This paper focuses on poems by Iris translated by the author and conducts in-depth and comprehensive analyses and evaluations. Under the influence of sacred and esoteric religious traditions, as a descendant of Kabbalists, Iris struggles within the realities of war, entrusting her life and soul entirely to God. Her poetry demonstrates profound insight and spiritual detachment, guiding readers toward divine transcendence, advocating for peace, strengthening faith, facilitating engagement with sacred texts and exploring the liberation of body and soul.
- Introduction
In a time marked by global turmoil and incessant wars, as a poet from Israel—the nation is often fraught with controversy—Iris has captured the attention of peace-loving individuals through their creation of poetry literature in contemporary world poetry, the mystical religious hues revealed in her verses also invite readers into profound exploration and contemplation. Iris is a poet characterized by softness in her physical presence, heart, and soul: her body moves with gentle grace; her soft heart expresses love; her serene soul submits to faith. As a translator of Hebrew, Iris creates poetry that allows us to decipher her profound, soul-deep reverence for religion, her genuine passion for life, and her fervent call for peace. This paper will analyze the thematic connotations of her poetry and its impact on international poetic creation through multiple critical lenses.
- Source of artistic inspiration
(I) The Dance of the Graceful Body
Iris is a dancer, and her poetry is as graceful as her dancing posture, flowing like a breeze and soft as a whisper, elegant and phantasmagoric. The style of her poetry is both concrete and abstract, emotional delicacy, rich in expression, and masterful in technique, revealing the artistry and beauty of poetry in multiple dimensions: each specific image seems as if it could be found in reality, yet ultimately transforms into an intangible, perceptible void within a dreamscape; While drawing upon classical antecedents, her poetry sustains a radical tension with contemporary reality. For instance, the poet skillfully employs the iris—a flower whose name resonates with her own—to capture life’s dual nature of beauty and fragility. The line, “Iris is a universe, a girl, a woman,” reflects her aspiration to convey the divine essence of life through these layered identities. Similarly, she calls herself a “peaceful butterfly from heaven,” a figure both vulnerable and strong, yearning for understanding, protection, freedom, and peace. In her poetry, the unrestrained proliferation of modifiers is like a dancer iving her all, drenched in sweat, wordlessly channeling an immense,
explosive inner force in.
(II) The Voice of the Candor Heart
Iris expresses her thoughts bravely and directly with genuine emotion and a pure heart. Although she has held fast to the faith of having kissed truth since childhood, her mature expression remains entirely free from lecturing and judgment. She radiates an angelic power of love upon the world through her poetry like a vast maternal love, a sensual femininity, and a luminous path toward spiritual ascension. Her poetry never deliberately flaunts literary flair; it is simplicity and returning to what is essential, piercing directly to the soul and heart’s core, dancing with the softest compassion of
human nature. They bring readers introspection and reflection.
(III) The Sense of a Mysterious Soul
Her poems are like a series of mythopoetic animated films, possessing a powerful visual impact and a force that stimulates the intuitive and imaginative faculties, leading readers directly or indirectly into mysterious spaces beyond the cosmos, which she calls “the hidden heaven Spirit land”. This is a poetic realm unattainable for poets without religious faith or for those who view religion as a confining prejudice. A poet’s spiritual level determines the depth of thought and height of awareness they can bring to their readers. Iris’s poetic dimension has undoubtedly transcended the three dimensions, the six realms of samsara, and the nine heavens. She attempts to summon an awakening of reality through a kind of metaphysical energy that transcend life and death, therefore, we can accurately discern that her poems are not merely her poems; she is more like a vessel of the soul or a signal tower connecting to the cosmos, transparently perceiving extraterrestrial whispers, radiating spiritual energy, conveying the secrets of dialogue with the divine, and revealing the profound mysteries and philosophy of life.
