IJIJIJIJIJIJ AD AD THE SELECTED POEMS OF THE SELECTED Hillel Halkin Yehuda Halevi שירים נבחרים TRANSLATED & ANNOTATED BY ה�וי יהודה ה�וי

IJIJIJIJIJIJ IJIJIJIJIJIJ , Inc., a not-for-profit a not-for-profit project, Inc., philidor.com nextbookpress.com ISBN: 978-0-615-43367-7 crediting the translator and the publisher. A note on the typefaces appears on the last page. Designed and composed Scott-Martin by Kosofsky, and ideas. not material be may This copied without at The PhilidorThe Lexington, at Company, Massachusetts. Published Nextbook by Copyright © 2011 Hillel by Halkin. All rights reserved. devoted to the to promotion of Jewish literature, culture, devoted

IJIJIJIJIJIJ

Ezra You?

ibn

Find

I Thoughts

Tombstone

Wind Temple 4 6

Moshe

a 28 35 22 10 18 20 12 14 16 My

Will

Ofra

Egypt Ge’ula Jerusalem עפרה

Wine on the for Nishmat

By

News?

West Girls ראה ערים

To of In

God

יעירוני רעיוני All Where

יה אנה אמצאך Andalusia יעבר עלי רצונך

Jug

משוש תבל יפה נוף משוש תבל Carved Waked a Lament

Lovely

Ship

שחרי האל וספיו יחידה שחרי האל וספיו

אלהי משכנותיך ידידות זה רוחך צד מערב רקוח Living ידענוך נדד מימי עלומים שפכם מי הידעו הדמעות מי שפכם A Lord,

for Barred

the Alexandria

Fifties Age Leaving Gabbai

the

Wonder? in

to for You

Nile

War

for Aboard

ibn

His

v

1 8 7 2 Your iv 30 31 32 33 25 26 29 23 24

You

Age the Ship

on

in

Lutes Have

from

Do

Love’s an Admirer By

לעת כזאת

Shlomo

From Longing

Man

אעיר זמרות בך אעיר זמרות

More Ezra

A Letter Zion, by

On

Boarding ibn Ezra,

A

Foreword by Jonathan Rosen by Jonathan Foreword Darling, Thanks ibn Desire Introduction by Hillel Halkin Introduction by

הפשט הזמן בגדי חרדות

יפי קול קדמו כנור ליפות el-Ammani ומשפחות קראו עלי בנות ומשפחות הציקתני תשוקתי לאל חי מה לך צביה תמנעי ציריך

איך אחריך אמצאה מרגוע

ירחש אלהי פלאך דור דור ירחש

Have East

בשוטי מעברות מזרח ותימן חמשים התרדף נערות אחר חמשים On

Daughter My

Sole el-Yatom Poem

Driven

לשלום אסיריך תשאלי ציון הלא תשאלי לשלום אסיריך

חשקך קרב החזיקי לקראת חלל חשקך קרב החזיקי

a the Moshe

Let’s

of Yehuda in Sea

9 3 5

ibn My

27 Aharon

The Poet 34 21 17 19 11 13 15 To

Dream

Why,

of

At Ahava Barkhu Are

The הבא מבול from לבי במזרח Wedding

Heart Death

הרף שאון ים נמת ונרדמת

A You Yitzhak Death

the My

בשמך רעיוני יעירוני בשמך רעיוני נגדך כל תאותי אדני נגדך כל תאותי To the

ראה זמן כי האנוש הבל יעלת חן ממעונה רחקה היתה יונקת ארץ כילדה היתה יונקת משכנך השכחת בתי הה בתי השכחת משכנך Parting On Lord,

עזוב לראות אשר יהיה והיה On On

Click on pages or titles on pages or titles Click pages. the to links for quick

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI

Table of Contents רשימת השירים - - - , the Halevi magiste Yehuda , who lived more than 900 ago, years was arguably the poet greatest HALEVI

F T EHUDA

rial biography written Halkin by and published Nextbook/Schocken by Books in 2010. that book, In Halkin tells one of the romantic stories greatest in all of Jewish was born Halevi history. in Spain the at height of its Golden Age, though but he was celebrated as a master of the poetic of this forms most poetic era, enjoying wealth and fame as a poet, physician, and sage, in 1140, then in sixties, late his he turned his back on Spain and sailed for Crusader-ruled Palestine. man at the of Jerusalem.man at gates Although today even is not it clear much how truth there is in this, modern scholarship that has he revealed did die in the land Israel of within months several of arriving there. Halkin traces the overlapping strands of myth the and history, secular and the sacred, the rootedness of Spain and the un quenchable longing for theland that braided Halevi into his poetry, of Israel and that Judaism braided into its legend of the hope readers poet. of this volume will We want for a full Halevi portrait of the Yehuda man and his world to Halkin’s andto turn its meaning. extremely are we But pleased readers a chance to give to encounter Halevi purely as a poet, both in the original and in the Hebrew English of a master translator. Judaism has produced, and one poets. of the great Nextbook world’s is pleased Press to make available this collection of 35 poems in their Halevi by original Hebrew, alongside masterful translations renowned essayist, by critic, and translator Hillel Halkin. Each poem has been Halkin by annotated to offer brief commentary and context for a poet who could be intensely erotic, confessional, spiritual, and liturgical, at often the same time. his collection ofpoems isacompanion volume to or hundreds legend ofyears, had itthatwas killed Halevi aMuslim by horse Y

IJIJIJIJIJIJ osen Foreword Nextbook, Inc. Nextbook, Editorial Director Editorial R onathan J ------

. Yet Hebrew has Hebrew . Yet . (A line–im. (A in most mem , and sometimes segol ataf the conjunctive . and Halevi had and–mim to restrict Halevi himself to plurals theof 35 poems posted below all appearas part my of ataf kamatzataf , and h . h , . ataf patah . h L Hisp I A H T A A fe T M shva na, shva HE ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS biography of Yehuda Halevi published Halevi Schocken by biography of Yehuda Books and Nextbook in 2010. In preparing the book for publication, to include I had wanted the original poems in an appendix, so that readers with some knowledge could them read of Hebrew with the help the of English and I had Halevi done. a better idea of both and have what Yehuda impractical. this proved Unfortunately, I am therefore to Nextbook grateful for mak ing possible on the what could not Internet be done in print. ficult task than French,translatingGerman, or Russian This is poetry. of its because, maintwo formal characteristics, Arabic-style mono-rhyme and Arabic-style quantita the meter, tive rarelyreproducible first is in English and the second is. never poetis a greater in language. his own I hope the 35 poems appearing below in Hebrew istranslatable, like Halevi ike but all all poets, great poets, Yehuda great too, he and English will convince the reader of both these truths. els came to be arbitrarily defined as long or short to adapt them to the Arabic system. The as short; treated , were shuruk all other as long. vowels, Apart from liturgicalverse, most Hispano-Hebrew poems age composed of Halevi's were according to this system, which no English translation can convey. ten. Because medieval is a more highly Hebrew inflected and compact language than English, I also usually lines turned into separate the Hebrew hemistiches of of Halevi’s English. stanzas in into separate verse places some where In cases, he Halevi’s I broke them.did not have in this selection been of poems added for have intelligibility either myself by or by other anthologists. did Nor the time titles poets give of Halevi’s to their poems, which ano-Hebrew poets did not punctuate their work; all the punctuation marks to their known were readers and to posterity their by words firstor line.In some cases, followed thisI have practice in English. poems given others, In titles I have own. of my poem was a challenge in right its own and I sometimes responded to similar challenges n short, in translating these not Each poems followed one any strategy. Ihave in different ways. Like all Hispano-Hebrew poets,Halevi was extremely fond of puns, and alliteration,complicated wordplay, sought these to represent and aspects I have of too—although,his verse, again, not always on a direct basis: an alliterative cluster of in words one been me of his lines by to another, transferred a play on have words may had a differentthat where I could notone capture have it occurred substituted may for it further on. tions like a repetitive drum beat or plucked chord, regularly marking the point where one musical phrase ends and the next begins. is the Nor English translator completely helpless in the in face rhyme can some of it. places He and not others, or resort to long strings of slant-rhymes or unstressed English In suffixesrhyme. do not that different translations, tried all I have of these methods. short syllables, the distinction between which is intrinsic to Arabic phonetics and itdependss formeter, Arabic quantitative on aregular alteration oflong and point In of fact,grammar. not only English, as well, Hebrew but recognizes no such distinction. in Hispano-Hebrew poetry, starting with Yet the mid-10th vow century, syllables “short” grammatical reasons, Hispano-Hebrew’s all are unstressed, Arabic- the English too,ere, however, translatorstyle isnot without tends meter in Since, regular quantitative in recourses. to result and Hebrew of stressed patterns for unstressed syllables like those found in English poetry, Halevi’s so that a line of Yehuda aloudread is not very different ain its metrical John effect from,linesay, of Donne’s. poetry, generally translatingIn therefore, I have Halevi’s fallen back on the common English meters. the These do not necessarily same sequences stressed/unstressed have and I often chose Hebrew, as doesthem Halevi’s on the basis of the first linetwo orof a translation to come to mind, instinctively following without ear my noticing where it was leading me—but this, after all, deal of a metricalgreat is how poetry gets writ initial consonant of the rhyming syllable itself, repeat must too; Lament For thus, in“A o be Arabic-style sure, mono-rhyming either, isnot so easy, since in Hebrew the each lineMoshe ibn Ezra,” ends in of nouns, verbs, and adjectives the having Hebrew letter final of suchlarge whereas words, inventories a mono-rhymed 34-line poem in English is all unimaginable.but one, seem may monotonous to our ears, its purpose is not the same as that of European lthough such scheme arhyme in aHispano-Hebrew poem, especially Ratherrhyme. of sameness-within-difference than pattern a varied create along that links certain lines while separating them from others (as ina sonnet, for instance), it func T onw, brief technical words for those matters who interested: are ranslating Hispano-Hebrew poetry intoEnglish isin some respects amore dif long how matter it is—is possible and Arabic because in both Hebrew languages have grammatical stressed numerous ono-rhyme—the suffixes canrhymed that be afterline repetition line. example An ofasingle rhyming syllable throughout apoem, no in which Moshe ibn the Ezra,” Lament last For of every word oneof this is Poem “A 10, linesof the 34 Hebrew poem’s has the masculine plural ending Hispano-Hebrew poems was a distich numbering between 20 and 30 syllables and divided equal into two hemistichs. Because the texts in this Hebrew selection were taken from different anthologies, some poemsappear with longer, distich-length lines and some with the shorter, hemistich-length ones into which their editors divided them.) English, In on the other and hand,“–ed” “–ing,” grammatical suffixes “–s,” like unstressed and doare not rhyme.

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ

alkin

illel H Introduction H Translator & Annotator Translator ּבְ �

עֲדֵ י

וְָאחִ י

וְאֵיכָ ה

נִיתִ עֲ ים, רֵ עַ י

ָאעִ יר

“

אֵ י� ָאה אֶקְרְ א

אֶמְאֲסָ ה

רֹות זְמִרו בּונִ י חֲׁשָ ּנ

אֶ ל צְרִ י

ּכָ ל בַכַ ד

ּכַ ד

גִלְעָ ד for a Jug of Wine סֹובֵ א לְ ֹב

יְמֹותַ י

S עֲדֶ נָ ה–

ׁשְלַחְ ּתֹו וְעֵקֶ ב

1

Admirer

לְנֶגְּדִ י– R

עֹוד וְעו

זֹאת ּומִּפִ יו

ּובַעְסִיסְ �

וְ �א

�א

רֹות זְמִ יר ָאעִ ּבְ� ָאעִ יר זְמִ ר ֹות אֲׁשֶ ר עּו נָגְ ּ

לּונִ י ׁשְאֵ ּנ

אֶׁשְּתֶ ה אֶטְעֲמָ ה

“ עַ ד Brother joins Jug in lays, my For the nectar sent for lips. you For my I’ve only begun to pick up. To and for onlyI’ve begun to pick To up. How much longer willHow play the you rake?” I shall sing praise your all days my Even thoughEven all come! “Come, friends my say, צּו מָ ּ What end should I stop When andtwo not four?” yet are years my And drink shan’t every to cure ache? And from cease sips him my I won’t

“I’m too“I’m the down young to put cup “What?” Gilead’s balm I’ll “I have reply.

ּכַ The Poet Thanks an “ טּוב

ד ּפֵ א לְרַ פ

לְ מָ תַ י ? ” ׂשְפָתָ י, ׁשְנֹותַ י! גְּדְנֹותָ י, מִ ְדנוָ י ” מַחֲלֹותָ י?

IJIJIJIJIJIJI- in the in the short-long-long-long, short- is short-long-long-long, “ some verse. improvised a jug of wine, to which he replied with a jug of with wine, which he replied to with friends when an admirer sent over over sent admirer an when friends with sitting, so would it seem, in a tavern few years younger. In any event, he was In any years younger. few was 23, as he could have been quite a been aswas he could have quite 23, Poet Thanks writ isAdmirer” an The This doesThis not,course, he of that mean have the numerical value of 20 and four.) four.) numerical and value of 20 the have “jug,” whose kaf two letters dalet and “jug,” (In Hebrew, the pun is on the word kad, word on the pun is the (In Hebrew, forms us,forms poet the when was 24. not yet written, as its last,written, punning stanza in- to us, this is the earliest that is datable, is earliest that the us, is to this poem of Halevi’s to have come down come have to poem of Halevi’s Although not necessarilyAlthough earliest the trains. - qua English anapestic, ABAB-rhymed as the 12 lines of three predominantly predominantly lines of three as 12 the have been rearranged in my translation translation been in my have rearranged first distich. The poem’s 10 hemistichs hemistichs 10 The distich. poem’s first and s’fatai and ofy’motai rhyme ternal rhyming syllable is introduced by the in- the by syllable introduced rhyming is customary in mono-rhymed customary poems, the long-long-long, short-long-long. As was short-long-long. long-long-long, m’rubeh, Its meter, known in Hebrew as the in Hebrew known Its meter, composed of two 11-syllable hemistichs. ten in five mono-rhymed distichs, each in five mono-rhymed distichs, ten S

2 R Be again our seal and coat-of-arms! Be witnesses, my wild mountains that crossed, you Like Hermon’s dew on Gilboa bare Like cast? Hermon’s My wealth Beacon of tears. My of the West, The day you left them would have leftThe been day you themwouldhave their last. when scant rains are set against heaven’s That What will do, O peerless you tongue, among the dumb, Where, gone, that are will now you I findrest? When departed, you with all went you hearts, And had they not believed return, would you Ezra, On His Leaving Andalusia

ָאז הֵ ן אֹו נֵ ר

אֵ י� ּתָ נַ ע לּולֵ י

ׂשָפָ ה

ׁשַחַ ק

חֹותָ ם

יֹום מַ ה

הַרְרֵ י ּגֹועַ מַרְ אֶמְצְָאה? ַאחֲרֶי� אֵי� ַאחֲרֶי� אֶמְצְָאה מַרְ ּגֹועַ ?

מַעֲרָ בִ י To Moshe ibn עֲלֵ י וְהַּלֵ ב מְ אֹד

ַאחֲרֶ י� לְטַ ל בֹות לְבָבו

בְרּורָ ה, ּפְרִידָ ה

בֶתֶ ר כָ ל

ׁשּוב

עִּמְ � ּכִילַ י ּת

מַ ה לֵ ב לּו יִחֲ ּ

מֹון חֶרְמו

נּוַמְ ּ ָאה אֶמְצְ א

יְעִ ידון לְ �

יִּנֹועַ .

יֹום

וְכָ ל

וְדִ מְעִ י אֱלֵ י

ּכִ י

אֶ ל לְמַעְרָ בָ �,

גְ�עַ לִ . ׁשּובְ � ּגֹועַ מַרְ ? ׁשֹועַ . מְטַ ר זְרֹועַ ! אֶ ְֹע הֶ יֵה גִלְּבֹועַ ? עִּלְ גִ ים, -

IJIJIJIJIJIJ-

Lik cultivated Spanish south and the less south the and Spanish cultivated lines. ten translation’s ofin six the David, the two the David, symbolizing more the “cast”) “West,” “against,” “crossed,” “last,” cursed with barrenness by the biblical the by cursed barrenness with as shalem, known the Its meter, of –o’a. a high per Halevi, by favored who wrote (“rest,” used half-rhymes ending similarly tallest peak, Gilboa, Mount lowly and mono-rhyme the which have distichs, most two the meters shalem were the I have and iambic pentameter, mainstay, as Mount Hermon, the Land of Israel’s Landas the Hermon, Mount of Israel’s of five consists Moshe ibn Ezra” “To The m’rubeh long-long-long. long. and old English that is translation of the teau. These are refigured in the in refigured poem Theseteau. are lettered north. Poet Thankse “The Admirer,” an long-long-short- is long-long-short-long, The meter poems of his centage in them. its high mountains to the Castilian pla the its- high to mountains tory, Ibn Ezra would have had to cross cross to Ibn had Ezra would have tory, - terri Christian reach world.Muslim To was at the western end of the medieval of the end western was the at “Beacon of the West” because“Beacon West” of the Andalusia this poem Halevi callsthis of farewell, him driven into exile In Spain. in northern into driven when Haleviwhen was teens, he was in his that city in 1090, whichthat took place following the Almoravid conquest of conquest following Almoravid the and prominent family in Granada, prominent and but south, with its more lively and sophis and lively its more with south, Ibn Ezra belonged a wealthy to patron. in which was he born Muslim the for importantand most was first his literary Halevi left the Christian north of Spain Halevi left Christian the Moshe ibn Ezra (1055–1135) critic and As an aspiring young poet, Yehuda As aspiringan young poet, Yehuda poet lusia, Hispano-Hebrew great the ticated literary culture. There, in Anda- in There, literary culture. ticated S 3 b al sp R So that they and wave bow to Yitzhak, She a different wears of pattern wild flowers: beenSo glorious a garland have must Stolen her by from the in stars heaven! She stepped outside today in a new dress, Go forthGo progeny your and give and multiply, On whom grace rains its benisons! God’s down Come, then, let us picnic on her greensward Of winter’s showers, the clouds her nurse— wet Or better yet, a maiden, long indoors kept cold, by irds’ song, laugh. l ring rain, Drinking deeply from discernment’s sources, But Yitzhak’sBut glory cannot be denied. For you, Don Isaac, my voice flows in pure verse, you, Don voice flows in pure my Isaac, For Like a dancing girl, behind a veil of leaves. Let it play branches the around myrtle’s Long skirt spread wide. Yet everyLong day skirt spread wide. Yet Hot withHot sunshine hoarded in a pot Her piningHer heart is healed. Coquettishly, I hear his name; think then seeing how him I fain such rise at would a sunrise to a breeze Not a smatter of the a smatter to beNot latter’s had. (Chilly to the touch, they’re fire, inward Now pink, a pearly turquoise, now now Now pale, blushing as thoughNow red a lover. by kissed Rejoicing with the juice and the vine’s jays My ears are gladdened are ears My when, thinking of him, The spirit generosity, of your The pursuance of your praises my life’s pledge.The pursuance praises life’s of your my The drops that fall like beads of glass unstrung, bringsThat embraces from friend! a dearest The earth’s an infant, suckingThe earth’s the at breast Whose knowledge nests and frolics in being. your Without a modicum of bad, in him double and acclaim! redouble my Would When such by surrounded are honors? you Whose name means laughter and with whom While palm clap trees their the hands at We’ll greet the greet We’ll in dawn a tree-shaded park, Whose boughs softly weep a from last With the passionate daughters of the vine! White-trimmed with gold embroidery, Who the days here, warm longed Now, for love. And may their sons and son’s sons have moreAnd sons their may sons have sons and son’s Although no ordinary grandee is all good All the pitched in virtues camp you, have And wisdom your rallies their joint forces; And I reply: Refute can, me you if And bear their scent to cherished hearts afar As through her she tears smiles and wipes away And and fluttering murmuring doves, gaily, And poured from there into the finest crystal.) You plumb the of things mysteries unseen,You Yet how win how the to add race to these Yet “It is a godly the“It whole jest,” world says, the put All“To in thrall to just one man!” ּת ּכִ י ּכִ י ּכִ י ּכִ י ּכִ י אֹו To Yitzhak ibn el-Yatom ְ ּבָ � ּבָ � ּכָ ל

עֵ ין יָפּו ַא� ּה ּבָּ ַ ַ ּגֶפֶ ן

מַ ה מַ ה ׁשֵ ם ׁש מִׁ

לָכֵ ן ּולְ �

ּה ּגַּנָּ

קַ יִץ ָאכֵ ן

ּתָ רֹן רּוח רּוח

יֹונָ ה

אֶרֶ ץ

הֹודֹו

א ֹמַ ר מָסָ � יחֹו רֵיֹ יׁש נַּגִ ׁ קָרָ ה ּיֹום מִ יו חֶסֶ ד ּתָמָ ר

ׁשֶבַ ח ּולְכָ ל

נַפְׁשִ י נַפְׁשִ י ּגִׁשְמֵ י ּת ּכִ זְרֹק

:

ּורְ אֵ ה יִצְחָ ק

ּתֹו� מִ תו חֹות צַחו ינֹות ּבֵ נו

נַפְׁשָ � נַפְׁשָ � ּפַרְּדֵ ס

ּה בָּ ּוסְעִ יף

ּה נַפְׁשַּ ַלְּבִ ין לְ

יׂש ּתָׂשִ ׂ

ּדַ ר

יֹום

חָׁשְקָ ה תֹאמַ ר, ּתִׂשְמַ ח ּבִלְ בּוׁש

ּכָ ל

ּובֹו ּתִמְׁשִ יל

זֹאת

ּנְגָ ה מִתְעַ נג ח יֹונֶקֶ ה יַלְּדָהת יְתָ הָ ּכְ אֶרֶץ ּכְ יַלְּדָה הָ יְתָ ה יֹונֶקֶ ת “ כֹוכְבֵ י מֹו ׁשְ ֹ

