speaks.
All sounds recede into stillness
Only lilies remain,
swaying in the wind
across an empty, ancient field.

The Wailing Wall of Jerusalem. (photo/Khang-Loon Ho)

** Around the 10th century BCE, King Solomon, son of King David of Israel, built a magnificent temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem—the Temple of Solomon—dedicated to the worship of Yahweh, the God of Judaism. This became the First Temple of Jerusalem. In 586 BCE, Babylon conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the First Temple by fire. More than forty thousand Jews were taken captive in what is historically known as the Babylonian Exile. In 19 BCE, King Herod the Great of Rome rebuilt the Temple on the same site, establishing what is known as the Second Temple. Between 70 and 135 CE, Roman emperors launched three campaigns against Jerusalem, ultimately razing the city and the Temple to the ground. Millions of Jews were either killed, enslaved, or driven into exile, scattered across the world.

** The Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall, or the “Wall of Lamentation,” is in the Old City of Jerusalem. Approximately 50 meters long and 21 meters high, it is constructed of massive stone blocks. For the Jewish people, it is the only remnant of the Temple and the closest place to God—the holiest site for prayer. For centuries, worshippers have stood before the Wall, praying, mourning the destruction of the Temple and the suffering of their ancestors. Many cannot help but weep, and thus the Wall came to be known as the Wailing Wall. Some touch the stones with their hands, some recite sacred texts, and others place written prayers into the crevices of the Wall, hoping their words may reach Heaven. After thousands of years of wind, rain, and human touch, the surface of the stones seems to emit a faint, trembling glow—like a silent weeping. In the hearts of the Jewish people, the Wall is not only a sacred remnant of the Temple, but also a living testament to a history of suffering, and a symbol of resilience, faith, and unyielding endurance.

Small slips of paper containing written prayers were inserted into the cracks of the Wall.

** New Testament of the Bible, Matthew 6:28–29: “Why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed like one of these.” This passage from the Gospel of Matthew (6:28–29) is often regarded as one of the most beautiful in the New Testament. The phrase “the lilies of the field” evokes a profound and poetic imagery. Jesus contrasts the lilies with the glory of King Solomon, suggesting that even at the height of his magnificence, Solomon’s splendor could not compare with a single lily. The lily surpasses all human creations—greater than royal garments, greater than temples, greater than the kingdoms themselves. Go out into the fields and behold the lilies. In quiet contemplation, one may perceive the wonder, grace, and compassion of God. Perhaps through a single flower—through the creations of nature—one may come closer to God, even more directly than through temple worship or prayers at the Wall, and begin to understand divine will, nourishing a renewed and living spirit.

Matthew 6:28–29: Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

The Taiwan Lily is a plant species endemic to Taiwan. The purplish-brown stripes running along the midribs of its white petals are its most distinctive feature, lending this wild blossom a unique and captivating charm. Requiring no grooming or human intervention, these lilies thrive naturally amidst the sea breezes and sunshine, embodying the purity and resilience of life itself.

**
Links for 《Jewish Songs》:

<2026-04-06>