III. Cultural and Religious Connotations
What is national may also be global. In today’s world of cultural integration, it is essential for us to set aside judgment and delve into the cultural and religious heritage of other nations, and patiently listen to their narratives shaped by cultural influences. Iris’s poems are imbued with theological dimensions, with humble devotion and sincere submission as her eternal poetic essence. Her poetry “Butterflies of peace in the living halo voice of the home of the human Iris Eve flower of the heaven world” incorporates rich religious and cultural elements, such as “the Torah”, “Canaan land”, “Moses of Israel”, “Abraham”, “Isaac”, and “Jacob”. These elements not only reflect the poet’s reverence and understanding of Jewish culture but also reveal the hidden religious depths of the Bible, enhancing the poem’s cultural depth and faith profundity.
- The Influence of Iris’s Poetry on International Poetry Literature
Iris Calif is an international writer, poet, dancer, editor and translator of poetry to Hebrew. She is in charge of foreign relations in the online culture, literature and poetry magazine “In Direction of the Wind” (“Bekiovn Hroh”) and is a translator and an editor of world-wide poetry in the magazine, as well as in the culture and lifestyle magazine “Mokasini” and in the “World Poetry” section on the literature website “Rooms” (“Hadarim”). She is also a member of the Composers’ Association of Hebrew authors and publishers in Israel named “ACUM”. Iris received the 2023 award for International Best Poets & POETS: THE JOURNAL OF RENDITION OF INTERNATIONAL POETRY (ITRC) [Multilingual] [China]. She also holds a diploma from the “Russian Professional Writers Union” and the international magazine “Arina NN”, registered in the Ministry of Culture of Russia, for her contribution to the culture world “International Poetic Community” 2022. Iris is the head of the Israeli liaison department of the Hong Kong Literature and Arts Magazine and a member of the Association of artists and writers of the World SAPS. She takes part in the editorial board of the World Poetry Yearbook 2024 (English edition) and holds an honorary doctorate from the International Forum for Creativity, Humanity and Coexistence, Kingdom of Morocco. Iris is a descendant of a lineage of Kabbalists, blessed with the prophecy of the spirit of the heart and the ability of communication and vision, which are expressed in her mystical and Kabbalistic writing, endowed with spiritual touches of holy upper and hidden worlds. For her, it is a blessing to shine with the spirit of the Jewish voice from the depths of love, life, and faith in the creator of the world- our father in heaven “And as I soar with the flight of my spirit soul, I will carry the holy halo of the light of my Jewish loving voice, in the eternally world of the wings of the Dove of God spirit of the land-living peace”-Iris Calif. Three of Iris’s books have already been published: “In a fascinating lane breathes Lolita” (2001), “Wild moon” (2017), and “The daughter of God” (2020), and she is currently working on her fourth book. Her poems have been published and read on the radio, on television, on the internet, in national and international magazines and newspapers and in anthologies around the world, and were translated by international poets into numerous languages such as Spanish, Bengali, Nepali, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish, Assamese, Russian, Albanian and Italian. Iris’s poems were presented in many prestigious and international exhibitions in Israel such as “Crowns of Winter” (January 2023), where a poem of hers translated into Bengali was displayed alongside poems by seven international poets, each translated and edited into Hebrew by her. Also the exhibition “Black-Red-White” displayed Iris’s translated versions of poems written by five international poets. Most recently, Iris’s poems, also translated into Chinese, Italian, Spanish and Arabic, were presented in the universal exhibition “Butterflies of Peace”, which also included the poems of 21 poets from around the world, translated by Iris into Hebrew. Iris’s poetry reflects the inner journey of her soul, which looks through love, dreams of life and breathes holy and hidden worlds. Her poetry is a symbol and an expression of her victory over anorexia and her courageous decision to choose life and love. “And in my living Iris soul, my spirit dances the living voice of the holy God life” Iris Calif
- Conclusion
The poems of Iris Calif occupy a certain degree of influence and status in international poetry culture. Through cross-cultural exchange and translation, her poems may offer readers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds new perspectives and aesthetic experiences, thereby enriching the diversity of global poetry. Furthermore, her poems may promote mutual understanding and respect among different cultures, and play a pivotal role in advancing the development of human spiritual civilization. Through her poetry, we not only witness the spiritual fortitude and conviction of a poet but also embark on a journey with her through history, classics and culture, perceive the world and draw close to a state of fulfillment and richness. Her poems uphold the eternal aspirations shared by all humanity—love, freedom and peace—while setting an exemplary standard for international poets: the poet’s broad vision, unique perspective and advocacy for human coexistence and world cultural harmony, expressed through artistic language
and profound insight, can deeply influence an era and evoke far-reaching resonance.