ּפְרֵ ה ּבְעַ ד יְתָ הָ ה בַעֲ בֹת ֹ ּכְלֵ י ּבְ רֹן

ָאה מָצְ א מִּמַהֲלָלְ � וְ אֹזֶן נַהֲ �� בְנֵ י

נֹופְפָ ה מִתְ ֹפפ

ּגְבִ יר הְִַּ י נָעֲמָ ה

ָ

ּכְלִ י ּכְ קֹר

יֹום לְיו וְאֵ ין סְתָ ו ּולְתַעֲלֻמָ ה

ַ

עֲלֵ י

פְרָחֶ יה

ּבְרִׁשְּפֵ י אֶכְרְתָ ה

בְכָ ל נְדִ יבָ ה בּונָ ה ּתְ ּנ ַ לְבִכְ יַת וְׁשִ יר ַ רּוח לְרו

הֲדַ ס

לְעֵ ין

וְתֵבֵ ל

ַעְׁשְעָ ה רֹו זִכְ בְזכ ֹ

ּה בַּחֲזֹותָּ יַלְּדָ ה ּכְ ְַד ּת

נַהֶ מְ גֶ ת אֲ ק

לְעֵ ת קֵ ן

עֲלֵיהֶ ם

ּבְדֹודֵ י רֹקֶדֶ וְ ת קְרָ בָ יו יבֹות ּנְדִ הַ נד בו

אֵ ל

רַ ק ָ

ּבְדֹולַ ח ּבַ ל

ְ וְכִפְלַ יִם מְׂשַחֶקֶ ת

ָ

ּיָה צְבִָּ הֲ �א ּד

ּת ּפָ א נִרְ פ

וְתֹורִ יק לְעִ ּתֹות

רּוגַ ת עֲ ּג

עָלֶ ה כַּלָ ה ׁשְקִ ים

לָ � עֵינֵ י

וְדִ מְעַ ת ָאזְנִ י

נְדִ יבִ ים

ּפֹור צִ פו ּורְ בֵ ה

ׁשֹהַ ם

ׁשֶלֶ ג בָנִ ים ֵ ם

יִצְחָ ק קֹול

יפֹות חֲלִ פו

עִ ם ַחַ ת

ׂש חֶרֶׂ מִינֵ י

ּת

אֶ ת

יִצְחָ ק

עִּמָ �

מְ אֹד ּה לָּ בִּלְ בּוׁש

מֵׁשִ יב ְ ׁשָמְעָ ה

אֹדֶ ם

עִּמָ � ּפָ ז יִגְאֶ ה הִ יא טֹוב

סֹוד וְסו

ּתְהִ י

עֵ ת ַאהֲבָ ה מַחֲ נֶ ה

מֹול אֶתְמו ַאחֲרִ ית

וְיָד עָ ב יְתָ הָ ה יְתָ הָ ה

ּכְ רֹן

הָרְ בִ יב

לְבַ ב יְדִ הַ יד ּתִהְ יֶה ּדֹודִ ים

ַחְּבִ יר

יְתָ הָ ה

ּת עָׂשָ ה

ּבְ יַד מֵעֲנָ ק

אֲ נִ י

לְׁשִ יר

עַ ד

סּות ּכְסו וְתָ נִ יף

יְמֵ י

ַחֲ וָ ה לְכַ ף סִ יס

יְקָ ר

מֹו ׁשְ ֹ וְהִ יא

ּה אֹהֲבָּ

קּו רָחֲ ּ

הַּׁשְחָרִ ים ַאהֲבָ ה

ח

וְעֵ ין נֶחֱלַ ק

בּונָ ה הַּתְ ּנ ּבְלִ י ֹ

ָאהֳלֵיהֶ ם וְגַ ם לּוָאה כְּל וא לְבָנֶ י�

נְחֵ וְהַ ל נ וְעָ ב צְמָחִ ים

ּבְלִּבָ �

אֲמָרַ י ּכְחֶרֶ ס עֹו בְׁשִמְ ֹ צְלָלִ ים ֹ ׁשֹונִ לְ י ׁש כְאֵׁ מּותֹו ּדְמ וֹ

עֲדֵ י

וְ �א וְיִּכָפֵ ל

ּיַי חַַּ

נֶגֶ ד ׁשְחַרְ נּוהּו

ָ מִּׁשְ בָחֶ י�

ּת מֹות הָרְקָמו

וְרִ קְמַ ת ּכְעַ ל ּת יֹונֶקֶ ת אֶ ל

עַלְמָ ה

עֵ ת מַצְּדֶקֶ ת.

ׁשֹתֶקֶ ת. עַ ל וְעָ ב עַ ל ּבֹודֶקֶ ת, זְעֶקֶ מַ ת. יֹוצֶקֶ ת. ּה ּתֹפְׂשָּ לְרֵ יח חֹבֶקֶ ת. ׁש ּומִ ַקְׁשֶקֶ ת. עֹוסֶקֶ ת, הַהֲדַ ס אֱ להֹיִם

ׂשֹחֶקֶ ת. מַעְנֶקֶ ת, זֹורֶקֶ ת; מַמְּתֶקֶ ת; נִּׁשֶקֶ ת, הַ ִֶֶּ ת ׁשֶקֶ ת. עֹׁשֶקֶ ת. ּת נָגַ ע

ּפַּנֶקֶ ּומִתְ ת,

סְבִיבֶ יה חֹלֶקֶ ת. רָ וְתָ ה אֶחֱ ׁשֹוב וְכַ ף ׁש מִ ּפְנֵ י זַרְ עֲ � עּו ּתָקְ ּ

ּת וַּתְהִ י צֹחֶקֶ ת. ׁשֶקֶ ת. זֶקֶ מֻחְ ת! סֹופֶקֶ ת, ׁשִחֲרָ ה וְהֵ ן בַּסְתָ ו, ּפֶקֶ ת. ּומִתְרֶֶַּ ת ּבָרֶקֶ ת, מּוצֶקֶ ת, יָסְפָ ה מַעְּתֶקֶ ת! תַעֲנֶ ה ” ׁש ׁשֵׁ ׁשְלָחֶ יה ּבְבַ ת ַעֲלֶ ה טֹוב ּבֶקֶ ת? מֻדְֶֶּ ת ּכַאֲׁשֶ ר לִ י ּבְרִ ית ַהֲ פֹ�, ׁשֹוקֶקֶ ת, מַרְ חֶקֶ ת,

מֵינֶקֶ ת, ּבְעַ ד

עָסִ יס מַחְלֶקֶ ת! ּדֹולֶקֶ ת. זְמַ ן ּבְפָנֶ יה רְ סִ יס

אֲבָ ל ׁשְ בַ ח סְבִ יב ַחֲלִ יף מַפְסֶקֶ ת, ַאֲּדִ ים ּכְבַ ת וְרַ ע– חֹוק צְחו קֹול וְקו

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ-

IJIJIJIJIJIJ. Apart IJIJIJIJIJIJ IJIJIJIJIJIJ IJIJIJIJIJIJ The H

“he laughs.” like that of the biblical patriarch, means means biblical of the patriarch, that like el-Yatom, whose of Yitzhak,name first el-Yatom, the extolling of “the dearest friend,” Ibn friend,” dearest of “the extolling the the poet introduce his main theme, theme, main his poetthe introduce scene has been fully developed does with a hamper of wine. Only when this of a hamper wine. this with when Only group of early-rising picnickers ventures ventures picnickers of early-rising group dalusian spring morning into which a dalusian morning spring into mono-rhymed is ebrew a description of a flower-strewn An- a description of a flower-strewn begins a secondary with theme—here, qasida, a longish poem that as qasida, the tery, written in an Arabic form known Arabic in an known form written tery, Yet it is marvelously is it well-crafted flat Yet need be been assumed have sincere. to and not all of the flattery in this this poem in flattery not all and of the to praise their patrons lavishly in verse, lavishly patrons praise their to Hispano-Hebrew poets expectedHispano-Hebrew were ibn Ezra’s banishment from Andalusia. from banishment ibn Ezra’s Halevi’s in the period in the following Moshe Halevi’s el-Yatom was a patron of Yehuda of Yehuda was a patron el-Yatom A wealthy Andalusian Jew, Yitzhak ibn Andalusian Jew, A wealthy rhyming. closing lines, my translation foregoes closing lines, translation my from a few places, such as the poem’s places, a few from as poem’s such the

S

4 R Or the heart whom by it is turned? Does the whose tear know cheek it runs down, It turns to its light turns It that in is now the ground, Returned is a grandee of our town, And the not ground who knows has returned. A man who God and feared was upright and learned. Carved on a Tombstone יְרֵ א וְ �א

עּו וְיֵדְ ּ

עּו יֵדְ הֲיד ּ הֲפָכָ ם

ּבְתֹוכָ ם

ׁשְפָכָ מִי ם הַּדְמָעֹות יֵדְעּו הֲ ְֵּ ַדמעו ִ שפכ עּו יֵדְ ּ הָאֵ ל

ּבֹוא ׂשַ ר

בֹות הַּלְבָבו וְאִ יש

עֹות מָ הַּדְ ָעו

רְ גָבִ ים

מִ י דֹול, וְגָ ֹל

מְאֹורָ ם מִ י

בֹון נָבו מַ ה

ּתָ ם

ּתֹו�

הֲפָכָ ם? ׁשְפָכָ ם וְחָכָ ם. וְיָׁשָ ר, ּבְתֹוכָ ם. רְ גָבִ ים

IJIJIJIJIJIJ- and its repetition of key words words of key its and repetition each time that it also it moves forward. that each time lines, double causing to it back on itself the end and beginning and end the of consecutive –kham at b’tokham) r’gavim, (e.g., hafakham, depends equally on its of mono-rhyme unknown “grandee.” Its music lovely “grandee.” unknown composed for the tombstone of an ofcomposed an tombstone the for three distichs long, poem little distichs was this three sions like weddings like sions funerals. and Only ing by writing verse to order for occa for order - verse to writing ing by patrons, the young Halevi the made a liv patrons, In addition to the financial support financial the In addition to of S 5 R Stick plainly to what you see! God joins them in a rock of ages

By two such two standBy blessed now souls we Leave what was and what willLeave be. Her young man:Her One look can bag him, Every lad must hunt his lion, his ladEvery hunt must Whose light bright rays the up dark And each lass should her keep eye on As though Levite by and Priest. by And a single snag may him. word And park. of this waste make Eden’s Yet when to a gem a gem engaged is, Yet A Wedding Poem צְבִ י ׁשְ נֵ י יְקָ ר וְקַ ח

ּבְעַ יִן זֹוב עֲזו

וְנַהֲרֵ י וְׂשָפָ ה מְאֹורֵ י אֲסָפָ ם

ּנּו ּתְצּודֶּ ּ לָ �

אִ ם

יָצּוד לֹות ּכְהִּתָלו

ַאבְנֵ י

אִ ם

נִתְ לָ ה אֹור וְהָ יִהְ אֲׁשֶ יָהיֶה ר לִרְאֹות עֲזֹוב לִרְאֹות אֲׁשֶ ר יִהְ יֶה וְהָ יָ ה

נַחֲלֵ י

אֹות לִרְאו

יֹות לִהְיו יְקָ ר

ָ

מֵאֲׁשֶ ר ּכְהֻּנָ ה ּבְעֵינָ יו

עֵדֶ ן

ּתְמִיתֶ ּנּוּ ּ יֵהּו ּתְחַ ֵּ ּבְאֶרֶ ץ

בֹוד ּבְכָבו

אֶבֶ ן אֲׁשֶ ר

הֵּמָ ה

בְעֵינֵ יה ּיָה, צְבִ יה מִ ין ּתִרְ אֶ ה

ּיָה. ּבְצִ יה וִּיָה. בַלְ ִיה

וְיָמּות וְחָ יָה. יִהְ יֶה

יֹות הָאֲרָיו ּיָה, ׁשְתִ יה וְהָאֵ ל מַאֲפֵלְ יָה ינֹו ּבְמִיֹ וְהָ יָה ּיָה! אִ רְא יה

IJIJIJIJIJIJ- I h illuminating, however briefly, a fallen illuminating, briefly, however groom and bride are an Adam and Eve Eve and Adam an bride and groom are touch, its final declaration that every itsthat final declaration touch, to the wedding the to guests. all its For light world hope new a solemn with is one. dis six poem’s the translated ave undoubtedly meant to be aloud to read undoubtedly meant humor to ultimate gravity, his poem his was gravity, ultimate humor to is also unknown. Moving from initial initial also Moving from is unknown. ding Halevi celebrated in this poem in this ding Halevi celebrated The identity of the couplethe whoseof The identity wed- own rhyme.own tichs as English couplets, as English tichs its each with S 6 Ofra R עָ פְ רָ ה She doesn’t have to take it to theShe trough, doesn’t have Ofra doesOfra her laundry in tears my Or wait hang to it till the weather clears. And dries it in the sunshine she off. gives �א

עֵינַ י,

ּדִ מְעִ י עָפְרָ ה

וְ �א

ׁשָאֲלָ ה

כַּבֵ ס ּתְ ַב מֵ י

וְתִׁשְטָחֵ ם

ׁש– ׁשֶמֶ ש אֶ ת

יֹפִ לְ י

ׁש לְׁשֶמֶׁ ָ יָנֹות– הָעֲ ָֹת

עִ ם

גָדֶ ּבְ יה ּבְמֵ י ּה זָהֳרָּ ּה. : תָאֳרָ ׁשְּתֵ י

IJIJIJIJIJIJ Hebrew poetryHebrew age. of the and female lovers in the Arabic and in the lovers female and were conventional metaphors male for conventional were “doe” in Hebrew, and stags and does and in Hebrew, “doe” young lady’s real name. The word means means name. The word real young lady’s case, would been certainly not have the text for a display of wit. “Ofra,” in any in any of wit. “Ofra,” a display for text disappointing flirtation- simplya or pre whom the youngwhom Halevi the conducted a may have been a real woman with been with woman have a real may The subject of this bantering epigram subjectThe bantering this of ׂש עֶרֶׂ רַ עְ יַת

ְ

ּת מַָאסְּ

לִקְרַ את ּדְ וָ י

ּבִ י צְבִ י,

חֲלַ ל

הִפְכִ י

עַל־ּכֵ ן

�א־טֹוב

חִׁשְקֵ �

ׂש לְעֶרֶׂ ּת ּתְרִ יקִ ין יֹות הֱיו

קְרָ ב

לִ י

S ּדֹודֵ �

7 R Love’s War חֲ ית, נִ וַאְ נִ י

ׁשְבִי, קִרְ בִ י ַעֲנּוג, ׁש בַ ּודְ ַׁ זִיקִי, הַחְ ׁשּובְאֵׁ

נְ דֹד

ּבְנַפְׁשִ י וְחָלָ ב וְרִ כְבֵ י

Over this fallen soldier fightyour war, sickbed my to a bedConvert of bliss! Reverse your chariotReverse your and with one kiss Then make him still burn more withdraw. as you I shouldThat languish in captivity. And let it strike a heart that doesn’t care. And yet, sweet, my I deem it not seemly You have stopped loving me, so have cast spear your You זִיקִ הַחְ י חֲלַל קְרָב חִׁשְקֵ� לִקְרַאת חֲלַל חִׁשְקֵ� קְרָב הַחְ זִיקִ י ּנְ דֹד הַ נ ֹ אֹהֲבֵ �

הַָאהֲבָ ה

אֶמְאֲסָ ה–

נִיקִ הָ י. הַרְ חִיקִ י. הַדְ לִיקִ י. הָרִ יקִ י!

IJIJIJIJIJIJ News?” My Darling, Have You Barred All All Barred Darling,My You Have gnant love affairgnant described in “Why, was twenties, poi in his the prior- to probably written by Halevi he by when probably written and time. Like “Ofra,” it was it most “Ofra,” time.and Like warfare, equally typical is of its place poem, its with metaphor of sexual Herrick or Andrew Marvell. Yet the the Marvell. or Andrew Herrick Yet make some readers think of Robert some think readers make four-distich poem of Halevi’s may may poem of Halevi’s four-distich England, and my rendition of this of this rendition England, my and Metaphysical poets of 17th-century centuries have been compared to the the been to have compared centuries Hebrew poets of the 11th and 12th 12th and poets Hebrew 11th of the Hispano- language, great their the conceits, playful the and intricacy of and the spiritual, their love of fanciful their spiritual, the and In their fusing together of the physical of the fusingIn their together לּו אֹו חֵ י ּבֵ ין

ַא� �א �א

אִ ם

מַ ה

ָאכֵ ן אֵ י�

ּבֵינִ י

מַ ה־ מֶׁשִ י יַעְרִ י ּנֵ ה הִ נ

רֵיחִ י הֵמַ ר מֵימֵ י חֶרֶ ס ּבָנִ ים

נַפְׁשִ י

ׁשּובִ י,

ׁש ׁשֶמֶׁ

ַאחֲרֵ י ּבָאתִ י

ּפִקְדִ י,

לּו ּת

מַרְ אֵ ה ּכַאֲׁשֶ ר ּבִׂשְדֵ ה

אֶׁשְּכַ ח מַ ר

ּלָ � ְ

לֹום ּבִׁשְלו

ּכִ ית מַׂשְִּ י

ׂשַמְּתִ י�

ַ ח

עֲלֵ י

ַאחֲרֵ י י־יִּתְ נֵנִ י מִייְּננ

תֵדְ עִ י

ּפ נְ דֹד

אִם־ּתִ גְזְלִ י

ַ אֵדְעָ ה ּובֵינֵ �

בֹוד ּכְבו ַאהֲבָ ה!

תִׁשְאֲלִ י

ּבְרֵ יח

יֹום ּבְיו

ׁש ּבְאֵׁ

ְצִ י נֹות ּובָנו בְׁשִ י וְדִ ְש

וְסַהַ ר, ּתֹאמְרִ י

וְרִ קְמָ ה

הַּפְרִידָ ה יְמִינִ י �א־אֶׁשְאֲלָ ה �א־אֶׁשְמְעָ ה נּו וְצּורֵ ּ

עֹות דְמָעו מּות דְמו בָרַ דְ יִ� ּבְפָ נַיִ�,

יָם

לְהָׁשִ יב

ּיָה, צְבִ י ה פְעָמַ יִ�

“

לִּבִ י

אִ ם

תֹוק ּומָתו מֹותִ י ּדְמּותֵ �

יְדִידֵ �,

ק

נּומִ י

ּבֵ ין ׁשָפְכֵ � מֹות עֲלָמו אֶחְ יֶה ּכְחֹותָ ם ֹו זִכְרִ י

ּׁש עָ ּ

הֵ ם

ּכִי־אֵ ין

נָׁשִ ים

ּבֵ ין ּפָקְדֵ � הֹון מֵהו אֹדֶ ם מֹותִ י? וְלַ יִל

בְנֹות־חֵׁשֶ ק בּו, חָׁשְבו לֹום לִׁשְלו

חִׁשְקֵ �

לְ �,

יְׁשִיבֵ � יְמֵ י לִחֲכָ ה

ּדְמֵ י לֹא־כֵ ן יַעֲ מֹד

זָכְרִ ּבְ י ּכְפַחִ ים

ָאזְנַ י ּבְָזנ ּבְלֵ יל רֹו לְעָבְ ֹ

עֹות מָ ּדְ ָעו ּתִמְ נְעִ י ”

זְמַ ן וְהֵ ן מָר־ּדְרֹורֵ � עֲלֵ י אִ ם נֵינּו עַל־ׁשְניּ סֹות ּכְסו

מִּׂשְ מֹאלִ י, ּומֵ י מַעֲׁשֵ ה

וְכִימָ ה ּבַחֲלֹומִ י

צְלָעַ י

ל־ּגְוִּיָתִ י, אֶ ־גוִָּ י לְדֹודֵ � ׂשְפָתַ יִ�, יַעֲלַת־חֵ ן

לִּבִ י אֲבָ ל

ּתְהִּלָתָ ן, לִּבִ י, לְחַ ּיֹות אִּׁשֵ ך עַ ל־יְמִינִ י,

וְהֵ ם

לֻ ּמֹות אֲל מו יְדִידֵ �–

חִׁשְקֵ �,

חִׁשְקִ י ּגּופֵ � חֶלְקֵ י

בִכְ יִי, סַּפִ יר לּו

ּפֹץ אֶחְֹּ

וְהֵ ם עֵדַ י :

יׁש, יְדֵ־אִיש S אֶׁשְמַ ע מֹו ּכְ ֹ

8 R בֹר, יַעֲ ּכֵ ן קָרְ בּו, ָאז ְ ־ וְַאּתְ ּבָ �

ׁשַאֲלִי אִ ם

אֲהָּה, לִּבִ י נֶעֱצַר לִּבִ י ַאהֲבָה ׁשּתִׁ עֲלֵי דָמִ י יַעֲלֶה קֹול

הֲ�א אֶּתֵ ן אֲבָל הַחֵ ן יַעֲרַ ת נֹפֶ ת

יֶהֱמּו גַּלָ יו,

אֶמְהֲלָה, אּולַ י קְעּו רִ אֹתֹו, ּכְמֹו נִרְּדִ י

וְגַם ַאבְנֵ י ה עַד־אֶאֱרֶ ּבֹׂשֶ ם רֹאׁש

ׁשְ נֵי עֵדִ ים נִגְזְרָ ה, עִמְדִ י זְּכֹראֶזֹּ נִי אֲ ׁשָ נִ ים

ּזְמָן מִ ּבִלְּתִ י

ּת

־ וְַאּתְ הֹודהַהו עֲלֵי סִתְרֵ י בְּיֹום נָסְעֵ �

אֲ נִי אֶהְ יֶה לְבַד חּוטמִחו מִ צִירָ יִ� ּדֹוד, :

אֶל־מְחֹוז חֶפְצֵ �

ּבְעֵת אֶרְ אֶ ה חָפְׁשּו, יֹותלִהְיו ּנְאּו קִ יֹותלִהְיו

מִּׁשְ אֹול אֶׁשְאֵ ל חַלְלֵי חִׁשְקֵ �

וְאִ ם ּזְמָ ן הַ זמ

ַחֲ וֶיַן

אֲ נִ י ּומֹר עּו נִבְקְ ּ ׁשְ נָ ת דּו נִכְּבְ ּ ּפַעֲ מֹן ּומֹרִ י

י ּתִפְרְׂשִ רֹו– ל־זָהֳ עַ ־ֳָרו

וְהַ יֹפִ י

ַ

מְעַ ט

ׂשְפָתִ י

צִירָ יִ� צְבִ ּתִמְנְעִיּיָה, ּלָ� מַה ּלָ� צְבִ ּיָה, ּתִמְנְעִי צִירָ יִ�

ּנְ דֹד הַ נ ֹ יֹום וְיו לְבָבִ י

ּבְרֵיחִ י וְעַל־ּכִ י

Why, My Darling, Have You Barred All News?

