Shaul Tchernichovsky - Handwritten Letter Discussing His Poem "Amnon and Tamar" / Letter on a Postcard

Shaul Tchernichovsky - Handwritten Letter Discussing His Poem "Amnon and Tamar" / Letter on a Postcard
1. Letter handwritten and signed by Shaul Tchernichovsky, discussing his poem "Amnon and Tamar" [Hebrew]. Heidelberg (Germany), [ca. 1899-1903]. Hebrew and some Russian.
The letter is addressed to "my dear Yosef" [apparently, the historian and literary scholar Joseph Klausner; editor of the newspaper "HaShiloach" in the years 1903-1927]. Tchernichovsky writes about his poem "Amnon and Tamar", particularly on the choice of the poem's title, and responds to comments he received regarding its contents.
"I would send you the poem again, but with a change of title, since I feel it is better suited to the spirit of our people. 'Amnon and Tamar' are our 'Romeo and Julia'… there is no name for the flower, a name common among the people… most Jews don't have any names for flowers, the Russians… call flowers by Russian names, and 'Amnon and Tamar' has a nice ring to it as a substitute for John and Mary or the well-known Ivan da Marya…"
Shaul Tchernichovsky (1875-1943) - physician, poet and translator; one of the greatest Hebrew poets. During the years 1899-1906 he studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg, completing his studies at Lausanne, Switzerland. Later he worked as a physician in the Ukraine. In 1910 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he opened a clinic, and in 1919 he moved to Odessa. In 1931 he immigrated to Palestine, where he settled permanently.
Tchernichovsky's poem "Amnon and Tamar", written during his stay at Heidelberg, is a translation of a Russian fable titled "Ivan and Maria". The fable tells of a brother and sister who had been separated at birth, and as adults fell in love and married, unaware that they were siblings. After realizing the truth, the two were saved from their misery by becoming one flower. Following the fable, the flower called Viola tricolor (pansy) was nicknamed in Russian "Ivan and Maria". In his translation, Tchernichovsky called the protagonists of the fable by the Hebrew names Amnon and Tamar, thereby also granting the flower its Hebrew name.
[1] leaf, written on both sides. 18 cm. Good condition. Horizontal fold line.
2. Postcard with a short letter handwritten and signed by Shaul Tchernichovsky, addressed to the writer and editor Aryeh Leib Semiatitsky at the "Omanut" publishing house in Tel Aviv. London, 1930.
9X14 cm. Good condition. Filing holes. Some stains and creases.
Provenance: Shlomo Shva collection.