- “All rights of the article are reserved to– Sheng Yixian [China].” ©️
:About the author
Sheng Yixian (formerly Sheng Yanyan), born in 1982, M.A., is a psychologist, holistic mind-body-spirit healer, certified health coach, and an orthodox instructor of Shaolin Temple’s Yijin Jing Xisui Gong (one of the few certified female instructors of this discipline). She is a poet whose work spans modern poetry and classical Chinese poetic forms including Poetry, Ci, Qu, and Fu, as well as a translator, literary critic, and founder of the “Gengxunshui” healthy food chain brand.
She currently serves as Lead Translator and Guest Associate Editor of International Poetry Translation Quarterly, and is a member of the Chinese Poetry Society, the Guizhou Poetry Society, and the Guizhou Society of Poems, Ci and Couplets. She also holds positions as a Director of the Liupanshui Association of Poems, Ci and Couplets, and Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Liangdu Poetry Journal.
As an entrepreneur, her “Gengxunshui” brand has received multiple municipal and provincial awards. She is recognized as a founding core member and training instructor of Guizhou Province’s “Liangdu Goat Soup Masters” program, and holds multiple professional certifications: Two-Star Guizhou Cuisine Chef, Senior Chinese Chef, Pastry Chef, and Barista.
She is currently working on over ten books, including poetry collections and works on psychology and traditional Chinese culture, all forthcoming.
IRIS CALIF – ISREL
A Human Butterflies of Peace in The Living Halo Voice of The Human Iris Eve Flower, of The Heaven Universal World
I am the human Iris Eve flower
of the land, heaven nature universal world, dreamer;
we are the Human beings as a human butterfly of peace in the holy halo light Flowers of the great God,
embracing with the flight of our home wings a universal Spiritual peace, and born out of love, humanity, hope, passions and faith, the voice of Life, the human longing voice of the
living human freedom dream”.
In the footsteps of God,
the spirit wind breathes the life of the psalms
of the human Iris flower of my Heart
and in my spirit soul
I am dancing the living dance of eternal peace
the virtue of the holy Zohar of heavenly grace
of pure wild peace angels,
bearing my body gently with halo wings of love.
In the Blue-white valley of, hidden dawn,
I kneel with the wings of the creations
of the Universal heaven-land,
a prayer of earth for peace,
the temple of holy hidden Scriptures
of heaven’s sky of the Lord, creator of the world
and in the fire crown of my naked body’s ballet,
a peace valley of dawn.
God, king of the angels of the world;
Guardian of peace
and in eternal Iris fields my woman humankind soul
I am in a ballet of light,
the soil of creation reflected as Eve’s awakening, unveiled
and I, pace and breath the living holly halo of Canaan,
land, of angels, of the Star of David,
the land of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses
Israel of my heaven world
and I Am gazing the secret halo of my green eyes Iris of Zion
to the living mighty God. Lord of the world, Lord of the all land of the world Our father in heaven, Guardian of peace
praying to the holy voice of the living light of my dreams
and in the living heart of The Torah
royal wings of the scripture, heaven
the Light of the star of David Rises,
human fields softly are sown,
Jerusalem of living peace,
peace of the wings of a Kingdom,
Scripture of her heavens unfolding,
Scripture of her heavens unfolding,
a human flower Iris Eve of Canaan grows
Soaring as a conductor of universal eternal human
butterflies of peace
“All rights reserved to the poet Iris Calif”©️
הוספת תגובה