ּפְתִילִ ם צְלָעָ יו בֹות לְבָבו יַעֲלָה, אִם־אֶׁשְּכְחָ ה יֵלֵ � לְחָ יַיִ�

מְעֹותַ י בְדִ ְֹת עֲבָדַ יִ� ּבֵ ין ּכְחֹותָ ם לְהֹוסִ יף דֹדַ ּבְ יִ� ּבְצֵאתֵ � ּכְַאחַ יִ� אֶעְּבְרָ ה־נָ א עֵינַ י ּבֹו

ּיִ�, ׂשְפָתַ י � ׂשְפָתַ יִ�

זָהָ ב

עָבֵ י

מִּבֵ ין

וְהַחֶמְּדָ ה

ַאל יִׁשְ א ּיֹום הַ יו

וְ�א־אּוכַ ל

קֹול מֵימָ יו

קֹול

וְאֶל־אֶרֶ ץ

ילֹות לֵ לו

סּות ּכְסו

עַ ל ׁש בַ ּודְ ַׁ כּו ׁשָפְ ּ

ׁשְ נֵ י

צּו קִצְ ּ

אּו מָלְ ּ עֲלֵ י עֲלֵ י

אֶּׁשֳקָ ה יּו יִחְ ּ

קּו ׁשָחֲ ּ

ַאהֲבַ ת גֹור חֲגו

ָאה יָצְ א עֲ בֹר

לְכַ ף עַד־אֶחֱ זֶה

לֻּמֹותָ לַאֲ יִ�!

עַל־ׁשְ נֵ י וְגֶחָלָ יִ�! לְמַּסָעָ יִ�. זְרֹוע

עֵינָיִ�, ֹו Slain sword, your by think of this corpse Surely you know a lover’s thoughts a lover’s Surely know you So does mine through yours! O on the day that you revive Love’s fallen legions Love’s O on the day that revive you Of your ambrosiaOf your on lips–but my could I mix live thatGod to drain I may grant the lees, Once limbs’ more, of your elixirs! sweet O would you wore me as wore a seal you O would upon arms your Care only forCare the sound hellos! of your a heart caged in there’s God if these knows ribs Or it has fled to joinyou your in journeys. that remember you Love by O swear days of embraces

Perfection in is praised you for being yours. Between and fire the flood, hot coals and cold deluges. Between us lies I cannot a sea of tears cross, Forget theirForget cunning I forget if the days, Honeyed kisses mixed with mixed kisses Honeyed hemlock of adieus, beenHas shredded into pieces, you by From one who achesFrom for inside you the ribs? bars of his own Hard for theHard heart the made are vagrant memories In whichIn hidden and all are myrrh good scents. If life, my love, will life, wishes, your If love, my have let you I listen, deep within me, for footsteps. your I would have a way to kiss you always. you to kiss a way have I would I’d send my love to you from the grave’s depths. from to you the send love grave’s my I’d (Though none’s the needlework that vies with Nature’s splendor, Nature’s grace)— (Though the splendor, none’s needlework Nature’s that vies with Nature’s May it bring destinations, to your May you My vaporous sighs are stoked by passion’s flames, sighs vaporous passion’s by My stoked are heart,My half sweetness and half bitterness, My exhalationsMy with their perfumed essence, My dearest, of our love’s first bliss! dearest, of our love’s My Make music on skirt,Make your or asking voice your I was, how Then all vast hoard is this: I ask of Time’s honeycomb, my were That and breasts, two your The pearl-and-coral teeth of your and lips; The sunlight in face, your on which night falls in cloudy tresses; Tell it you wish it you to send a friendTell regards. The fields of love have many harvesters– many The have fields of love They’d partThey’d beneath steps, your shed blood, my have witnesses— two you That I have Who, though freeborn, rather would be slaves, your What to be murderess want makes my you When only I would years? to your add years Which, gratis. you give it increase would sleep, your I’d Why, my darling, my Why, all barred you news have And God return you to your native grounds! And native to your you God return And and stars that constellations know even sistersAre of your and brothers your – envious And each piece twisted curlicues. into clothed are As you silks by and embroideries And icy your by floes, I am battered And thus it is that I am caught, alas, Abandoned its spirit by for travels! your Are women praised for their perfections? their to by And down is bowed harvest your sheaves. Although I cannot hear voice, your As I wear you on you mine!As I wear both May hands my At least,At parting if was the for reserved us, fate As I remember nights crammed with kisses, your And that, as through dreams likeness your my passes, And though if, dead, the I heard golden bells Yes, when I think of allYes, the youths and maidens girdled waist, theYour thread red of those lips Yet picturing fairness– your Yet veil, beauty’s which clothesYour eyes your You might have lingered might have till hadyour left face. gaze my You should approach but you its moaning waves, Yet lips and cheeks. their Don’t say Your crimson lies! steal the slumber from eyes, my You ּנְׁשִיקֹותָ יִ�; מִ נִׁקוָ י � יָדָ יִ�. וֻּצֹותָ יִ�; ּקְ ֻצוָ י� יָדָ יִ�?! וְַאחְיֹותָ יִ�, ׁשָדָ יִ�. ּנָיִ�, ׁשִ ני � לְעַפְעַּפָ יִ�! ׂשְכִּיֹותָ יִ�; הֲלִיכֹותָ יִ� ּובִׁשְלֹומָ יִ�! ּתְהִּלֹותָ יִ� ׁשְאֵלֹותָ יִ� וְׁשִפְחֹותָ יִ�. וְׂשִפְתֹותָ יִ�– ַאּפָ יִ�! מֵתָ יִ�, ?� : : : ׁשּולָ יִ�, צְעָדֹותָ יִ�! מֵימָ יִ�, צִירָ יִ כֻרֹותָ יִ�! מְכרוָ י� אֵלָ יִ�, ׁשְ מֹע ׁשְ�מֹותָ יִ�? תָ יִ� מָתְ נָיִ� פָנָיִ�! ּבַחֲלֹומֹותָ יִ�! : : חַ יָיִ�. .� ּתְׁשּוקֹותָ יִ�, ַאחֲרָ יִ�. נְׁשִיקֹותָ יִ�, רַ גְלָ יִ ּכְלּו�תָ יִ�.

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ I h lament at the end of each line.end the at lament question repeats itself repeats a subliminal question like feminine form of “Where are you?,” this this you?,” are of “Where form feminine since it is close is it in sound ayèkh,since to the for the missing loved one. Moreover, loved missing the for one. Moreover, it builds up slowly into a haunted cry a haunted builds into it up slowly “your,” nine, possessive suffix –àyikh, “your,” - femi second-personof the singular, table. Consisting of the twotable. of the syllables Consisting rhyme it fails to reproduce is inimi- is reproduce fails it to rhyme about her. about her. musicalthe the effectrhyme, true of word of herself. This is all we know is all know we This of herself. word does not only lack this sound. Yet “s” for a journey from which she sent no which sent she from a journey for 73 an lines with translation’s of my and who then, to his anguish, left him anguish, his to who and then, each ending by distichs, in all of its 39 with in the years before his marriage marriage years before his in the with which occurs of –ayikh, mono-rhyme one Halevi had an intense love affairone Halevi intense an had poem’s the sought imitate ave to real and momentous. She was momentous. She and somereal - the woman in “Why, My Darling?” was My in “Why, woman the poetic inventions or passingpoetic episodes, inventions in “Ofra” and “Love’s War” were either either were War” “Love’s and in “Ofra” theon of Hebrew verse.theon women of Hebrew If the him to earn him a place in the pan him earn - a placein the him to poems, probably the first written by poems, written first probably the This is one of the greatest of Halevi’s of Halevi’s greatest the is one of This S 9 R Souring our wine until taste our tears sweet, Because it sees man is but a vainBecause it sees man is but thing, For two of them, now far away, I pine, of them, two far away, For now It lays the splendidestIt of our sons low lines. hasfoursquare breached theIt Ibn Ezra’s Time on turns him. Like Abel killedCain, by While asking for Yosef I’m toldWhile I’m to wait, asking for Yosef And slays the darlings of our fancy. And for the days in which they the won palm; is gone.” “He And for Yehuda, ּפ ּכִ י

ַא� אֶ ל

ָרָ ץ ָאה רָ א

ּובְעַ ד זְרָ עֶ א

וַּיַהֲ רֹג נֶהְפַ �

ַאל אֶׁשְ א On the Death of Yehuda ibn Ezra

ׁשָ ת

זְמָ ן אֶחֱ זֶה הֶבֶ להָאֱנֹוׁש זְמָן ּכִי רָ ָאה זְמָן ּכִי הָאֱנֹוׁש הֶבֶ ל ּכֹל

מֹול ּתְמו לְצָ ר הַׁשְ נַיִם

ּכִ י ּבְעַ ד יְהּודָ ה

לְבַָ בֹו

יָמִ ים וְהִמְּתִ יק

ּפֶרֶ ץ עָלָ יו

יֹוסֵ ף מַחֲמַּדֵ י

רּו יֹאמְ ּ הָאֱ נֹוׁש לַהֲ רֹג

הַּבְכִ י יפּון יְנִ פו וְהִ ּנֹו

חֹוקִ ים הָרְחוִ י

עַ יִן.

לִ י

זָיִן; הֶבֶ ל רּו יֹאמְ וְ ֹמ ּ ּבִבְנֵ י קָ יִן,

ּבַעַ ת ּבְַארְ בע מִ יָיִן.

ן. ָאיִ לִ י

אֶהֱמֶ ה ָאז וְ א ּבְנֵ י יְקָ ר חֲכֵּ ה

IJIJIJIJIJIJ- / him. told that he was too busy to receive receive he was too busy to that told aimed at Yosef, an official in the official an in Cas aimed Yosef, at Halevi was death, following Yehuda’s Cain.”) The next-to-last line is a barb line The next-to-last Cain.”) see ing gone to him on somematter Time turns on him becomes and turns Time - hav Apparently administration tilian “Because hevel is sees it man that poem’s first Hebrew distich reads, distich Hebrew first poem’s of the biblical Abel. (Literally, the the biblicalof the Abel. (Literally, “vanity,” is also the Hebrew name name also Hebrew is the “vanity,” since hevel,since biblical the for word wrote for him for begins a pun, with wrote to die, and this elegy that Halevi elegy die, that this to and Yehuda was the first of the Ibn Ezras of was first the Yehuda was practicing medicine there. Christian Castile, as did Halevi,Christian who four lived in Toledo, the capital the of livedfour in Toledo, while in the early 12th century, all century, 12th while early in the Yehuda, Yitzhak, and Yosef. For a For Yitzhak, Yosef. and Yehuda, Moshe ibn Ezra had three brothers, brothers, Moshe ibn Ezra three had

S

10 R m u g just y t ca of go har w its b w d Shall with I quarrel what is fated? why fate? fault But Stink like garlic, the the more I miss speech. manna of your Our friendship is old; it goes back to when no one Or with time that goes by? What else should time do! y soul andnfractured whole. uzzled wines. esterday he days ll itgrain; ld! nessed or rode ithtribes. ounty. ill,hen you’re allarkens light, Damn theDamn fools who so wise are in their eyes own But I will I But storerooms stones for mine its rarest truth’s But theBut world writ is not in hand. new are God’s and its laws For the running tears For them. down I think—and remember Let fall all No, rain?” my I need from this poor age is what From which nations bornFrom are and the earth is peopled Like a skein from the spindle it runs straight and true, How expect themHow to change when they all bear His stamp, I’ll when say they come knocking. “Why on seedless soil It has taken from you me me and strife-minded given It men Needs from body: my Needs A place to live in while it lasts, Nothing is all good or bad; every potion is also a poison, Raised us in her spice and garden suckled us with Men are joined differences are how Men in order to part—that’s start, The source of all wisdom, nuggets pure were his words Time bore us separately, but Love, which Love, but boreTime us twins, bore us separately, dreaming? we What a traitor time once Were That were. is! theirThat lies own they deem the dogmas of true faith, The wagons of wandering’s road, soul and my With the exteriors of fashion they the up cover gems within. When I think (why, mountainsmany of you, away Wander-life, you are an old are friend— you Wander-life, Who pretend to be friends. The more their manners Was unpracticed parting, at Was and our days were And to abandon when it topples leave. and we And the day cursed as paltry one by man, others praise for A rich dish is a treat if you’re well,A rich dish you’re if is a treat hot coals in mouth your And so black is the sight of the that man who it is vexed clouded eyesAs are my because and Moshe wet is gone. And not till rest their bow to mine. down sheaves And all things run their course and each has its cause? cause And the River of Tears has flowed for haslong flowed years. And the River of Tears As does all not be This may made new; above. And faith my sorcery! They empty sew and reap and ears You were my pleasure’s peak!), the pleasure’s cheeks my blood my were leaves You “What? And pearls cast my before the swine?” A Lament for Moshe ibn Ezra ּפ וְלִ י עֲלּומִ מִימֵי יְדַעְ ים נְ נּו�דֹד מִימֵי עֲלּומִ ים ּובֹו אֲ זַי וְיֵׁש עֲלֵ י וְכָ ל וְכָ ל וְכָ ל

וְעִ ם וְ �א וְ �א כְּ מֹו

וְאֵ ין וְחִ צ וְאִ ם לְ נֹד ּובַ ת ּזֶה הֲֶּ

עֲנָנִ י

הֲ רֹב

וְאֵ י� וְאֵ י�

וְיִּקֹב

ֹו דֹאֵ וְ ג הּוא וְהו

אֲׁשֶ ר אֲׁשֶ ר אֲׁשֶ ר אֲׁשֶ ר אֲׁשֶ ר אֲׁשֶ ר יֹנְקֵ וְ י וְנַחַ ל עֹוד ּבְעו עֹוד ּבְעו

וְסָכָ ל

ּכְעֵינַ י עֲבַרְ נ קֹור מְקו

מֹול ּתְמו קֹום מְקו

חֲמָסִ י

ָ

ּכִ י וְצָרְ כ ּבֶ ר אֲדַ ב נּו וְאִּתָ ּ

וְלּולֵ א

ּו

אּו וְקָרְ ּ יְלָ דּונּו

נֵ י

וְחֻּקֶ יה

אֱמֻנִ ים ְלָכִ ים ּנֹפֶ ת וְהַ נפ

חּו וְׂשָמְ ּ ידּות יְדִ דו הֱמִירְ � נּו� עְ יְדַ ְנו �א וְאֹוצִ יא

לְכַ ּסֹות ַ

וְעַפְעַּפַ י ּתְמּורַ ת

ַאף

זְכַרְּתִ י� זְכַרְּתִ י�

לְהֹוצִ יא ּבְטַּבַעַ ת

מ ה

עַ ל ּכִ י עִ ם

ּדָ בָ ר וְהַּדִ מְעָ ה אֶ ת רֹות נֵרו ּקּוי ׁשִ קו צֹרֶ � �א

ׁשֹד סִּבָ ה חֻּבַ ר

יֹום יָמִ ים ֹו ּצֵ ף ּבְהִתְקַ צ

ּבֹו לִּ ֹ

ּפ ׁש חָדָׁ

מִּדֵ י יּו הָ ּ

אּו נִלְ ּ ּבָ ם

אֹתֹו

יִׁשְ נו לִ י

מֹׁשֶ ה

ׁש חָדָׁ יִרְ אֵ ם

ּבְנֵ י

עּו זָרְ ּ

ָ ז

עַ ל ּיֹום הַ יו

נִפְּתָ ל ׁשֵ ם בָ ם

מַאְכָ ל

ְ הֵ ם

הֵּמָ ה

לַעֲ רֹף רִ כְבֵ י

ַאהְבָ ה

הַּבְכִ י ּבְפִ י אּו קָרְ ּ

ּזְמָ ן לַ זמ

דְּבַ ר נְ דֹד

עֲלֵ י �א נֹות בְנו כּו יֶחְׁשְ ּ ּנְ � מַ נ

יְמִ ין

ּכ וְהָ י חָכְמָ ה

ְ

דּו נִפְרְ ּ

וְחֲמָתִ י ּבְ �

ּגְנָזָיו מִ גנז י

זְמָ ן

וְאֵ ין ּזְמָ ן הַ זמ

ׁשְדֵ י ׁשְ כֹן ּו ָאה מָלְ א אֲׁשֶ ר קָׁשְרָ ה וְאִ ם

ּכְבָ ר הַחֲ זִיר וְאֵ ין

קְרָ ב ּבְאֶצְּבַ ע וְהֵ ם

מִלְ אֹם וְהֵ ם ׁש יְבַּקֶׁ

רְ גָעָ יו וְרָקָ ב

ּבְפִ י יְבַ ּלּו

ּבְקַ ו וְאִ ם

נֹוׁש אֱ ֹׁ

נֹוׁש אֱ ֹׁ יָמִ ים

נְ דֹד ּת

נִּסְתָ ה נְׁשָמָ ה

הַפְנִינִ ים עָלָ יו נַחַ ל נָקֵ ל

ׂש ַאחֲּפֶׂ

ָ ִ י

ָ הָרֵ י

מְגֹולָלִ ים חֹלֶ ה עַ ל

ׁש וְעִּקֵׁ

רּו וְקָצְ ּ צּוָאה מְצ וא מִימֵ י

מְגֹולָלָ ה

זָבָתַ עֲ ם

רּוגַ ת עֲ ּג

עַ ל יָמִ ים ֹון עָ ו

לֹו

הָרֵ י ָאז מֵ א בַּ ת

ּומַחְצַ ב

עָ נָ ן

יֹון עֶלְיו

ּכִ י

ּבֹגֵ ד חָצִ יר קֹום מְקו

אֲׁשֶ ר אֵ ל

מַ ה

חָכְמָ ה מּונָתִ י אֱ ּנת

אֹורִ ים נּו יְלָדַתְ ּ

אֶרֶ ץ סֹוד

הָ יָה יְבָרְ כּוהּו

יִיטַ ב

ּבָ ם ּתֵבֵ ל

ּבְעֵינֵיהֶ ם

יֹומֹו אֶחָ ד נַפְׁשִ י

צֶדֶ ק ּובְפִ יו

בָרִ יא הֵּמָ ה

אֵינָ ם

�א אֶמְצָ א דֹות יֹרְדו ָ

נַפְׁשִ י ּבְנֵ י

אִ ם

לְׁשִקְרֵ יהֶ ם

זֶרַ ע

בָרֶ דְ יה וְכֻּלָ ם בְּכָ ל כַחֲ�מִ ים. וְנִדְמֶ ה

ילּוה יְכִ ּיֵם ּתְחֵַּ וְנִ ז ַר יָמִ לְ ים, הַּלְׁשָמִ ים,

ּזְעּומִ ים הַ זעוִ י ׁשְלֵמִ ים. לָעֲצָמִ ים, ּגְׁשָמִ ים? ׁש ּפְתָאִ ים וְיֵרָ ע ּפְרֻדִ ים בְתָרִ ים; ּבְדִ מְעָ ה רְתָמִ ים, בַנְעִימִ ים. קְדּומִ ים. יָמִ לְ ים? אֶמְצָ א ּגְׁשָמִ ים, לְַּשמ ם בַמְסִּבָ ה צְלָמִ ים. בְדָמִ ים! עֲלֵיהֶ ם ּבְעֵינָ יו עֲלּומִ ים,

יְקַּלֵ ל הַּפְנִימִ ים, בְׂשָמִ ים, נַעֲלָמִ ים ׁשִּבֳלֵיהֶ ם נִיתִ עֲ יו יׁש אִ ׁ חֲדָרָ יו חֲ ד ִ ים יְרּוצּון הַּבְׂשָמִ ים לַּנְזָמִ ים, וְׁשּומִ ים. אֲחֵרִ ים קְסָמִ ים, נֹפֶ ּכְ ת חֲדָׁשָ ה פְעָמִ ים, ּבַמְרֹומִ ים. ּבְנַפְ ׁשֹו עֲמָמִ ים. ׁשּומִ ים, רְּׁמ ם הַכְּרָמִ ים. חֲתּומִ ים? הַכְּתָמִ ים. יׁש אִ ׁ חֲכָמִ ים, תְאֹומִ ים, לְאֻּמִ ים, נֻמִ צְ ים, לְפֶרֶ ד ָאה חֲטָ א בְפִיהֶ ם פְרִידָ ה זְרָמִ ים. שְלֹומִ ים. אֲבַּקֵ ש תּומִ ים, רְ ּמ ם מּונֹות אֱ ּנו יהּו ּבְפִיּ

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI

I h which he began work on in his to great intellectual defense of Judaism, defense of Judaism, intellectual great Halevi’s composition of Thethe Kuzari, Halevi’s distichs. its 64 Hebrew stones” is apparently a reference to to a reference apparently stones” is lines for English 41 a mere in resulting of “truth’s storerooms for its rarest its for rarest storerooms of “truth’s News?”, All Barred Darling, You Have both their lives. The poet’s mining lives. both their The poet’s My in “Why, same the meter with is thus a lament for the transiency of transiency the for a lament thus is I did than it line in translating English addressed Moshe ibn Ezra him to by usedI have shalem. a longer the is lusia. mono-rhymed verse This letter Its meter of –im. monorhyme poem’s this not sought reproduce ave to - Anda to of returning dreamed Israel, years. Toledan termination to settle in the Land in the settle of to termination home and, prior to developinghome prior and, to a de- never thought of it as a permanent as of it thought a permanent never sphere and inhabitants he disliked. He inhabitants and he disliked. sphere more years,more was it a city- whose atmo continued to live in Toledo for many many for live in Toledo to continued daughter.) Although Halevi Although himself daughter.) ing in love with his brother Yitzhak’s Yitzhak’s brother his ing in love with due to a family rift causeddue to fall his by - of a poem of his that he departedof a poem that of his (It has basis(It been on the conjectured unhappy wandering in northern Spain. in northern wandering unhappy unclear circumstances, for a life of a life for unclear circumstances, Moshe ibn Ezra left Toledo, under under Moshe ibn Ezra left Toledo, IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI

R 11 S הָּה ּבִּתִיהֲׁשָכַחַּתְ מִׁשְּכָנֵ � On the Death of a Daughter

In purely formal terms, this moving My child! הָ ּה ּבִּתִ י הֲׁשָכַחַ ְּת מִׁשְּכָנֵ � elegy written by Halevi for a teenage Had you forgotten the way ּכִ י לִׁשְ אֹול נָסְ עּו נֹׂשְאֵ י אֲ רֹונֵ �? girl of marriageable age who died in an epidemic is unusual. Divided into six To your own home stanzas ranging from six to nine lines, That your pallbearers strayed וְאֵ ין חֶלְקִ י מִּמֵ � רַ ק זִכְרֹונֵ �, -each with its own separate mono ,To the underworld’s gloom וַאֲ חֹונֵ ן אֶ ת עַפְ רֹות צִּיּונֵ � rhyme but all ending with the same refrain, it is written not in Arabic-style Leaving me with עֵ ת ָאסּור לִׁשְ אֹל ׁשְלֹומֵ � וְאֵינֵ �, -meter but according to the older He brew system of counting stressed syl- (Since you are not there ּכִ י הַּמָ וֶ ת יַפְרִ יד ּבֵינִ י ּובֵינֵ �. lables alone—in this case, four to the line. Three different voices speak in it: To ask how you are) the dead girl’s father’s, her mother’s, A grave’s clods to kiss and her own. Each utters the refrain, which is taken from the Book of Ruth, And your memory? where Ruth tells her mother-in-law Ah, death has come between you and me. Naomi: “Where thou diest I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord O daughter torn ּבַ ת מּוצֵ את מֵחֶדֶ ר הֹורָתָ ּה, do unto me accordingly if aught but !From her mother’s rooms אֵ י� אֶחְ יֶה ּומִ נַפְׁשִ י גִזְרָתָ ּה? ”.death come between you and me In all the biographical accounts of What life have I left when, him, Halevi is mentioned as having ,Shaped from my soul צּור אֲבַקַּ ע עֵ ת אֶרְ אֶ ה צּורָתָ ּה! had a single daughter, who bore him at least one grandson. The possibility She makes my tears flow אֵ י� תִׁשְ נֶ ה לְבָנָ ה מֵהַדְרָתָ ּה that this poem is about the death of a ?Like a spring from split stone ׁשָ ם ּבִׁשְ אֹול אֶרְ אֶ ה יֹום חֲתֻּנָתָ ּה? second daughter, and that he himself is the speaker in it, has never been How can she be so changed, אֵ י� ּתָׂשִ ים ּגּוׁש עָפָ ר חֻּפָתָ ּה raised. Yet I believe that this was the case, and that a third child, a small boy, Once white as the moon, That she now wears the earth וְאֵ י� מָתְ קּו לָ ּה רִ גְבֵ י קְבּורָתָ ּה? was probably mourned by him in yet another poem that he wrote. ,As her bridal gown מַ ר לִ י מָ ר ּבִּתִ י עַל־חֶסְ רֹונֵ �, Its sod the sweets ּכִ י הַּמָ וֶ ת יַפְרִ יד ּבֵינִ י ּובֵינֵ �. Of her wedding feast? Bitter is my own misery, For death has come between you and me. Plucked like a flower ׁשֹוׁשַ ּנָ ה ּבְ �א עִּתָ ּה נִקְטֶפֶ ת ,Before her time אֲׁשֶ ר צַלְמָ ּה ּבֵ ין עֵינַ י טֹטֶפֶ ת, She always will be Before my eyes אֵ י� ּדִ מְעָ ה ּכַּנָהָ ר ׁשֹטֶפֶ ת, .Like a frontlet אֵ י� ּבַ ת עָ ׁש ּבְחֵ יק עָפָ ר נֶאֱסֶפֶ ת, Yet were I to cry וְאֵ י� חַּמָ ה ּבְרִ ּמָ ה מִתְעַּלֶפֶ ת, Whole rivers for her, ,Still she would lie וְחֶבְלֵ י ׁשְ אֹול עַ ל רֹאׁשָ ּה מִצְנֶפֶ ת? A fallen star הָ ּה ּבִּתִ י אֵ ין ּדָ ן לְמָ זֹור ּדִ ינֵ �, ,In a wormy pit ּכִ י הַּמָ וֶ ת יַפְרִ יד ּבֵינִ י ּובֵינֵ �. Deep-sepulchered, Earth-bonneted. My child, there is no clemency, For death has come between you and me. ,Languishing קֹול ּכְחֹולָ ה ׁשָמַעְּתִ י לְאֵ ם ׁשְכּולָ ה. Her mother’s voice, .Bereft, I hear הַרְ ּפֵ ה לָ ּה ּכִ י נַפְׁשָ ּה מָרָ ה לָ ּה, !Ah, let her be) ּכִ י מָ וֶ ת ּבְחַ ּלֹונֶ ָיה עָלָ ה. .She too grieves bitterly עִ ם ּגִזְרַ ת ּכְבֵדָ ּה ּכְבֹודָ ּה ּגָלָ ה, ,Death scaled her walls וַיַהֲ פֹ� ׂשִמְחָתָ ּה לְילָלָ ה And pierced her side, And drove her pride יֹום נֶעְקְרָ ה גֶפֶ ן ּבַּלֵ ב ׁשְתּולָ ה. ,From its abode “מָ ה אֶ זְעַ ק ּבִּתִ י וְָאזְנֵ � עֲרֵ לָ ה, And turned her joy וְלַעֲנֹותִ י מִּלָ ה אֵ ין ּבִלְׁשֹונֵ �, Into a dirge ּכִ י הַּמָ וֶ ת יַפְרִ יד ּבֵ ינִ י ּובֵינֵ �. The day it ripped The vine she planted From her heart.) “What good, my child, Does it to cry your name? Your ears are deaf And you are silenced utterly, For death has come between you and me. ,Alas, my child הָ ה ּבִּתִ י הַכְרַ ע הִכְרַ עְּתִ נִ י!” ”!You have laid me low “אֹוי אִּמִ י אֹוי לִ י ּכִ י יְלִדְּתִ נִ י “O mother, O! You should not have had me ַא� הַ ּיֹום אֵ י� מָ אֹוס מְַאסְּתִ נִ י, ,If you meant to spurn me כִ י לִבְ כֹור מָ וֶ ת ּגִּדַ לְּתִ נִ י, And when my turn came בְהַ גִ ַיע ּתֹר לְ נַפְׁשִ י ׁשְלַחְּתִ נִ י To Death’s minion to wed me, And with dirt to wreathe me ּובַעֲטֶרֶ ת עָפָ ר עִּטַרְּתִ נִ י, And cruelly lead me ּובְחֻּפַ ת אֲבַ ּדֹון הֹוׁשַבְּתִ נִ י. .Under doom’s canopy בְעַ ל ּכרְ חֵ � אֱמֶ ת ּכִ י �א בִרְ צֹונֵ �, ,Yet in truth you did not do it willingly ּכִ י הַּמָ וֶ ת יַפְרִ יד ּבֵינִ י ּובֵינֵ �.” For death has come between you and me.” May He הַ ּגֹזֵר וְאֵ ין מֵפֵ ר ּגְזֵרֹותָ יו Whose judgments אֶ ת חֶבְלֵ � יַּפִ יל ּבִנְעִימֹותָ יו None repeal Unseal your bonds וְרַ ב מִהְ יֹות קִצְ ּפֹו עַ ל צִבְאֹותָ יו. And heal your sleep יִּנָחֵ ם וְיַעְ צֹר מַ ּגֵפֹותָ יו, ,With angels’ song וִיְנַחֵ ם לֵבָ ב מִּקֹורֹותָ יו. And be not wroth With His own flock לְקֵ ץ יָמִ ין יְקִיצֵ � ּבְטַ ל אֹורֹותָ יו; And stop the plague ּגָ ם יִתְ מֹ� ּבִימִ ין צִדְ קֹו יְמִינֵ �, ,That He sent forth ּכִ י הַּמָ וֶ ת יַפְרִ יד ּבֵינִ י ּובֵינֵ �. And comfort every heart For what it lost! And may you wake On the Last Day, To light like dew, And rise in the arms of His mercy, For death has come between you and me.

יָּה

ּומַ ה

ַאּתָ ה ַאּתָ ה וְָאנָ ה ּפִיהֶ ם

וְַאּתָ ה

מִ י מִ י אֹו

עַ ל

ּדָרַׁשְּתִ י ּנִמְצָ א הַ נמצ ּובְפִלאֵ י ָאנָ ה הַאֻמְ נָ ם

ּגָ ב הַּמִׂשְ ג ּובְצֵאתִ י

ידּויַּגִיּ ּגַ לּגַלְ ג �א חַ ּיֹות

מִ י

זֶה

ּנָׂשְאֲ ּובְהִ �

ּכִ י יָעִ יד ׁשֹב יַחְֹׁ

יֹוׁשֵ ב רֹוב קָרו

ּתִתְהַּלֵ ל דֹוׁש קָ ֹׁ יֹאמַ ר �א

�א

�א יֹודּו

ּכָ ל

�א רָאׁשֵיהֶ ם

S

יִרָאֲ �?–

12 ּבָהֶם ּכִ י עֲלֵיהֶם עַ ל

R

�, בָתְ קִרְ ּבְכָ ל ב חֹוׁשֵ אֲׁשֶ ר

בִים בַּקְרָ ַאפְסֵ י

אֵ ין

ּבַ � גְבּורָתְ ׁשּקֹדֶׁ אֶמְצָאֲ�? ּכְבֹודְ � ּכֵ ס

רָאֲ�? הֵ ן יֵשֵב אֱ�הִ ים אֶמְצָאֲ�? מְקֹומְ �

אֲלֵיהֶם מִרּוחָ ם

יִּׂשָאֲ�, ַאף

ְ לַּקְרֹובִים, הַּמִבְטָ ח מֹורָאֲ �, ּבְלִ י וְעַ ל

לִקְרָאתְ � לִקְרָאתִ י לִּבִ י ּבִצְבָאֲ�, וְ ַאּת

יֹוׁשֵ ב ּתְהִּלֹותָ ם

ּכְרּובִים, ַאּתָ ה

אֶמְצָאֲ �? יָּה ָאנָה ָאנָה אֶמְצָאֲ �?

ּכִסְאֲ�, וְַאּתָ ה יִקְרָאֲ�?– וְַאּתָ ה אֶרֶ ץ ּכִ י אֶ ת

Lord, Where Will I Find You?

ּבָעָפָ ר

מָלֵ א נִּׂשָ א

עַ ל

ּבִלְּתְ �

נַעֲלֶ ה

ׁשָמַ יִם פִלְאֲ� דֹותהָעֹומְדו

זִיתִ חֲ י�. נִׁשְמַ ע ׁשֹוכֵ ן נֹותֵ ן

נֹוׂשֵ א חַדְרֵ י וָרָ ם,

ּומִּבְׂשָרָ ם.

מַלְכּותְ � הֵקִ ים. ּוכְבֹודָ ם. קְרָאתִ י� רֹאׁש

מְצָאתִ י�, עֹולָ ם.

חֹוקִ ים. לָרְ ֹק ם הָָאדָ ם? יְסֹודָ ם? רּום ּבְרו יֹוצְרָ ם. וְחֵילָ ם

וְנֶעְלָ ם. קֹולָ ם. כֻּלָ ם. ם. עֻּלָ ם. ם. ָאכְלָ אּולָ ׁשְחָקִ ים. Th Th Y I Th W W Y I Y Creator of All, You are in all are All, of Creator that is small. You O let him trust but in that, made of dust, out from their supreme height: extole seraphs You the weight. world’s seat—and You, ey carry Your our being fills world.the host are totheir clan. praises and You singts Hosts Your aroom but can. e spheres cannot hold You, ishisguide. yoke Your ho does notYou? know toprovide? ho does toYou not pray he saw, ever if et who has not seen You, n skies silent, that are loud stars with awe? our place isremote and concealed. Did You truly decide to reside in man’s midst? truly decide to reside in man’s Did You Lord, whereYou? will I find His words proclaim that it was You who made proclaim him.His words that it was You In Your holiness I saw You, in the wonder of Your glory. in the wonder of Your holiness You, I saw Your In I have longed for Your presence, I have called You in Your absence, in Your called presence, I have You longed for Your I have To the far You are near, to the near You are here. are to the near, are near You the far You To Though You dwell in solitude,Though You sacred and blessed! עֹולָ ם. As I set out to greet You I have found You come to meet me: found You I have You As to greet I set out An ark was Your home—so is heaven’s dome: home—so is heaven’s An ark was Your throne, Alone and on unknown, Your above And whereYou? will I not find You are closer are to man thanskin his own and bone.You ם. מַהֲלָלָ - IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ- or “girdle” or “girdle” . ) that runs through the the through runs ) that the stressed syllables stressed the in each line. older Hebrew system that counts only only counts that system older Hebrew eschews Arabic-style metrics for the the for metrics eschews Arabic-style the Death of a Daughter,” the poem the of a Daughter,” Death the the last two lines of all four. As in “On As in “On last twothe lines of all four. second and fourth “girdles” and ends ends and second fourth “girdles” and preceded by a “necklace,” an introduc an preceded a “necklace,” by olam (ne’elam/ Arabs called a muwashah “girdles”stanzas or poem.are The a rhyme introduces that tory distich is written in the form of what the the of what form in the written is of Holies in the Temple. The The poem of Holies Temple. in the the Covenant in the room of the Holy room of the in the Covenant the gious sensibility: paradox of a tran the God of Ark who in the was present - reli of his concern a central deals with the is same All” of “Creator The bone.” poems, “Lord, Where Will I Find You?” You?” I Find Will poems, Where “Lord, and skin own his than man to “closer da.” One of Halevi’s most anthologized most One of Halevi’s da.” world and in this nevertheless present - each stanza poem of this spell “Yehu unknowable and Godscendent who is names into it. The initial letters of it. The initial letters into names signed their work by weaving their their work weaving by signed their Hispano-Hebrew poetsHispano-Hebrew sometimes at . avna di-meh , ravrevan memalel pum S , and paid back you for all that begot!” you

13 asaf farzela? tina be-raglei . R Suppose He has struckSuppose with down He you Called ‘wild and ass of a man’ Proud tyrant! Assailant of Heaven! Are you not the Are you tyrant!Proud one Assailant of Heaven! Did its vision truly show For in my dream you were undone. were in dream you my For Has your doom your Has so soon begun Heart pounding,Heart it as it seemed? wake. Is you H Tell Hagar’s son, then: Hagar’s Tell to scorn “Cease The son of Sarah, higher born, in theThat 4890 year The last to rise against Law, God’s What dreamed? is this dream that have you Yourself raised high and foe your laid low? Yourself will sway end in also? naught Your Tsalma The Dream נַמְ ּתָ ו ְ נִ רְ ּדַ מְ ּתָ ָ ְ ְ ְ ּת נַמְּ אּולַ י אּולַ י ׁשָפֶ ל ַאּת הַַ ּ ַאּת הַַ ּ ַאּת הַַ ּ

רּו אִמְ ּ

ּוׁשְ נַ ת

ּכִ י

מָ ה מַ ה מִּבֶ ן

אּולַ י ּתְתַ

וַאְׁשֶ ר דַ ל ּתֵ בֹוׁש לְבֶ ן “

נְגָפְ �

צַלְמָ א,

חֲסַ ף אֲׁשֶ ר

ץ קֹרָ מְ א חֲלֹומְ � ָ ּבַָאחֲרִ ית

רְ אִיתִ י� וְכִ י ֻ ּכָבְדָ ה

אֵ ל

ּת הָ גָ ר

לֹום הַחֲלו : ּגְבִרְּתְ �

ּפֻ ם

ּבְהָקִ יץ

טִינָ א ּת

וְׁשִּלֵ ם

ָ נִקְרַ א וְתֶחְּפַ ר

ַ ץ

יָדְ � ּבְקַּדִיׁשֵ י

ּכֵ ן

הֶרְ אֲ � ׁשָפַ ל, וְחָרֵ ד

ּזֶה הֶַּ

לָ �

וְׁשֹומֵ ם אֱ סֹף אֲׁשֶ ר

לְ �

ּבְַאבְנָ א

זְבֻ ל

מְמַּלִ ל ּומֶ ה ׁשְמֶ � ּבְרַ גְלֵ י

יַד

ּכְבָ ר

מֵאֲׁשֶ ר דִ י ּכָ ל אֲׁשֶ ר

וְַאּתָ ה אֲׁשֶ ר

ׂשֹונַאֲ � ּת וְנִרְּדַמְ קָמְּתָ –

זָעָמְּתָ ! ּפֶרֶ א

לֹום; ּבַחֲ ֹם ּגַאֲ וָ ה בְרְ רַ בָ ן פַרְ זְלָ א עָצַמְּתָ ! מְחָ ת ּבָ את וְהִתְרֹומַמְּתָ ? ּגַאֲ וָ ה, נִלְחָמְּתָ ? זָמָמְּתָ . רָמְּתָ . ׁשָמָמְּתָ , חָלָמְתָ ? נֹוׁש? אֱנ וש הִקְּדָמְּתָ !

- at IJIJIJIJIJIJIJ. asaf tina be-raglei farzela, farzela, be-raglei tina asaf . zero in 4890. zero in which “naught” also refers to the the to alsoin which “naught” refers be smashed” with “will end in naught,” be smashed” “will in naught,” end with tsadi, 400+400+90),tsadi, tutatz, and “will dream of a “great image” or idol, inter of a “great dream and taf, taf, letters Hebrew “890” (the the Babylonianthe king Nebuchadnezzar’s pun on tatatz, his sought reproduce to “feet of iron mixed with clay,” is from from is clay,” mixed with of iron “feet kingdom. Islamic fourth, I have of the Avna di-meh Avna evil kingdoms of history. signifiedsmashingforthe Halevi age,” the Koran. H Koran. the four the represent to Daniel by preted im- the smote that stone “the tsalma, bombastic language in of Muhammed ably meant by Halevi to refer to the the to refer Halevi by to ably meant “a high-and-mighty mouth,” was- prob high-and-mighty mouth,” “a pum memalel ravrevan, pum memalel ravrevan, hints. Daniel’s mined messianic Jews by their for arcane prophecies were traditionally traditionally prophecies were arcane come from the Book the from come whose of Daniel, retained untranslated in my English, English, in my untranslated retained Aramaic lines in the poem, lines in the Aramaic which are “wild ass of a man” by the Bible.“wild the by ass The of a man” biblical Isaac’s half-brother, called a half-brother, biblical Isaac’s ized by Ishma’el—Hagar’s son the and ized Ishma’el—Hagar’s by In the year 1130, the Hebrew year 4890, Hebrew the year In 1130, the downfall Arabs,the of the symbol- the Jewish peopleJewish the and “raised high” fifties, in which he had a saw dream Yehuda Halevi, then a man in his late late his in a man Halevi, then Yehuda S

14 Nishmat R אֲׁשֵ ּומַלְּכֵ� סֹות לַחֲ ּבָאת ר יִ� אֱ�הַ לִפְנֵי הֲ יִי לִפְנֵי אֱ�הַ יִ� ּומַלְּכֵ� אֲׁשֵ ר ּבָאת לַחֲ סֹות וְסִּפָ ׁשַחֲרִי ל יְחִידָה,יו הָאֵ ׁשַחֲרִי הָאֵ ל וְסִּפָ יו ּת ּתְ ׁשִירֵ ּבְַאּפָ טֹרֶת הָאֵ וְסִּפָיו, יו� נִי יְחִידָה, וְכִקְ ל ׁשַחֲרִי ׁשַחֲרִי הָאֵ ל וְסִּפָיו, וְכִקְ טֹרֶת ּתְ נִי ׁשִירֵ � ּבְַאּפָ יו עֲנָפָ אֲבָל ּכִי ּבְ יָדַ יןיו. מָחָר יִיבְׁשּו עֵ ץ מְאּומָה יִ� אֵ ּדְ עִי ּכִי אֵ ין ּבְ יָדַ יִ� מְאּומָה אֲבָל עֵ ץ יִיבְׁשּו מָחָר עֲנָפָ יו. לָ� ּנְׁשָפָ ב ַאחֲרָ � יו, מִ ּתְנּומָה וְתֶעְרַ וְיֹומֵ לֵילֵ� יו וְתֵ זְלִי ַאחֲרָ יו לֵילֵ� וְיֹומֵ � וְתֶעְרַ ב לָ� ּתְנּומָה מִ ּנְׁשָפָ יו, : ַחַת ּכְנָפָ יו. ּכְנָפָ יו. ּבְַאּפָ י כֹל נִׁשְמַת ליו! חַי אֱלֹוּהַ ר ּבְפִ ׁש וְיִתְקַּדַ ׁשְ מֹו יִגְּדַ אֲׁשֶרנְַׁ ֱַֹּחיְּאפ ו ּכְׁשָפָ אֱמֶת פִיזְמַ וְ ּתִרְּדְיו, ּכָל הֵם ּכִי י ּנֵ�, הַבְלֵ י הֲ�א אִם תֹאמְרִ י ּכִי אֱמֶת הֵם ּכָל ּכְׁשָפָ יו, Shelter under the wing Lord of your and King, your Cross God’s threshold God’s Cross and breathe dawn to Him at sweet-incensed song. How long willHow follow follies you Time’s and think that their witchcraft is truth, My soul!My name be his great praised all by May that lives from His breath! Though days’ and nights’ and mornings revels slept softlyaway Will holding you soon leave only the dead branch of a tree?

-

. ” -

- . - to

s

IJIJIJIJIJIJ’

The

ser ai , “ also Your . as leader teva h ,” . Prayer morn the prayer spell ai shirey exhales the service meant . a kind of pur their of h of standards “Nishmat bless none , since of -inhales his as early eloha following prayer God was kol morning poems into directly the re eloheynu poem .” The poem classified form or shall part the letters led poetry ,” by Halevi three , because prayerbook this then synagogue in the sacred been lives into nishmat of by “ adonai in the in which the the cantor , Nishmat and our God to form life or Hebrew of poems —this juncture here -Hebrew the and of prayer , asher piyyutim all that . Each liturgical a Jewish .” distichs by , would have as shimkha of the kodesh , O Lord secular was exhalation et poem beginning five intended words Nishmat breath sung apav The initial

’ Hispano a specific depicted ol, “ Yehuda . first pose be “

shirey known h ones would have would have beenwould have classified as of was of liturgy tion of “Lord, Where Will I Find You?”, You?”, I Find Will Where of “Lord, tion The - preceding poems,the excep with This before vice at rekh breath be the name last is circuitry divine own the ing worshiper וְלִּבִ י

יְעִירּונִ י הֱבִינּונִ י

ימּונִ י הֱקִיּנ ּדְרַׁשְּתִ י�

רָאֲ �

דְ בַ ר

בְׁשִמְ � ׂשְעִּפַ י

וַּיַאֲמֵ ן

זְיֹונַ י בְחֶ ְֹנ

ׁש נֶפֶׁ

ּבָ � S

רַעֲיֹונָ י

ּיְצּועַ י מְִּּע וְעָבַ ר

ָ

וְ י 15 Barkhu ׂש ּה יְצַרְּתָּ R ּכְאִ ּלּו

ִ ימּו לְבָרֵ �

ּכְבֹודְ �

מָעֳמָ ד ּבִ י ׁשֵ ם

קְׁשּורָ ה

בְׁשִמְ� רַעֲיֹונָ י יְעִירּונִי בְׁשִמְ� רַעֲיֹונָ י חֲסָדֶ י�

הָ יָה וְיָרַ ד

בִ י–

ּכְבֹודֶ �

י. לְפָ נַ וְהִ יא י.

ּבְסִינָ ּבַעֲנָנָ י. אֲ דֹנָ י. נִפְלָ את

ּבְעֵינָ י, I see and believe in You in heart as my thoughI see and believe Sinai me. in You over rose in visions glory and in their on down me. sought swept You clouds I have Your My thoughts of You wake me at night and I muse on Your kindness to me. night wake me at and on I muse Your thoughtsMy of You Through it I fathom the soul You have lodged have in me, whichThrough it I fathom is beyond yet the me. soul You And I think: Lord who My is blessed, dawning to bless You! let day’s me rise at , -

,

in

- an who IJIJIJIJIJIJ of invo , . This ,” this reli ai . Divinity h mystics of his name clearly . the -mevorakh

, which kol ” mystic moments blessed the ha him , was waking from letters soft radical with God to preceding the spell regarded of . A “ first Nishmat who is poet more adonai revelatory et , the the the , as as Lord dream a piyyut distichs appeared is . the ” or again experience Barkhu nevertheless s five follows God a waking union ’ ye aspired dreams poet , to vision Once never do one describes a “ although not described intense poem the

which A barkhu cation “Bless Halevi gious which ּדָ ר

וַעֲדֵ י ְ יַעֲ בֹר

ּגֹאֲלִ י,

הֶעֱבַ ד

ּת מָתַ י עָלַ י ַ נִ י ּבְכַנְפֵ י

הַלְעֹולָמִ ים

אֹול גְ לִ ְאו

S

זָרִ לְ ים–

16 Ge’ula R מֹונַי הֲ רֹם

וַאֲ נִ י

עֲ �נִי יַעֲ מֹד אֲבַּקֵׁש אֹותְ �

צֹונְ� רְ ּכַאֲׁשֶ ר צֹונְ עָלַי� רְ יַעֲ בֹר עָלַי רְ צֹונְ �

הַכְּרֻבִים, הַּפְרֻׂשִ ים כַּנַ ת

ּבֵינִ י

וְהַׁשְקֵ ף עָבַ ר עִּמִ י–

יְמִינְ �! ּובֵינְ �? וְאֵינְ �? רֹונְ �, עַל־אֲרוְ � רֹונְ חֲ �– עֹונְ �! מִּמְעוְ � How long must I seek You and of You find no sign? and of You long I seek must You How mine? are me to strangers enslaved when You You Have Redeemer, look down on my folk from Your placeRedeemer, look and redeem! on folk down my from Your Must I always be parted from You by my sin? my by I always be parted fromMust You Why, O Ark-DwellerWhy, beneath cherubs’ wings, Your will anger is gone. be doneYour until Your

,

a -

IJIJIJIJIJIJ

in : : - ,” is

,

final the into .” el ’ Your are , Your —but near in the God the “looking we

are to , “Redeemer . The theol yisra , who re not forgiven from woven . Yet blessing both al ’ we ” and . One would and between is chastisement comes redemption as read folk ) has conventional the , ga .” The unexpected (characteristically is to , a “ , the borne people Your Amidah . where it Your not discernible prayer ula ’ dwelling be Halevi Yehuda God ,” which - above are is you O Lord rebellion sins before the adonai on , too ge the by redeem from at Ark its we are , literally though declares place in Your of must ata and , “ Israel this sung ” from and for say ula expected , and down ’ ” as far piyyut of The name exile You my section barkhu Barukh deems ogy described and piyyut “Blessed inasmuch as this A ge you are “ “ place down of line hints Israel have look ours redemption אֵ י הֵ ן

צָחֲקָ ה

יַעֲלַת־חֵ ן, ּפְרָאִ ים עַ ל

בּוָאה, נְ ָּה

ַאי, נְ ַאל־מְׂשַ ְַי

אֵ י

הֵ ם –

מִּמְ ּהעֹונָּ

דֹום ּבַת־אֱדו

וְאֵ י� מְנֹורָ ה, כַ ּבּו ַאל־ּתְ ַּ ּ

אֵ י

מּו יִדְ ּ נֹות ּובְנו

S

17 Ahava R ַאהֲבָה, ּכִ י

אֱלֵי יַעֲלָ ה

רָחֲקָה, ּהאֹוהֲבָּ אֲרֹון הַּבְרִ ית,

ָ כַ ּבּוה תְכ בו אֵ י

ב עֲרָ הַּמְבַקְ ׁשֹות רָחֲקָ ה יַעֲלַת־חֵ מִּמְעֹונָּה ן,ן ִמעוָהרחק

ּכֹעֵ ס–

עַל־הַּצְבִ י וְהִ יא

W Y W A D ׁשֹק לַחֲֹׁ

She laughsthe at daughters of Edom and at here their Ark Holy and Shekhináh? ou will fire. only be love’s burned by doeshy she laugh when her iswroth? true love mignons the and at thoughtrabia’s theyon’t that know she layin as hisdoe? hisarms Don’t, desire. foes, my hope don’t to quench love’s That theyThat her beau. covet Low-born sows! Where their are Prophets? Where their Menoráh? הַּׁשְכִינָ ה A rare beauty far fromA rare her place of high birth: ׁש אֵׁ וְלָּמָ ה

ּדֹוד

ּפְקָ ה? הִתְרְַָּ ה ּדָ בְקָ ה? נִּׁשְקָ ה! צָחֲקָ ה? חָׁשְקָ ה!

.

,” .

-

- el ’

IJIJIJIJIJIJ

-

rare , the how

fol alone , He ,” was to the , “Many a rude Yisra Who occurs for . touches to , the . The “ , “ wild asses literary Hispano their vying with they allusive ’ preten people ” . can , neither lasts el ’ perspective matter incorpora- s age Songs ’ term or Shma for love heart that ahava lines invoke prefaced love ,” which of . No degraded their im mock “insetting in the ’ yisra affirms them Jewish the His His of abandonment or .” Such ) who are , this two Halevi can in Hebrew on a princess it Israel amo with ” (pra Songs a different ula of lose is ’ ahava a piyyut partner a rabbinic exiled rivals Muslim before . Despite s last ’ is

over confidence shibutz s ge ’ a king could choose Ohev sows Hebrew the from , this was drown , known s Judaism in the and people ’ stress as s true quarrel ’ s perceived of girl poetry ’ ” is biblical language cannot quench of service Edom than , but His in the the -born His of verse flood God ahava God The poem the

waters the tion purposes criticism An blessing loves Halevi Like technique a common Hebrew on in the Israel Here beauty while them peasant sions “low lowers Christian are long could no more in Halevi Christendom condition

‫ ‫ לְ � וְכִ י

ּדֹום צּור, וְ �א וְנָתַ ן ּנֵ ה הִ נ

סְלַ ח ּה וְגָבַּ עֹמֵ ד,

גֹותהֲגו ּנֵ הוְהִ נ

וְיָׁשִ יר ּכְעֶבֶ ד

עּוּובָקְ ּ ּפֹ�וְיִׁשְֹּ

זֹותלַחֲזו

יְעִירּונִ י

וְיתְ יַחֵ ד

ִ

וְ י יצֹתִ הֱקִ י יִזְּכֹר לַ יִל ל־עֹודוְכָלעו וָאֶתְ ּפַּלֵ ל אֶּתֵ ן

יְצֻרָ יו

ַ

לִּבִ י

עֶבֶ ד

אֲׁשֶ ר ּׂש לְ רֹע

ּדַ ם

וְיָדָ יו

וְכָל־אֵבָרָ יו ָאזְנַ י ּבְָזנ

ּצֶ ה ד־יִתְרַ עַדיתר צ בְרֵ ּדִ י

לִפְנֵ י ָ א

דֹוׁש קָ ֹׁ

ַ דְמָעַ י

לֵ ב רּוחִ י ׁשְ נָ ת

ּׁש

מַחְמַ ּלֹו וַאֲ ח ֵ ב לְפָנָ יו– עֲבָדִ ים

: Thoughts

S

לֹו, מַעֲלָלו

ּנְׁשָמָ ה הְַּשמ

עֲנָנָ יו– וְכָבֵ ד, לְעֵינַ י

My

18 R By מִ י רַעְיֹונַ יְעִירּונִיי רַעְיֹונַ י

Waked עְ יֹונַי רַ סֹודוְסו בְעֵינָיו, ּבְעֵ ת וְיַּגִ יד לִפְנֵ י אֲׁשֶ ר מְׁשָלֹו לְׁשֵ ם נֶעְּבָדִים עֹודּבְעו

יִנְׁשֶ ה

וְהִּכָבֵד וְַאחֵ ר צֹותחֲצו

הָׁשֵ ב אֲבָרֵ �

קּוּומָתְ ּ לֹו וְהַ ּגְוִּיָה

דֹנָי נֹעַם־אֲ ּבְ ּולְבַּקֵ ר קֶׁשֶב, ּזְקַ נִ יוְחְִַּ נ ּכְבֵדִים ּודְמָעָ יו דֹנָיו אֲ דֹומִּפַחֲ ֹ תַחֲ נּונַי זִמְרַ ּבְ ת הּוא

פִּלָ הּובִתְ ִל מֹודִים וַּדִ יםּומִתְוִּ י יֹוׁשֵב ּתְהִּלֹותָ יו לִּבִ י

עֶבֶד נּונָ יוּבְתַחֲנוָ י

נִגְעֵ י

נָמַ ס

ּיָיו חַ י י מֶלֶ �

עֹבֵד הָ עִם־הַּמֶלֶ � לֹו גְ ּדִג ֹ

אֵ ל

חֹול ּכַחו ׁשַחַ ר

אֲׁשֶ ר יְלָ לַ ה

ּצּוף מִ צו אֲׁשֶ ר F A M Pl

ּבֹו, לִ בו לֹו! מִפְעָלו ג, י, לֹו! ּבְהֵיכָלו וְאִּמְצָנִ מֹוגָ יִתְ ג, ּכַדֹונָ ג, ים– ּנָ אֶתְעַ י, ים מְלָכִ י נֶהֱלָכִ ג, ּבֹוא, מִּ ֹא הֱאִיצָנִ ּבִמְסִ ּבֹו, ּבֹו, אֶל־רַ בו ָאלֹו, יְעָצָנִ ּופַּנָ לֹו! גְּדָ ּומִגָּלו ּומְבָרְ כִ ים, לֹו, ּומִׁשְ נִמְׁשָכִ ים, Stay, solemn night! LetStay, wait dawn in the east God’s praiseGod’s in song and plead neediness, my likeorgive so much sand hissinfulness! ll His, souls all are formsbear Hisimpress! make him forget hisdistress! love ay edging hisflag in hisfortress! Pouring it out andPouring his lord is appeased, it out His life and limbs as Your sworn underlings sworn His life and limbs as Your He has me taught to listen;He stood me by and beside me; I from eyes brush my sleepiness midnight’s Its tears pierce tears His clouds than sweeter andIts are nectar. finds me He proud,If my heart is like butter, ּבִגְלָ Roused from drowsiness, I ask: Who stirred me? Melting with of his master. fear like a slave’s Till the vassal whoblood offers his heart’s has ceased in all things. and confess You bless You To To seek the pleasance of the palace.To Lord’s The holy dweller in glory me. has spurred undying my thankfulness,To advised me. To Him I pray–and rapt is my prayer. prayer. Him is my I pray–and rapt To With hands he tears brings and many heavy Waked by my thoughts my by and to profess driven Waked לֹו, ּומַהֲלָלו And the is alone slave with the king his feast, at A slave of slaves before the of slaves A slave King of Kings! לֹו! מִׁשְקָלו לֹו! י? אֶת־ּכָל־עֲמָ הֱקִיצָנִ

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI e... Thi The im Halevi, of how far away He remains. Halevi, far of how away to Him, the more conscious one is, more for the Him, to overcomes fear, the nearer one draws one draws nearer the fear, overcomes While God love when approachable is through mystical union with Him. Him. union with mystical through the radicalthe goal of becoming God s poem asigned one. is inset, disassociating himself from he was nevertheless, of this means by the most mystical of Halevi's poems, mystical most the “Waked By My Thoughts” My is one of By “Waked art a man and not God.” Although Although art not God.” and a man seat at the king's nocturnal table. king's nocturnal the seat at of Tyr prince the unto say of man, said, hast thou a God I am thou ... yet blood,” and ends with his gaining his a with ends and blood,” 28:2, which reads, Ezekiel from “Son because heart lifted thine up ... is can finish “pouring out” can “heart's finish his comes This eyes.” lifted up in His is delayed so that the petitioning slave slave petitioning the delayed so that heart “If my Hebrew, the proud”—in the enemy of trysting lovers, be to enemy the second biblical “If He me finds is inset imagery of romantic love, dawn, for imagery of romantic Song the from of taken Songs.is A with an appeal, an with borrowed the from feast” his king at age of “the in the fourth stanza,in the which starts seeksclimaxes tension admission. The likened to a slave, tearfully boldly but to likened moated castle to which the poet, which castle the moated to compares Godcompares a king in a cloud- to scheme), “Waked By My Thoughts” My By scheme), “Waked translation retains its original rhyme its rhyme original retains translation A modified “girdle” poemA modified (my IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI

R 19 S אֲ דֹנָי, נֶגְּדְ � כָ ל ּתַאֲ וָתִ י Lord, You Are My Sole Desire

Toward the end of his long stay in Lord, You are my sole desire, אֲ דֹנָ י, נֶגְּדְ � כָ ל ּתַאֲ וָתִ י Toledo, Yehuda Halevi underwent .Though I keep it my soul’s secret וְאִ ם �א ַאעֲלֶּנָ ה עַ ל ׂשְפָתִ י. -what today might be called a mid life crisis. The sense that time was Could I but do Your will and die רְ צֹונְ � אֶׁשְאֲלָ ה רֶ גַ ע וְאֶ גְוָ ע– running out and that, despite all his poetic achievements, something of That moment, I would seek it. ּומִ י יִּתֵ ן וְתָ בֹוא ׁשֱאֶלָתִ י, ultimate importance had been left undone began to take hold of him. All Placing in Your hands my spirit, .I would sleep—and sweet such sleep is וְַאפְקִ יד אֶ ת ׁשְ ָאר רּוחִ י ּבְ יָדְ � the honors and adulation that were his merely weighed on him. Growing ;Far from You, all life is dying וְיָׁשַ נְּתִ י, וְעָרְ בָ ה לי ׁשְ נָתִ י. -old, for most people a process of ac commodation to who they are, had Death is life with You beside me. ּבְרָחְקִ י מִּמְ � מֹותִ י בְחַ ּיָי, become for him the anxiety of who he still was not. וְאִ ם אֶדְ ּבַ ק ּבְ � חַ ּיַי ּבְמֹותִ י. Lord, You Are My Sole Desire” is“ an expression of this state. The poem And yet I know not how to further אֲבָ ל �א אֵדְעָ ה ּבַּמָ ה אֲקַּדֵ ם, begins with a declaration of extreme religious devotion coupled with a Most my faith or best to serve it. ּומַ ה ּתִהְ יֶה עֲבֹודָתִ י וְדָתִ י. fatigue so great that it is couched as an open death wish; pulls back from Instruct me in Your ways, then, Lord, .And free my mind from folly’s service ּדְרָ כֶ י�, אֲ דֹנָ י, לַּמְדֵ נִ י, -this brink with the reflection that, de spite the poet’s sense of having lived ,Teach me while I have strength to suffer וְ ׁשּוב מִּמַאֲסַ ר סִכְ לּות ׁשְבּותִ י, enough, he is unprepared to cast off a world in which he has not yet fulfilled, Nor despise my suffering וְהֹורֵ נִ י בְ עֹוד יֶׁש ּבִ י יְכֹלֶ ת or even clarified, his true mission; and ends with the confession that this In the time still left before, לְהִתְעַ ּנֹות, וְ ַאל ּתִבְ זֶה עֱנּותִ י failure makes him as frightened as the ,Myself a burden to myself ּבְטֶרֶ ם יֹום אֱהִ י עָלַ י לְמַּׂשָ א, next man of the death he thought he had longed for. The stage for a radical My cankered bones fail to support me decision was being set. ,And, my only choice submission וְ יֹום יִכְּבַ ד קְצָתִ י עַ ל קְצָתִ י, ,I make the voyage to my fathers וְאִּכָ נַ ע ּבְעַ ל ּכָרְ חִ י, וְ יֹאכַ ל Stopping to rest at their last stop עֲצָמַ י עָ ׁש, וְנִלְ אּו מִּׂשְאֵתִ י, Deep in the earth, I who once was וְאֶּסַ ע אֶ ל מְ קֹום נָסְ עּו אֲבֹותָ י, .A sojourner upon its surface ּובִמְ קֹום ּתַחֲנֹותָ ם ּתַחֲ נַתִ י. ּכְ גֵ ר ּתֹוׁשָ ב אֲ נִ י עַ ל ּגַ ב אֲדָמָ ה, וְאּולָ ם ּכִ י ּבְבִטְ נָ ּה נַחֲלָתִ י. .My young years thought of naught save themselves נְעּורַ י עַ ד הֲ �ם עָ ׂשּו לְ נַפְׁשָ ם, ?When will my world-sated soul save itself ּומָתַ י ּגַ ם אֲ נִ י אֶעֱׂשֶ ה לְבֵיתִ י? How worship my Maker when all He has made ,Makes me passion’s captive and slave וְהָעֹולָ ם אֲׁשֶ ר ִ ַ ּתן ּבְלִּבִ ני Or strive for the heights when at the day’s end מְ נָעַ נִ י לְבַּקֵ ׁש ַאחֲרִיתִ י. ?Sister worm awaits my descent וְאֵיכָ ה אֶעֱ בֹד יֹוצְרִ י ּבְעֹודִ י ,How, even, be glad in glad times אֲסִ יר יִצְרִ י וְעֶבֶ ד ּתַאֲ וָתִ י? ,When none know what the future will spell וְאֵיכָ ה מַעֲלָ ה רָמָ ה אֲבַּקֵ ׁש And the days underwrite my decay With the nights, half of me to dispel ּומָחָ ר ּתִהְ יֶה רִ ּמָ ה אֲחֹותִ י? ?To the wind and half to the dust וְאֵ י� יִיטַ ב ּבְ יֹום טֹובָ ה לְבָבִ י What can I plead when I am pursued וְ �א אֵדַ ע הֲ יִיטַ ב מָחֳרָתִ י? ?By my lust from my youth to my wane וְהַ ּיָמִ ים וְהַּלֵ ילֹות עֲרֵ בִ ים ,What of this world but Your will is my share לְכַ ּלֹות אֶ ת­ ׁשְאֵרִ י עַ ד ּכְלֹותִ י, And if You are not mine what is mine? ?What more can I ask or declare וְלָ ַרּוח יְזָרּון מַחֲצִיתִ י, .I am naked of deeds, Your justice my only attire וְלֶעָפָ ר יְׁשִ יבּון מַחֲצִיתִ י. .Lord, You are my sole desire ּומַ ה אֹמַ ר, וְיִצְרִ י יִרְּדְ פֵנִ י ּכְ אֹויֵב מִ ּנְעּורַ י עַ ד ּכְלֹותִ י? ּומַ ה ּלִ י ּבַ זְמָ ן אִ ם �א רְ צֹונָ �? וְאִ ם אֵינְ � מְ נָתִ י, מַ ה ּמְ נָתִ י? אֲ נִ י מִּמַעֲׂשִ ים ׁשֹולָ ל וְעָ רֹם, וְצִדְקָתְ � לְבַּדָ ּה הִ יא כְסּותִ י. וְ עֹוד מָ ה ַאאֲרִ י� לָ ׁשֹון וְאֶׁשְ ַאל? אֲ דֹנָ י נֶגְּדְ � כָ ל ּתַאֲ וָתִ י.

S

n 20 Sweet to my ears, of Levites their to my at Sweet stations. ot guessed of. For me to thank You as befits my prayer. as befitsmy prayer. me to thank You For In allIn worshiping its lovely and bring I woke, but when I did You still when but I woke, there I did were You My dream took me to Your Temple’s mount to sing Temple’s dream tookMy me to Your offerings My with their libations. Around me swirled thick smoke and ministrations, And Your nearness is clear nearness as things seen,And Your Your dwellings,Your Lord, places are of love, R In the Temple

אֱ�הַ י!

הֱבִיַאנִ י וְנָעַמְּתִ י וְהָעֹולָ ה

ידֹות יְדִ י� מִׁשְּכְנֹותֶ אֱ�הַי! מִׁשְּכְנֹותֶ י� יְדִ י דֹות וְסָבִ יב הֱקִיצֹותִ י, וְׁשַרְּתִ י

וְהֹודֵ יתִ י, וְקִרְ בָתְ �

ּבְסֹודֵיהֶ ם

חֲלֹומִ י

וְעֹודִ י ּבְׁשָמְעִ י

וְלָ �

ּה נְחָתָ ּומִ ְָ ָּ מִׁשְּכְנֹותֶ י�

רֹות ּתִימְרו

לְסֵדֶ ר

ׁשִ יר עִּמְ � ּבְמַרְ אֶ ה, מַלְאֲכֹותָ יו

נָאֶ ה

מִקְּדְׁשֵ י עָׁשָ ן

אֵ ל, �א ּה,

וִּיִם לְוִּ וְנִסְּכָ יְדִ ידֹות, אֵ ל, בֹודֹות. הֹודֹות. לְהוֹת הָעֲ דֹות. ּכְבֵ הַחֲ מּודֹות, ידֹות. בְחִ , -

IJIJIJIJIJIJ in

of as -

- near and

also s “ Halevi ’ could clear song ” pro “ dream grasped Temple another was human this Jerusalem how as delighted , God the a Levite be the , in which and religious is has of unknowable to of . seen Temple , and dream ancient had is ” also after sometime poem the , his s dream have with ’ sense to listened conquest was in the , “In , his “songs of Zion,” “Your “Your of Zion,” “songs , his Halevi . Though how .” What nevertheless he was. Since . We in this own Temple and part that vocation. that a conundrum ” himself could not resolve , can seen his the it likely struggled ” in Halevi In Levites Crusader intellect I “ was direct experience singer literary f we se look remarkable the at about His creation His world from without yet dwelt within within dwelt yet world without from in 1099 the “ dimension both paradox of a God the the who created

the described sacrifices be Most he took reason claims ness things the by gendered by the dream the by gendered - as en hope if the were farther, step hope did not yet exist—or, going a hope did exist—or, not yet wrote 'Your Dwellings, a such Lord' 'Your wrote Sole Desire.” It is as Halevi is if It when Sole Desire.” crisis described in “Lord, You Are My My Are describedcrisis You in “Lord, for Halevi,for came as the a response to live in the Landlive in the hope of Israel—a that, thought or hope of actually going to or hope goingthought to of actually the others, does it the the not express first of them. This is This because,them. of first unlike Dwellings, was probably the Lord” shirey tsiyon known to posterity as Yehuda Halevi's as posterity Yehuda to known and the Land of Israel that came to be came to Land the and that of Israel quence of poems about Jerusalem

S Zion chainedto the Cross, Can I do what I’ve vowed to and must? I do vowed what I’ve Can Gladly leave I’d But theBut of me far in rest the West— For one glimpseFor of the ruined dust. Shrine’s How can I savor this life, I savor can taste what I eat? even How in the bondsHow, of the Moor, My heart in theMy East All the best Spain of grand

21 R

לִּבִ י יֵקַ ל

אֵיכָ ה לִ ּבִ י בְ מִ זְ רָ ח

ּיֹון צִ יו My Heart in the East אֵ י� יֵקַ ר

ּבְעֵינַ י

זְרָ בְמִ ח

אֲׁשַּלֵ ם ּבְעֵינַ י

ּבְחֶבֶ ל

זֹוב עֲזו אֶטְעֲמָ ה

ָאנֹכִ י וְָנכ נְדָרַ י

ּכָ ל

אֹות רְאו דֹום אֱדו אֵ ת

טּוב סֹוף ּבְסו

וַאְ נִ י

אֲׁשֶ ר וֶאֱסָרַ י,

רֹות עַפְרו

סְפָרַ ד, אֹכַ ל מַעֲרָ ב.

ּבְכֶבֶ ל עֹוד ּבְעו

ּדְ בִ יר

מֹו ּכְ ֹ וְאֵ י�

עֲרָ ב? נֶחֱרָ ב. יֶעֱרָ ב?

,

-

] a

, as ,

, syl all ,

IJIJIJIJIJIJ tuv -

is - one ” is ,”

of arav ’ ,” ,” and 29 , it -long -ruled , de -long in which the who has East ,” and , known chain ma ., Temple - or who is one pun joined. , “ little short . Yet has difficulties short directions 28 terms probably the probably a perfect Spain,” and domain yet has ,” and in the a man is , “ meter translated of the Crusader balance ” is . It -dried of , it khevel precious three of of evel the formal . [i.e Shrine there, East h , “East would be Heart most -rav . . Its - -long , long -and h . In - -long , long . The poem the ,” and in different on live of have aware , “ . Indeed and goodness conflict cut , “My to journey in the -long -long would be phonetically pairs linked tug is rope and play : mizra the erav “ to . .” h s poems , “ , “it ’ described musically remaining this ,”, “it yeykal short short distichs ne -known Heart three also mitpashetet All doing so words vir ’farad scribing the decided frighteningly a double Halevi Palestine of living poem “My easily best but marvela miniature opposites while and lable the of West yeykar s d’ in ruins - long - long mono-rhyme S O fair of view! World’s joy! Great monarch’s home! monarch’s joy! Great O fair of view! World’s Compassion stirs in me when mind my turns For you, from earth’s far end, far from you, earth’s spirit my yearns. For To your lost your cloister and its splendor’s doom.To mix the withtears my of water parched your clay! To Would that on an eagle’s wings that onan eagle’s I flew Would taste when like kissed Would honey in mouth. my Always I thinkAlways you—and of though away, king’s your And snakes and scorpions scuttle where once grew Your balm of Gilead, stonesYour your and earth 22 R To Jerusalem ׂשֹוׂש נֹוף, מְ יְפֵה נֹוף, מְ ׂשֹ וׂש ּומִ י

יְפֵ ה

הֲ �א מֹון הֲמו ּת

לָ � צֳרִ י

נֹוף, ֵבֵ ל וְטַעַ ם ּדְרַׁשְּתִ י� ּוֶה אֲרֶַּ אֶ ת

יִּתְ נֵנִ י

ּכְבֹודֵ �

רַחֲמַ י

עַ ל וְאִ ם

נִכְסְפָ ה ּגִלְעֲדֵ ך

ׂשֹוׂש מְֹׂׂ רְ גָבַ יִ� אֲׁשֶ ר אֲבָנַיִ�

נִכְמָ ר בְדִ מְעָתִ י

ּכַנְפֵ י

ׁש נָחָׁ לְפִ י נַפְׁשִ י מַלְּכֵ � ּגָלָ ה ּכִ י

ּתֵבֵ ל, אֲ חֹנֵ ן

אֵ ין עֲפָרֵ ך

וְנָוֵ�

ׂשָרָ ף

נְׁשָרִ ים

ׁש בַ מִּדְ ַׁ קִרְ יָה

מִּפַאֲתֵ י ּבָ �, זְּכְרָ ה אֶ ְכר

וְגַ ם עַ ד

וְאֶּׁשָקֵ ם, אֲׁשֶ ר

וְאִ ם

יֶעְרָ ב. וְיִתְעָרָ ב! קֶדֶ ם, לְמֶלֶ �

מַעְרָ ב. עַקְרָ ב, חָרָ ב. רָ ב! קֹום ּבִמְקו

,

-

;

s ” is ’ IJIJIJIJIJIJ

To . In

me-

fate with , “ ,” of the East beloved queen themes the with consum Isolde sweetness in the ” of ; its a mere Zion a romantic a cruel , the and Jerusalem . . Indeed in the and of most of by it of often exile cloister and troubadors intense to the s kiss beauteous sought ’ “ songs Heart dust from fully integrated with its motifs the , uniquely s “ end ’ her pining lover poet of Jewish , the one of Tristan like an a more torn the love met a blissful reunion a lover . Its in “My is the ,” with from of for , has been poem this poetry of Halevi , one finds that poem taste of theme —all are hope for romantic this he has Jerusalem banished Temple love imagined as the ruins glimpse of In in romances many her dieval which its mate of the yearning

S

y y stones– t y t houses? remnants? 23 So that they peace at joy when you’re Stand opened by your Maker. You He illumines He You Stand opened Maker. your by Stood in a downpour effluence. of God’s Shake woeful head, remembering the throes Zion! God’s love, combinedZion! love, God’s with grace, Beauty’s Zion! Do wonder you and where how captives your Of His own glory. GladlyOf His own choose I would dismemberment,Of your face my Of your lostOf your as youth, it once restored was. God makes His home in you: those Blesséd are our priests? our seers, hose places our gates, he rays

Posted at theat Posted innermost of chambers— Drained to the dregs of all its bitterness! Pressed to your earth, to your Pressed cherishing its soil and Beside Prophets your and the breastplates of Dreaming sons’ your the return, song strings. of lute Blesséd is he who comes, and waits, and sees But you remain forever, crowned for crowned the remain you forever, But ages. Has boundHas the to you souls of all friends, your Imprisoned, they for you, each yearn from his place scaled the by Is bold climber. Who compares How could I eat or could drink, I eat How seeing the dogs find theHow daylight sweet when my two eyes Lie buried the teachers. of your greatest two Facing theFacing portals of the highest heavens, From north and south,From east, west, and all directions, In which,In from before us, it was removed How then enthroned slaves in are lords’How your I would cross Gilead, cross I would woods, and Carmel’s If onlyIf I could wander past the points way In whichIn steadfast your share the happiness Not withNot the sun, or moon, orwith stars, but Near and far, they and far, Near send their greetings Enough, desist from me, of sorrows, O cup Run with balm. rejoice I would Make off off Make with remainsthe your of proud lions? Mourning your lowliness, your Mourning I am the wail jackals; of My heart stirsMy for Peniel, and for Bethel, and all Upon theUpon ruins Sanctuaries, of your Turning to bow in prayer to your gates– to your to bow in prayer Turning re-ascend and reach to you heights, your To ancient Babylon, Not you? nor Greece: To The fate thatThe did fate defileyour peerless pilgrims. The Holy ArkThe Holy stood its Cherubs by guarded To walk with feet, bare my To in tatters, To weep like Hermon’s dew upon mountains. your like weep Hermon’s To pour where soul out my chosen your ones To The rising sun illuminate dawns, your The heathen kingdoms lapse, collapse, and pass, What all are their empty oracles Were forced to witness feast on eagles? your crows Were Wondrous in Hebron at your choicest your at tombs, in Hebron Wondrous Where God appointed to your appeared and With their presence, traces pure of God’s where Who dwell with Him, residing in courts. your And weep when you’re allAnd when weep you’re wounds and wilderness. As the palm rising tree, all above else, And then, all worldly curse pomp cast off, I’d And lofty your stop to marvel at peaks theAcross on Jordan, which, illustrious, Are now, and theyAre now, if think of you, the far-flocked And, flyingyou to with a wings,bird’s As I send longings my by mine, captured Your many flocks, many dispersed to Your hillsdistant mindful ever of their vows Yet Your very air’s alive with souls;Your earth breathes incense and rivers your Your Yes, even so, the graves of patriarchs. so, the even graves Yes, You are the are throne of the Lord,You His royal house— R ּכִ י מִ י אֹו מִ י ְ עַ ל

Zion, Do You Wonder? ַאף אֶ ל ַ

עֵ ת הֵ ם ּיֵי חֵַּ נַיִ� ָאגֹז ַאּת ׁשָ ם

בַ יִ� לִּבִ י ּיֹון צִ יו ּיֹון צִ יו

אֵ י� ַאיִ� ּוָ� אִָּ ּכֹוס

רּוח

ּיָם מִָּ

ָאז מֵ א

לּו נִגְ ּ יׁש אִ ׁ עָדֵ �

ּפֹל אֶֹּ

חִּלֵ ל

מֵהַ ר

יִנְעַ ם ָאנִ יד בּו יָׁשְ ּ חָתֵ � ּפָתַ ח

עֶדְרֵ י

אֹורֵ � ּבֹור מִ בו

יִבְחַ ר יִׁשְ נֶ ה

ׁש ׁשֶמֶׁ אּו מָלְ ּ חֹוק רָחו

ּתֹומֵ ם ַאׁשְרֵ י

ׁשִיבַ ת חָסְ נֵ � בֹוד ּוכְבו נְעָ ׁשִ ר אֶעְ בֹר ּכִ י

הֶבְלָ ם אֹורִ ים

מִ י

אֶבְחַ ר

מֹון חֶרְמו ּדֹורְׁשֵ י אֶרְ אֶ ה ַאבְקַ ת

לֹום ּוׁשְלו

לִבְ ּכֹות

לֹות לַעְלו

אֵ י�

אֹות לִרְאו קֹום ּבִמְקו

בֹות חָרְבו

ָ

ּבֵ ית יְי וְאֶ ל ּובָ � יִּתְ נֵנִ י ָאהֳלִיבָ ה מְ אֹד

יַעֲׂשֶ ה ּולְמַחֲ נַיִם

הֲ �א בּו ּיִסְחֲ ּ

אֲׁשֶ ר

יֶעֱרַ ב

לְבֵ ית

ׁשְבִ י

לְַאּפַ י זִיקִ הַּמַחֲ ים ּבְפִ י זְּכְרָ ה אֶ ְכר

מּול לְמו זְרָ ּומִ ח מֹות נְׁשָמו ּבְאֶרֶ ץ

ּכְלִילַ ת יְקָרֵ ב

יְדַ ּמּו

כְסָלַ י מִ י יְדַ ּמּו

וְסַהַ ר אֱ�הִ ים לְמֹוׁשָ ב

לִ י

וְַאׁשְלִ י� אֱ�הִ ים

יְגֹונִ ים הַיגוִ י

עֲבָדִ ים נַפְׁשִ י לְ ְַש וְיַחְ �ף רֹוב וְקָרו מֹונֵ � הֲ ֹנ גִבְעָ לְ ה הַר־הָעֲבָרִ ים

לְבִתְרֵ י

לִ י

ׁשּובֵ � ּבְּׁב הַּׁשְכִינָ ה אֲסִ יר

עּו וְיִּבָקְ ּ

עֲפָרֵ � מְחַּכֶ ה

מִּמְ קֹומֹו אֹור מְאו

לְבַ ד

יַעְרֵ ּבְ � הַּׂשְמֵחִ ים

לְעֹולָ ם

בְעָמְדִ י וְנִכְסַ ף וְ כֹל אֵ ל

נַפְׁשִ י לְ ְַש

ּגְדֹולִ ים

ׁשְבּותֵ ך

וְלֶאְ חֹז רֹון ּבְחֶבְרו

ׁשֹומֲמּותֵ �, עֱנּותֵ � רֹונֵ � אֲ ֹנ

ׁשְלֹומֵ �

רֹוס ּופַתְרו

ׁשְמָמָ ה

ּבְטֹובַ ת

עֲלֵ י

אֲסִירַ יִ� צִּיֹוןלִׁשְלֹום תִׁשְאֲלִי הֲ�א תִׁשְאֲלִי לִׁשְלֹום אֲסִירַ יִ � ּת

נּו ׁשָכְ ּ וַאֲ חֹנֵ ן

יֳפִ י,

מְלּוכָ ה רּו נִקְׁשְ ּ

וְאֶמְצֶ ה אֲ וֵיר עֲלֵ י

וְאֶׁשְּתֹומֲמָ ה מְׁשֹוטֵ ט יֹום וְ �א וְ הֹר

אֱלֵ י

ּפְאֵ ר ׁשַעֲרֵ י

תִׁשְאֲלִ י ׂשְאִ י וִּיַיִ� לְוִַּ

ַ ַאט לְ א

אֱלֵ י

ּכֹן וְיִׁשְֹּ

עֲלֵ י ָאהֳלָ ה

הָ יָה

עָלָ יו עֹרְ בִ ים אֲ נִ י אֲׁשֶ ר

ּכְלִ יל וְנַפְׁשִ י לְבָבִ י אֲ נִ י לֹו� הֲלו הַּכְלָבִ ים

עֲלֵ י

ְ

ָאה טְמֵ א

פֹון ּומִּצָפו כֹול אֲכו

נֹפֶ וְ ת

גְעֵ ּפִ י

כְנָפַ יִם

ׁשֹואֲפִ ים

וְהֵ ם

ּבְׁשּולַ יִ�

דֹור לְדו לְתֻּמַ יִ�

ׁש לְהִׁ אֱ�הַ יִ�

אֶ ת

ׁשְכֵנָ ה

ְ

חֹוזַיִ� לְחוִַ ׁשְפּוכָ ה ַאֲ וָ ה,

אֲׁשֶ ר

אֲׁשֶ ר

מְׁשִיחַ יִ�

אֶ ל וְכֹוכָבִ ים יְהִ י ּת

חַדְרֵ י

ַארְ צֵ � ּובֹוכִ ים

לְרִדְּתָ ם ּכָ ל ּבֵ ין לּו ּגָ ּ נִזְרִ י מִּלֵ � וְכַרְ ִל

מְאִירַ יִ�

ּנֵ י נְסִ ּבְסַנס נ אֶ ת

הָהָ ר ַאהְבָ ה

ּכֹל מִֹּ נֹכַ ח

וְלִפְנִיאֵ ל

צּוף ּבְחִירַ יִ� ַארְ צֵ � לָ �

וָתֵ לְׁשַלְ �, ׁשַחַ ק

עַ ל גְרֵ ּפִ י

עָ רֹם

ּנֹור כִ נו חּו ׁשָכְ ּ ּפִ י הַרְ פ יֶתֶ ר נַפְ ׁשֹות

ַּפֵ �

כּו� יַעַרְ הֲ ַַ ְכו ּנִ ים תִַּ י

דֹור וָדו

יּו הָ ּ קַדְמַ ת

נִגְנַ ז נֶגְּדֵ � אֹות כִסְאו

נֹותֵ ן

וְתֵימָ ן

וְאֶ ל

עַ ל לֹום לִׁשְלו

מִבְחַ ר וְיִרְ אֶ ה עַ ל אֶׁשְּתֶ ה וְׁשָרָ יִ�?

רֹות קִבְרו מְאֹורֵ �

ּכִּסֵ א

תֹות ּוׁשְתו

ׁשְחָרָ יִ�, וְחֵ ן וְַאׁשְרֵ י

עֲפָרָ יִ�,

ּבַּמְ קֹומֹות

תֹוק מָתו ּבַחֲצֵרָ יִ�! וְַארְ חִ יק וְאּורָ יִ�? טְהֹורָ יִ�, וְצִירָ יִ�! ָ

מִ י מְ אֹד אֲׁשֶ ר ּקֹב וְאֶֹּ

ְ מַּמְרֹורָ יִ�! וְעֵ ת

וְיָחֵ ף

מְעַ ט וְאֶרְ צֶ ה אֶת־ׁשְמָרָ יִ�! חֲדָרָ יִ�.

וְאֶעְ מֹד וְלַעְ �ז מְאִירָ יִ�.

וְאֵ ין ּבְתָרָ יִ�! עֲבָרָ יִ�,

ּומֹורָ יִ�.

ת־נְזִירָ אֶ יִ�. ּתְמָרָ יִ�. גְדֵרָ יִ�, נְהָרָ יִ�. ּומִתְַאּמְצִ ים ׁשְעָרָ יִ�, נְזָרָ יִ�. כֹות מַמְלְכו ּת ּכְפִירָ יִ�? לֹום ׁשְלו ּפַ ּזְרּו וְהִתְְַּּ ּ וְיַּגִ יע לֹות עֲלו ׁשְעָרָ יִ�, ּדְ מָעָ יו ּבְעֵ ת גָדְ לָ ּבְ ם נְׁשָרָ יִ�? חֲבֵרָ יִ�, קֹום ּבְמָקו בֹתַ אֲ י עֲדָרָ יִ�?

ּכִ י וְהַּיֹוצְרֵ � זְמָ ן נְ דֹד

ּבְחִירָ יִ�.

ׁשָ ם

הַר־עֲבָרָ יִ�,

חֲמָתֵ � נְעּורָ יִ�.

ּגְבִירָ יִ�. נֹוׁש אֱ ֹׁ לְׁשִירָ יִ�. דְּבִירָ יִ�, ַאּת וְ יְי וְאִ ם אֲׁשֶ ר קֹום ּובִמְקו

ּכֹאֲבִ ים וְהֲִַֹּ י עֲלֵ י

קְבָרָ יִ�. לְעֵינַ י הֲרָרָ יִ�. ׁשְבָרָ יִ�.

נְבִ י– אֲבָ ־ אֲסִירַ יִ�,

יֶהֱמֶ ה ּתִקְׁשְרִ י גִלְ ּבְ ־ רֹור ּומִּמָר־דְרו אֶחֱ �ם ׁש ּומִ ַחֲ וִים וְאִ ם ׁשְ נֵ י כְבָ ר ּבְׂשִמְ – אֲשֶ ר וְאֶׁשְ ־ אֶחֱ זֶה רּו־ ּכְרו ּכְטַ ל– ר עֹוד ּבְעו הָאֱלִ יל, זְּכ וְאֶ ֹ -

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ-

IJIJIJIJIJIJ, for IJIJIJIJIJIJ

h,” and like it, like and h,” A I aware of having modeled of having on it the aware of his songsof his of Zion, Halevi was clearly iambic line. English an tion. In composing this, the greatest In composingtion. greatest this, the again once fallenwhich I have back on Hebrew meter is the mitpashetet the is meter Hebrew bitter grief to hope for love’s restora hope grief to love’s for bitter Halevi'sfor mono-rhyme. The poem's of emotions from bereaved longing bereaved from to of emotions “s” sound a final substituted I have mono-rhyme of “–ayikmono-rhyme same follow the too, progression they News?”, All Barred Darling, You Have My of “Why, translation s inmy Do You Wonder?” have the haunting haunting the have Wonder?” Do You love of poems. his greatest ever wrote—the 34 distichs of “Zion, 34 distichs wrote—the ever it—and unlike anything else Halevi unlike it—and ling, Have You Barred All News?” All Like Barred ling, You Have contemporaries. rather than a “sacred” poem by Halevi’s poem Halevi’s by a “sacred” than rather have been a “secular” have considered Dar My “Why, is in conjunction with written for liturgical use would and liturgical for written be has most to read Wonder?” You by Jewish tradition, it was it not originally tradition, Jewish by ndeed, “Zion, poem Do the that Temple. Yet despite its inclusion there its despite inclusion there Yet Temple. of mourning for the destruction of the destruction of mourning the for of lamentations for Tisha b’Av, the day the b’Av, Tisha for of lamentations familiar to many Jews from the book Jews the from many familiar to of Halevi’s best-known poems, best-known one of Halevi’s “Zion, Do You Wonder?” is another another is Wonder?” “Zion, Do You וְצִ י וְיָם ּפְנֵ י

וְעָ ם

ַ וְאֵ ין

הֱ יֵה נְטֵ ה

וְרֶ גַ ע ּבְעֵ ת

רּוח וְרו הֲ �א

וְנֵטֶ ל

ּופַעַ ם

וְיָׁשִ יב

ׁש יְחַּדֵׁ ַ זְּכֹר וְתִזֹּ

וְיָמּוטּו ּומֹׁשְכֵ י

ּתְׁשַּבֵ ח וְתֵעָצֵ ל

ַ

וְתִבְרַ ח

וְהַּתֵבָ ה וְתִדְ רֹׁש

ׂשְמֵחִ ים ּת ּדֹף הֲתִרְֹּ בּו וְנֶחֶׁשְ ּ וְהַּלַ יִל–

ּומַּלָחִ ים וְיַד־רּוח מַ יִם

ּובֵינֹותָ ם כּוׁשִ ית ּכְ ִּׁ י

וְכֹוכָבִ ים יָנֹוס וְאֻקְינו

ּצֵ ה וְהִתְרַ צ

ַאּדִ יר

אׁשֹנִ ים וְרִ ִֹׁ י ּדֹומֶ ה וְכִדְמּותָ ם

וְתִ ר־לֹוזְּכָ ־ֹ וְַאל־ּתִדְ ר

חֹול מֵעַ ל וְַאל־יִּמֹוט

ֹ

רֹון יִתְרו

ׁש אֶ ת חֻּבְלָ ה ָאמְרָ ה יִתְ לּוּפַלֲ ּ לַעְ ׂשֹות קּו יִׁשְּתְ ּ

ַעֲׁשֶ ה

וְיָנּוטּו ָ ּבְלֵ ב ׁש לְקַׁ

בֹוא ּכְבו לְבָבִ י ּנֶ יה וְקִֶּ י

ּגַּבְרָ הִתְ ם

ּבְ גַ ב ּכְקָ ט

ּבְלֵ ב יְדֵיהֶ ם

רּות נַעֲרו זְכֹות

לְפָנֶ י� מֹות ּנְׁשָ הַ נָׁמו הֹלְכִ ים וְׁשָמַ יִם לְ �

בֹדַ מֵעֲ ת

נֹורְאֹותָ יו אֹות מִפְלְאו ַ

יֹצֶרְ לְ �

ּיֵד לְהִצְטֵַּ ַ

לְ חֹזֶק לְמַׁשְּבִ יח ּבְלֵ ב

ּה עֲצָתָּ

קּום לָ ּדְ ָקו לְרָקִ יע מְצַחֶקֶ ת יָם

הַחֲבָלִ ים–

ּבְצַלְמָ ם צֹות מִׁשְּבְצו ּיָם הַָּ גַּלִ ים,

מֵהֶ ם צֹונֹו רְצ וֹ

ּכִ י

מּו ּדָ ּ יִּפֹל

ּיָם הַָּ

ּתָרְ נֵ י

עֹוד

ׁש ׁשֶמֶׁ יַּמִ ים נֹכַ ח ַאחַ ר

וָלֵ ב ּבֹות לִ בו יׁש כָל־אִ ׁ

עַ ז

אֹון ׁשְאו ּבִ ים, ּפְנֵי־רַ ב ם זָהָ ב

יַעֲ ׁשּו יַם־סּוף

נַפְׁשְ � :

S ּפְנֵיהֶ ם–

24 R ְ ּטֹׁש וְתִ ּפְנֵ י A Man in Your Fifties עֲדֵ יִ־יָם עֲדֵ י ּכְנָמֵר וְקַ ל לְמָנֹוס, וְאֵ ין הַּתְרָ ים, נִ וְאֵ ין יֹות, אֲרָ וְעֵ ת

וְ לְקָדְ שֹו– ַאּת אֹור ּבְלֵ ב

ּבְמַעְלֹות צְבָ א

חֹבְלֵיהֶם, מֵ צּווְקָ ּ

ל, אֶל־עֲצַת־אֵ סּורוְסו יָם, ּבְעֵ ת

ים, גָרִ לַּפְ יּווְיִחְ ּ

ן, וְיַרְּדֵ אֲׁשֶ ר

ּגְרָ נֹות, ּופַעַ ם

חֲמִּׁשִ ים? וְיָמֶ יך ׁש תְחַּדֵ לְפָנָ יו

קְלָעִים, וְיָנּועּו

ׁשְלִיׁשִי, ּבְ ׂשֹוא

ּבַחֲבָלִים, וְנָׁשִ ים נְבֻכִים, גֵרִ ּכְ ים לְבָבָ�, וְהָרִ ים

ּכַּמְלָחִים, וְחַכְמֵ י

יר, ּבְַאּדִ ּתֹרֶ ןוְהַ תר וְׁשָבִ ים

מּו וְיִדְ עֲדָרִ ים ּכְתֶבֶן, זִּלֵ יּובַרְ ִל

יִם, ּבְמַ נֹׁשְאֵ יּכְ ֹשא

ּבְעֵינֹו, שְ נֵיהֶ ם הָאֱ�הִים, וְתִכְ סֹף לְדַרְ ּכָ�, ּכֹרוְתִמְֹּ

ר יֶתֶ ּבְ יְמֹותֶ י�

זִים, אֲרָ כּווְנֶהֶפְ ּ

ּת

לַ יִל הֹון!– ּה וָתָ וְתַאֲ ָָּ לְבּוׁשָּה, וְכִתְ כֵלֶ ת

אֶחָ ד נְבֻכִים, ּיִםּכְתַחְּתִִּ ּיָם הַָּ

ּפֹנֶ ה טְמֵאִ ים– וְיִזְּכָר־לָ � רֹנִים ַאחֲ ּכְצִפְ עֹנִ ים

צֹונֹו, רְ וְַאל־ּתֵלֵ �

גַּלֵ י ּכִצְבִ י

מֵעַ ל

ָאז

ׁשִ יר

רֹום מָרו

מִבְרָ ח חֶמְּדָ ה

וְיָזּועּו

ּגְוִּיֹות הְִַּיו ּנֵ ס וְהַ נ

ַעֲׁשֶ ה

אֲׁשֶ ר ּתֶחֱ זֶה

הֵחָלְׁשָ ם לְ � ּיִגְרְ ׁשּו ׁשְְִֶּׁ ּ

חֲמִּׁשִ נַעֲרּותים? ַאחַר ּדֹף הֲתִרְֹּ ֲַּתַחרחמׁש ם

וְאֵ ין אֲדָ נִ ים

הָעֲצָמִ ים חֶלְקְ � לְקָ נִ ים לְ �

עַל־ּפְנֵ י ׁשְ נֵ י זְכּות

נִּיִם ׁשְנִּ בַּכֵ ר ּתְ ַכ

וְגִ ּבֹור

עֹופֵ ף לְהִתְ ֹפ הָעֳמָרִ ים הַחֲרָׁשִ ים ׁשְבָחַ י נָׁשִ ים– וַאֲ ָש ם ׁש קֹדֶ לְ ֶֹׁ

וְעָלָ יו חֹול מְחו

ּבְמִ ַאתּלֻ א

עֹונֵיהֶ ם מִּמְעוֵה ּכִ י

טֹהָרִ מְ ים מּו ּדָ ּ חֲמֵׁשֶ ת בֹדַ אֶל־עֲ ת

בֹות ּכְלֶהָבו

מֵהֶ ם

ָאצִ ים

לָהֶ ם מָטִ ים מֵימָ יו לְכָל־חֵפֶ ץ

אֶרֶ ץ

יַּמִ ים

בִנְזִיד קְרָׁשִ ים, בֹות עַל־ּכָל־לְבָבו

ׂשַ ר

אֶל־אֲחֹורֵיהֶ ם ָאבֹות

ּבֻלַ ת לְתַחְ בל ּבַּנְפָׁשִ ים,

לִקְרַ את נֶחֱלָׁשִ ים,

יְבֵׁשִ ים, הַ ְֵש ם הֵ ם ּכַחֲׁשָׁשִ ים, מַחְלִ ים יָׁשִ ים, ּכַּלְ ָש ם

יָׁשִ ים, ּבַּדְ ָש ם חֲמֻׁשִ ים! הַּבְרֹוׁשִ ים,

ּכַּׁשְלִׁשִ יִם, נָׁשִ ים, נֶאֱ ָש ם לָחֳדָׁשִ ים? ּגְבִיׁשִ ים, נְחָׁשִ ים, רּוׁשִ ּגְ ים, וְאִּׁשִ ים, הַּקֳדָׁשִ ים, הַחֲדָׁשִ ים! לְטּוׁשִ ים, וְחָׁשִ ים, ּגְדִיׁשִ ים, ּומָׁשִ ים, גָׁשִ ים, הָרְ ָש ם מַחֲרִיׁשִ ים, נָׁשִ ים, הָאֲ ָש ם פָׁשִ ים, רְ ָש ם נְטֻׁשִ ים, לְחָׁשִ ים; ּובֹׁשִ ים, ּדְרּוׁשִ ים, עֲדָׁשִ ים? דֹׁשִ ים! קְ ֹש ם נְחָׁשִ ים; ם־יְקּוׁשִ ים, אִםיקוש ם יְׁשִיׁשִ ים, חֲמִּׁשִ ים– חֲבּוׁשִ ים– Sailors stand stunned their by shrouds; the living rather would be dead; Sell immortal your part. not soul your had enough? Has Soon life your will flown like a bird have a from branch! Or wait for auguries. Will to do it! but likeOne day it towers ricks and the flat as a field, next it’s On your true way, and for a mess of pottage trueOn your way, Praise the Soother of the storms that stir the depths, Don’t pretend you have to seek His will, to know Don’t pretend have you Between which, surging with thanksgiving, lies a third, heart. my Bulwarks are breeched;Bulwarks are the tiers triremes pierced, of great are Be bold as a panther, swift as a deer! His awesome world,His awesome restoring souls to bodies, life to dry bones. andFlare flicker there, far outcasts from home. Fear not the openFear sea, though and crest crash, mountains of waves Leave its counsel the for Leave senses put God’s, aside, five From whom theFrom multitudes of all things come, Now, the waves subside; the waves Now, like flocks of sheep uponthey graze the sea. Recount, then, memories, stamped in men’s Mightyreel fleets andwrecked.Masts are totter and fall; Up which ascendsUp the night watch, captain. led its silver-sworded by Unmanning theirUnmanning oarsmen; men, women, faint with grow dread; The heft of the for counts yards nothing, for nothing the tricks of old tars; no stronger spars are thanTall straws; cedar beams like snap stems; The ballast chaff; is but cast out resistancethekeels of have grass. The wonders parting, of the Red Sea’s The of stained Pardoner souls, who sakes for His sainted Patriarchs’ The sun has set, departing the by stairs an African spangled are The with heavens gold, blue-black The seaward-dipping the night-clasped sky, sea, both polished bright, Trapped in an ocean with nowhere to flee Trapped Will Sing pardon yours. song Him while renews a Levite’s He Within a frame of milky crystal. the roam Stars water, While the sails flap and crack, and the deck creaks and groans, Why then yield each day to its lusts? At suchAt times, when each to what is holy man prays to him, in theAnd days of Joshua. of the Jordan’s Are indistinguishable, oceans two cuppedalike, And hands shake like in rags a gale, And speechless ships’ carpenters quail, And to the crews leap task and in dismay stagger back, And the wind whips the into haystack-high water bales. A ripple of snakes without a whisper even or hiss. And make amends before Maker last to your your days rush away. And laze about instead of setting out A man in fifties–and your you still would young? be and And shun run after the Onethe many, You turn to face turn the Holiest of Holies. You Yet when roiled to a prideful of lions,Yet each hot on the other heels, one’s Yet you shirk you the service of God, theYet service and crave of men, ּומּוׁשִ ים, חֲרּוׁשִ ים,

-

.

-

. in

, his

it

, a

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ the

worst , reas a met and , and poet his for from cultural the settling Palestine is read s hands tossing ’ the the , Halevi . The entire of pulse of be again . As that fears conquerors 1130s and . abandon dangerous population Spain to castigated fifties poem , so his winds subsiding a ship can , he repeatedly letting in God safely was early of steady as , Crusader social . The perilous sea project regular by , the in his —and Jewish in which him to of leaving the Christian the forward being period , its travel of was to in Spain, would have then wildly to its thoughts

entire increasingly preoccupied of control madness like a life . The poem look as anxiety he arrived doing so by idea implementation zone becomes the and if hesitated 1120s to figure his in his Israel Halevi for imagined in this its who urged for the beats of him reminding seas seemed even a war off early certitude Halevi a waking dream he regains happen heart masters high as in Palestine aphor him this during put voyage himself while Land

the Yehuda the slowssuringly breathing as Mediterranean lionized was decimated and but nothing isolation plan friends kept IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI

R 25 S הֱצִיקַתְ נִיתְׁשּוקָתִי לְאֵל חָ י Driven by Longing for the Living God

In this poem, we see Halevi finally Driven by longing הֱצִיקַתְ נִ י תְׁשּוקָתִ י לְאֵ ל חָ י setting out on the voyage he had for the living God לְׁשַחֵ ר אֶ ת מְ קֹום ּכִסְ אֹות מְׁשִיחָ י debated for years. The poem’s “drivenness,” with its opening de- to hasten to where עֲדֵ י ּכִ י �א נְטָׁשַתְ נִ י לְ נַּׁשֵ ק scription of a hasty departure from Spain, led me to render its m’rubeh- His anointed ones dwelt, ּבְנֵ י בֵיתִ י וְאֶת־רֵ עַ י וְאֶחָ י, metered, 11-syllable hemistichs in short three-to-six-syllable lines. I I had no time to kiss my friends וְ �א אֶבְּכֶ ה עֲלֵ י ּפַרְּדֵ ס נְטַעְּתִ יו wanted to convey their breathless quality, their feeling that now, his or family וְהִׁשְקִיתִ יו וְהִצְלִ יחּו צְמָחָ י, journey begun at last, events were taking place for Halevi with a rapid- a last farewell; וְ �א אֶ זְּכֹר יְהּודָ ה וַעְ זַרְ אֵ ל ity that was the opposite of the long delays that preceded it. Since no time to weep ,for the garden I grew ׁשְ נֵ י פִרְ חֵ י יְקָ ר מִבְחַ ר ּפְרָחָ י, this makes the English poem many lines longer than the Hebrew one, I the trees watered and watched וְאֶ ת יִצְחָ ק אֲׁשֶ ר ּכַּבֵ ן חֲׁשַבְּתִ יו have broken the latter into separate stanzas that do not exist in Halevi’s ;as they branched and did well יְבּול ׁשִמְׁשִ י וְ טּוב ּגֶרֶ ׁש יְרָחָ י. .version Of the three names mentioned no time to think in this poem, only one can be cer- tainly identified, that of Halevi’s of the blossoms they bore, grandson Yehuda. (Sephardic Jews, of Yehuda unlike Ashkenazim, permitted the naming of children for living grand- and Azarel, parents.) A second may be that of Halevi’s son-in-law Yitzhak ibn Ezra, or of Yitzhak, son of the renowned Hebrew poet, so like a son, Bible critic, and polymath Avraham ibn Ezra. Azriel could have been a my sun-blessed crop, second grandson, but this is con- the years’ rich yield. jectural. The poem was apparently written in the course of a land Forgotten are וְכִמְעַ ט אֶׁשְּכְחָ ה ּבֵ ית הַּתְפִּלָ ה journey that was to be followed by ,my synagogue אֲׁשֶ ר הָ יּו בְמִדְרָׁשָ יו מְנּוחָ י, .a sea voyage the peace that was וְאֶׁשְּכַ ח ּתַעֲ נּוגֵ י ׁשַּבְ תֹתַ י its study hall, my Sabbaths וְהַדְרַ ת מֹועֲדַ י ּוכְ בֹוד ּפְסָחָ י, ,and their sweet delights וְאֶּתֵ ן אֶ ת ּכְבֹודִ י לַאֲחֵרִ ים the splendor of וְאֶעְ זֹב לַּפְסִילִ ים אֶ ת ׁשְבָחָ י. :my festivals הֲמִ ירֹתִ י ּבְצֵ ל ׂשִיחִ ים חֲדָרַ י .I’ve left them all ּוּבִמְׂשּוכַ ת סְבַ � חֹסֶ ן ּבְרִיחָ י, Let others have the idol’s honors וְנַפְׁשִ י ׂשָבְעָ ה רָאׁשֵ י ּבְׂשָמִ ים —and be hailed וְרֵ ַיח נַעֲ צּוץ ׂשַמְּתִ י רְקָחָ י, I’ve swapped my bedroom וְחָדַ לְּתִ י הֲ לֹו� עַ ל ּכַ ף וְעַ ל ַאף ,for dry brush וְנָתַּתִ י ּבְלֵ ב יַּמִ ים אֳרָחָ י its safety עֲדֵ י אֶמְצָ א הֲ דֹום רַ גְלֵ י אֱ�הָ י. for wild chaparral, the scents and subtle fragrances that cloyed my soul for thistles’ smells, and put away the mincing gait of landlubbers to hoist my sail and cross the sea until I reach the land that is the Lord’s footstool. There will I וְׁשָּמָ ה אֶׁשְּפְכָ ה נַפְׁשִ י וְׂשִיחָ י pour out my heart וְאֶסְּתֹופֵ ף ּבְהַ ר קָדְ ׁשֹו, וְַאקְּבִ יל and huddle by ,His holy hill לְפִתְחֵ י ׁשַעֲרֵ י ׁשַחַ ק ּפְתָחָ י, and pitch my tent וְַאפְרִ ַיח ּבְמֵ י יַרְּדֵ ן נְרָדָ י ,at heaven’s gate וְַאׁשְלִ ַיח ּבְׁשִ ַ�ח ׁשְלָחָ י. and irrigate אֲ דֹנָ י ּלִ י וְאֵ י� אִירָ א וְאֶפְחַ ד from Jordan’s rill ּומַלְ ַא� רַחֲמָ יו נֹׂשֵ א ׁשְלָחָ י? and the pool of Siloam אֲהַּלֵ ל אֶ ת ׁשְ מֹו מִּדֵ י חֲיֹותִ י the sacred spikenard וְאֹודֶ ּנּו עֲדֵ י נֶצַ ח נְצָחָ י. of my soul. I am the Lord’s and fear no ill as long as His own angels shall take up cudgels for me while I praise Him till my breath falls still. IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJ

R 26 S קִרְ אּועֲלֵי בָנֹותּומִׁשְּפָ חֹות A Letter from Aboard Ship

Halevi sailed for Palestine via Egypt To sisters, brothers, family, and friends: קִרְ אּו עֲלֵ י בָ נֹות ּומִׁשְּפָ חֹות in the summer of 1140, when he was ,Greetings from one ׁשָ לֹום, וְעַ ל ַאחִ ים וְעַ ל אֲ חֹות, in his late sixties, and “A Letter From Aboard Ship” may have been posted a prisoner of hope sold to the sea, מֵאֵ ת ָאסִ יר ּתִקְ וָ ה אֲׁשֶ ר נִקְ נָ ה by him to family and friends in Spain from one of the North African ports his spirit hostage to the winds לַ ּיָם, וְׂשָ ם רּוחֹו ּבְ יַד רּוחֹות, his vessel docked in on its way to Alexandria. Alternately, however, it that blow from west to east and back again! Between him and death is nothing more ּדָ חּוי ּבְ יַד מַעְרָ ב לְ יַד מִ זְרָ ח, .may have been a mere poetic conceit In either case, it is a playful poem, in than a thin sliver of a board זֶה יַעֲ בֹור לַנְ חֹות וְזֶה לִדְ חֹות. response to which I allowed myself a free arrangement on the page of its (unless death already has occurred, ּבֵ ינֹו ּובֵ ין מָ וֶ ת כְפֶׂשַ ע, ַא� .twelve distichs The poem’s account of a 12th-cen- since he is buried in a wooden box .(six feet under water without a coffin’s worth of space ּבֵ ינֹו ּובֵינָ יו מַעֲבֵ ה לּוחֹות, .tury sea voyage is entirely accurate Medieval ships were small, crowded, ,Seasick and scared of pirates, tempests, and Mohammedans קָ בּור ּבְחַ ּיָיו ּבַאֲ רֹון עֵ ץ, �א and unsanitary, and their passengers slept one against another in an un- ,he sits because there isn’t room to stand קַרְקָ ע וְ �א ַארְ ּבַ ע וְ �א ּפָ חֹות, ventilated hold beneath the deck and prayed they would not be capsized by lies down and has no place to put his feet. יֹוׁשֵ ב וְאֵ ין לַעֲ מֹד עֲלֵ י רַ גְלָ יו, storms or attacked by pirates. Halevi’s ,The captain is a brute, the crew are no-accounts ׁשֹוכֵ ב וְאֵ ין רַ גְלָ יו מְׁשֻּלָ חֹות, high spirits in the face of this testifies to the enormous relief felt by him at yet they’re this kingdom’s king and counts finally being on his way. .with whom no education counts if you can’t swim חֹולֶ ה וַיִירָ א מִּפְנֵ י גֹויִם :I’ll tell you, though, what makes them glum ּגַ ם מִּפְנֵ י לִסְטִ ים ּומֵ רּוחֹות. It’s when I smile because I know חֹבֵ ל ּומַּלָ ח ּכָ ל ּבְנֵ י פִרְ חָ ח .that soon I’ll lay my soul in my Lord’s lap הֵ ם הַּסְ גָנִ ים ׁשָ ם וְהַּפַ חֹות; ,There, where once His ark and altar stood �א לַחֲכָמִ ים ׁשֵ ם וְגַ ם �א חֵ ן I’ll thank Him, requiter of men’s guilt with good, .with all the song and praise I can bestow לַּיֹודְ עִ ים, רַ ק יֹודְ עִ ים ִ ְ ׂש לחֹות. יִתְעַ ּצְ בּו רֶ גַ ע לְ זֹאת ּפָ נַ י: אֵ י� יַעֲ �ז הַּלֵ ב וְהַ ּטּוחֹות עַ ד אֶׁשְּפְכָ ה נַפְׁשִ י ּבְחֵ יק הָאֵ ל נֹכַ ח מְ קֹום ָארֹון ּומִ זְּבָ חֹות? אֶ גְ מֹל לְאֵ ל ּגֹומֵ ל לְחַ ּיָבִ ים טֹובֹות, ּבטּוב ׁשִ ירֹות וְתִשְּבָ חֹות.

S

Gripping the ship as the hand Of a thief grips its find. Of the sea and and Leviathan the sky, But allBut that is seen Let it foam! My heartLet bounds it foam! My Has nothingHas remained? Has a new FloodHas drowned the land Is a ship and theIs span Neither bird, beast, nor man? The dreariest plain, Would be balm for theWould mind; Which shakes its white mane, A strip sand of bare And left no of patch dry ground, A pleasure to scan. As I near the shrine. Lord’s As the he up churns brine, 27 At Sea R הֲבָא ּבּול מַ מַ ּבּול וְיָם וְלֵ ב

אֱלֵ י וְאֵ ין וְאֵ ין

אֲבָ ל

הֲבָ א הֲסָ ף

וְאֶרֶ ץ ּכְאִ ּלּו

וְלִוְיָתָ ן ַ

ׁשֹב וְאֶחְֹׁ ּגִ יח וְַאׁשְִּ י אֹות ּובִרְאו

יִזְעַ ף ּיָם הַָּ

מַ יִם ָאדָ ם

ּכֹל הַֹּ הִ יא ּכִ י ּבּול מַ בו

ׁש מִקְּדַׁ

הַ ר אֹות לִרְאו

לְכָ ל

הָעֲרָ בָ ה וְאֵ ין

ּבְ יַד

ׁש יְכַחֵׁ וְנַפְׁשִ י

ּפְנֵ י

וְׂשָ ם

יחֹו ּבְהַרְּתִיֹ לִ י וְׁשָמַ יִם נּו וְׁשָכְ ּ הֹום תְהו

עֵבֶ ר ָ

ּיָה חַָּ ּיָם הַָּ וְׁשּוחָ ה

אֶרֶ ץ ּתֵבֵ ל

תַעֲ �ז,

לִ י נִּיָה ּבָאֳנָּ

וְאֵ ין

וְתֵבָ ה

וְאֵ ין ׁשֹב יַחְֹׁ עֲרֵ בָ ה,

ּכִ י מְצּולָ ה, ּגְנֵבָ ה. מַעֲצֵבָ ה? ּכֹל אֱ�הֶ יה קְרֵ בָ ה. חֳרָ בָ ה חֲרֵ בָ ה, עֹוף? מְנּוחָ ה, לְׂשֵיבָ ה ,

,”

as IJIJIJIJIJIJ man

s mono- ’ . While Hebrew effect captains sought . I have . the described it sometimes sea poem in good lines of all 17 is ,”ground “ same of of done it va ,” “ the mind,” etc , they the of – generally s ship ’ ,” “ having land -rhyming : “land sight Ages sand as to some idea of Halevi not have repeated slant reproduced , as give out close by poem Middle may do single translation stay ,”remained “ in this partially rhyme weather my “ these MediterraneanAlthough in the to strayed the they וְתֵ ן

רְ אֵ ה

ּומִּׁשָ ם וְעַ ּמּוד

חּוצֹות ּבְ ּצו

בֹוד ּכָבו

ׁש אֵׁ עָרִ ים

בּו חֻּצְ ּ

עָבְרָ ה

ּבַעְלֵ י וְעַּמּודֵ י ּבָ ם

לְמִצְרַ יִם,

וְהִתְ ּבֹונֵ ן

ּבְרִ ית S

וְהָקֵ ל

עֲנָנִ ים,

זֹות ּפְרָזו

הַּׁשְכִינָ ה אֵ ל

28 Egypt R וְעֵינֵ י

אֲׁשֶ ר ּפְעָמֶ י�

עָרִ ים רְאֵה עָרִ ים כֹּ ל ּנֹות ּופִ נו ׁש לְבַּקֵׁ

יּו הָ ּ ַאל וְ א

עַ ם ּדַ ם

מְצַ ּפֹות Seeking His blood-pact on the doors. Seen every by eye! Cut for theCut ages! Columns of fire, columns of cloud, Its mightyIts cornerstones The people out, carved the of Covenant These great cities,These great these country villages, gingerly in streets Tread Through which presence God’s roamed, Were of old lived in Israel. by Were All honor then to Egypt!

אֲ דֹנָ י

ּבְרִ ית רֹו� ּתִדְרו

יִׂשְרָאֵ ל לְ ִשרא ּבָ ם

ׁשָ ם עַ ל

זּוזֹות עֱ ּזו וְ חֹוזֹות, אֲחֻ ּזֹות, רּוזֹות. ּגְרוֹת הַּמְ זּוזֹות,

. -

-

in

-

IJIJIJIJIJIJ of . - . and

the was them col sacri Halevi story Geniza were Sea poem of until Septem painted length wealthy led the in Egypt Red continuing its community Cairo Halevi already to richness entire , since ground paschal that a re indicate in this the by in early the the . Yet and place to Israelites difficulties to fire the thatYehuda in the Jewish sacred as and he was - of us , the and seem the. Although , takes jambs well there remained biblical account fleeing desert tell semi Egypt logistical , as blood , he felt , 1141 and the on the cloud might in Alexandria discovered uncertainty about impressed by exodus 1950s of the Palestine -May largely sophisticated that , 1140 to stay to door their the landed ber mid Letters in the his on fact deeply newed lushness of fice on are and The biblical references Moreover treading Patriarchs of much the through of umns וְזֶה

הֱ יֵה אֲבָ ל

אֱ�הַ י

עֵ זֶר

ׁשִמְ � ּיְאֹור הַ יאו

ּפִלְאֲ �

ּבְ יַד לְעֶבֶ ד

לְעֵ ד

ּדֹור

ּכִ י

מֹׁשֶ ה ּדֹור

דָ ם הֶאֱמִ ין

ּבָ �

S וְַאהְ רֹן ׁש יְרֻחָׁ

הֲפַכְ ּתֹו

29 ּומִּפִ י R

אֹות וְלִרְאו

ּב�א וְהַּמַּטֶ ה

From Age to Age

ָאב

אֶ ת

לַהַ ט

אֲׁשֶ ר

לְבָנִ ים

וְ �א

� ׁש יְרֻחָ ּדֹור ּדֹור ּפִלְאֲ אֱ�הַי ּפִלְאֲ � ּדֹור ּדֹור יְרֻחָ ׁ ש But only Your name and Moses and Aaron’s rod, name and and Aaron’s Moses onlyBut Your Help then Your trusting servant to make haste thenHelp Your From age to age Your wonders, God, told age are to age Your From No hierophants performed hierophants No the magic trick, קֹומֹות מְ ֹמו Transformed by You into a hissing snake. You by Transformed a place more wondrous than yet this! To This river Nile has always testifiedThis river turned into blood. were its waters how To And not denied father by or son. by �א נֶהְּפַ �

קֶסֶ ם

ּפִלְאֲ � ׁש, יְכֻחָ ש

ׁש, לְנָחָ ש ׁש, וְנַחַ ש ׁש! חָ ש

.”

-

IJIJIJIJIJIJ- - -

Nile the

- tells with of the until s pres to look ’ el ”—was a place at beneath first Moses sacred Egypt —“ blood up the this God , Jerusalem of a trav “like in he was he was Scripture that Aharon . Watching home and shade in the , staying as than Israel . site all

been s at ’ of as he saw traveling . Yet , , whereas Cairo the judge 1140 water , he felt to turned , it in the place had prominent old had its flow once Zion same staffs their or before the Grandly Plagues of . The Land . Nothing in Alexandria remained / was ,/ In the yet wondrous elsewhere river ,/ Resting rabbinical in Egypt s -November Aaron ’ Ten Fustat home of born Ammani to great ing at and a wave the Halevi mid ence eler write dwells more sacred a tree Egypt events could take

S

Silver bellsapples of and of pomegranates, Swaying like a palm in tree the breeze? So languidly they move Gentle with their wiles, Or is it retribution poachedOur eyes have on? One look the at sun from them Give theGive instrumentalists their chance Be gentle them catch you if making eyes For they burdenedFor are by the curls For on their soft cheeks Like the splendors of friendship; orFull delicate, lush, lithe, or lanky– Let’s have more lutes have Let’s the girls, lovely For Looking through the lattice! daughter the at well; Laban’s From I ask you: It’s in their tresses. raven It’s whichIn they orbited forever. I could fall for them all Is it theirIs fault, (At me, I hope),(At Never sought to liftNever a sword? Each perfect with of pearly rows two crystal. Just count the count Just hearts they’ve stolen! Much less bear less Much Unwitting archers that they are, That you would think would you That They could barely lift an eyebrow, The armor of their ankle-bands and bracelets. Their bright tunics are Their hair is as black They’re so like stars be I would theThat sky To serenade the secrets sirens To That their arrows have pierced hearts, theirThat have arrows Though their arms bare Will they for pay them, Well-behaved theyWell-behaved learned be to And sprinkled roses with essences. rare And what about that stately one back there, And be it would sunburned! And it shines in their faces; And for their perilous mouths, red As the gloom of goodbyes. You sweet singers! sweet You “Let there be light,” they say, “Let it be dark”— 30 R ְ ו ׁש יְפֵ י לּו וְ ּ אֲ זַי וְיֵׁש עֲלֵ י

וְאִ ם ּומַ ה

אֲבָ ל ּיָם וְדַָּ וְאֵ י�

ַאט לְ א רְ אֵ ה ַאט לְ א

אֲׁשֶ ר אֲׁשֶ ר ַאל ׁשְ א ּבְלֵ יל

אֹור ּבְאו

ַ גּו וְהָרְ ּ

ָרִ ים קְדֻּׁשַ ת לֹות עֲצֵלו מֹות עֲלָמו

ּכִ י

קֹול

נֹות וְכָתְנו ּכִ י ּופִיפִ ּיֹות יו ּיֹות ּופֹורִ יו

תּולֹות ּבְ ּלו אֹורֹות מְ ֹרו

זְבּו עָ ְּ

לֹות מְסֻּבָלו

�א ּנִ ים וְׁשֹוׁשִַּ י יּו הָ ּ טּורֵ י

אּו נָׁשְ ּ ּבָהֵ ן

פֹות וְנִׁשְקָפו

אֹמַ ר

סֹובַבְנָ ה ּתְ ֹבבנ

תֹאמַרְ נָ וְ ה

חּו לָקְ ּ

ׂשֵעָ ר

אּו נָׂשְ ּ ּפָנִ ים

לִׁשְ ּגֹות יׁש, אִיש

ָ אֹור ּפְנֵ י יָפֹותכִּנֹור לְ מּוקַּדְ קֹול יְפֵי קֹול קַּדְ מּו כִּנֹור לְ יָפֹות ַאחֲרֵ י

ּזְרֹעֹות ּבַ זרעו לּו וְ ּ

נּו נָתְ ּ

אֱלֵ י

מּו קַּדְ ּ יְהִ י כּו מָׁשְ ּ טָהֳרַ ת דּו לָמְ ּ מּו יְׁשַּלְ הַיַׁל ּ עֲלֵ י

ּבְעַ ד

ּנְ ׂשֹוא מִ נ שו

פּו נִטְרְ ּ

לּו ׁשָאֲ ּ נְקַ ם

הֹוד ּבְהו עֲבֻ ּתֹות ַ from “Let’s Have More Lutes for the Lovely Girls” וְהֵ ם

רֹות ּבִמְׂשַּקְרו

מֹות לַעֲלָמו

וְעָלֵיהֶ ן ּכְלֵ יל

בְעֵינֵינּו

יּו הָ ּ

יְפֵהפִ ּיֹות יו

לִּבִ י אֶ ת חַּמָ ה דֹלָחִ בְ ים אֹור ּכְאו

ּבְרַ ּכֹות

נֹגְנִ ים

צְמִידִ ים ּנֹור כִ נו

חַּמָ ה מִּבַ ת

ּכַּמָ ה חֹור ּובִׁשְחו חֹׁשֶ �

קֶׁשֶ ת ּבֹות לִ בו

ּבֹות לִ בו עַפְעַ ף אֶׁשְ נָ ב צִיצַ ת זַּכֹות

לִקְרָ ב קֹומָ ה

אֹו רּוח וְהָ יְנִיפֶ ה נּופֹות? תְנ וֹת

רּוד ּפֵרו ּבְתַ ּפּוח וְרִ ּמֹון

יְהִ י פֹות, וַעֲנֵ ֹת

ׂשּופֹות. הַחֲ ש וֹת אֲדֻ ּמֹות נֵ חֲ פֹות, חֶבְרָ ה מֹות נַעֲלָמו רּופֹות! ּתְר וֹת

רְ קִיעִ ים יָפֹות לְיפו וַעֲ נֻּגֹות טּופֹות? קְטוֹת פְנֵיהֶ ם רֹות ּומְׁשַּקְרו זּופֹות! ׁשְז וֹת לְתֻּמָ ם צּופֹות. רְצ וֹת ּבְתּואֵ ל

גּופֹות, וְגוֹת חֲלִ יפֹות, הַּטְרֵ פֹות, אֹור פֹות וְחָפו וְ צֹפֹות, פֹות? יְעֵ ֹת ּכְתָמָ ר תְ קּופֹות, לְחֵיהֶ ם חּום! לְקָ ּם דֹות צְעָדו פֹות, מַחֲלָ ֹת בֹות חֲרָבו לִ י, צְ נּופֹות, בּוׁשֹות לְבושו

-

-

a

-

in

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIJI to the was . Fac for mo- frees her do can were the , yet undis at . It greater stray old qasida it to asked tell only absent for

audience competi young her biblical , Yehuda poet themselves description , one might to the , if experience , choosing even , too eyes the singers watch beauty were attended by the chose of an male his possess to appeal , wry kissed aging that the ” is window through this , reliving as

. He its play to let part an the in Fustat attractive . guests a teasing has a qasida in a poetic , to to s last ’ represents , whose cessation recently of .. that of first wish poem the beauty with . It , comes gathered part grace contemplate Jacob Ammani man his the s daughter the - a latticed favors ’ Halevi desire of form here he had had el garden by its , who runs dutifully old to turning took a crowd that female a musical theme preliminary for , and , begins parting in which . Only Laban soul to for , an in was its “ party a dinner in the to a tribute improvise sexual the of turbed whose unexpected return Rachel father well appears say the At Halevi tion to Aharon so for concert ing the sat which women easier instrumentalists before direction whentheir silent ment of bid appreciate still final moment ּבְ גַ ן וְלֵ ב וְ כֹל

ַ

רּוח וְרו

וְׁשִּדָ ה יְדֵיהֶ ם

הֲפָׁשַ ט

וְלָבְׁשָ ה

עֵדֶ ן בַּדֵ י ּומַרְ ַד יָם

מֹות וְהַּקָמו

עַ ל זְרַ מִ ע יִפְּתֶ ה

דּו ּכָבְ ּ ּזְמָ ן הַ זמ

אֹות נְאו

יְאֹור מִ ן ׂשְפַ ת

הָאֲדָמָ ה ּבְמִצְרַ יִם מֹו, נִיפֵ ּתְניֵמו

וְיִׁשְּכַ ח ּת ּבִגְדֵ י

יְרַקְרַ ּקֹות

ּבָ ר מִדְ ב ׁש ׁשֵׁ

ּיְאֹר הְַֹּ אֶ ת

ַׁשְּבֵ ץ אּו וְנִרְ ּ

ּבְפִ יׁשֹון, הַּצְמִידִ ים דֹות חֲרָדו

S

אֲדֻ ּמֹות

מֹו ּכְ ֹ זְקּונָ יו

ּכְאִ ּלּו וְרִ קְמָ ה

וְׁשִ ּדֹות טּובֹות חֲ ּבו

31 רּו וְצָ ּ

ְ גַ ּנֹות ּבְג נו R ׁש וְלָבַׁ ׁש מִׁ

By the Nile ּת וְיִזְּכֹר אֹות נְאו

עַ ל

אֶ ת

אֹות צְבָאו מֹות קְ וְלְרִ ְמו וְעָׂשְתָ ה

ֹותַחֲ ו וְרַעַמְסֵ ס עֹוד

ּגֹׁשֶ ן

צַעֲדֵיהֵ ם

ׂשְפַ ת הֵ ם, אֶ ל

גָדָ ּבְ יו

ּבִגְדֵי הַ דֹות חֲרָ ּזְמָן הֲפָׁשַט הַ ּזְמָן ּבִגְדֵי חֲרָ ד ֹות ּופִ תֹם יְלָדִ ים חֹׁשֶ ן ּבְ ֹש

אֵ ל

נָהָ ר

So like gazelles they heavy-laden, but are, Palm islands etched against the sky, Festooned withFestooned checkered of patterns gold? Has timeHas cast its off grim old clothes the braceletsHeavy on their arms, in thisHere, paradise of Egypt, In theseIn in these the gardens, by river, fields. The vale of the Nile is a blazon of fields, The land of Goshen an ocean of grain, The glint bright of far pyramids in the sun. The anklets circling their slim steps. The yellow stalks a rich are brocade, They in bow gratitude and pray to God.

And dressed itself in its holiday best, And the earth on an embroidered put vest A girl the by banks of the river: And the foolish heart forgets old how it is, And remembers other boys and other girls, And when the sea breeze ripples through them, לֻּבָ ׁשֹות מְ ֻב שו אֲבָ ל צֹות מִׁשְּבְצו

ּפָ ז

אֹו הֵ ן דֹות. ּבַצְעָ ֹת

זָהָ ב

ׁשֶהֵ ם

הַחֲ מּודֹות, דֹות. וְׂשָ ֹת גָ ּבְ דֹות, ּומֹודֹות. דֹות יְלָדו בּודֹות. רְב וֹת אֲ פּודֹות, ידֹות? פִ רְ ִיֹת ּכְבֵ דֹות,

- to

IJIJIJIJIJIJJIJIJI

the old More . An

of the last of far beside a great low with acquain respond Have watered his

, from . s flowed . A north , were ’ fronds an to .” Not on the to walked Nile wheat the a piece out stood sands , Halevi 1140–41 Girls of in “Let desert included these of girl filled with ability and of set is , where the everything the up the find a letter poet

to that was stalks to for joyous acceptance we -armed

the trip from winter the The Lovely but distance about pyramids , Halevi that

he wrote of yielded in Fustat rising For -enduring still where a boat mood . Their the . A bare s ’ calm man . In river it valley cones oases old from journey During the took wind bent thankfulness where tance the age lines beauty Lutes אֲׁשֶ ר

וְָאמְ רו ּבְׁשּוטִ י :

נִיתִ עֲ ים לּונִ י ׁשְאֵ ּנ

: מָ ן :

“

“ “ אֵ ין

ּזְמָ ן הַ זמ

רֹות מַעְבְרו

יַאֲכִילֵנִ י

זִּמֵ ן ּבְתֵבֵ ל ּיֵד הֲתִצְטֵַּ

ּבְכָ ל זְרָ מִ ח

מָ ן!

ּבְלִ י ” יָדִ לְ י

יֹום יָד

S

אֲחִ י וְתֵימָ ן,

32 וְאֵ ין

נִיתִ עֲ ים R :

צֶדֶ ק “

ּומַטְעַּמָ יו יְחִידִ י

חֹומֵ ל

וְאִ ם On Shlomo ibn Gabbai

יׁש וְאִ ׁ

ּבְפִ י– מִּבְלִ י

אֵ ין

יָשָׁ ר מָ ן

Lone as a childless widower, me manna every day Feeds I’m asked, could get alongI’m you “How That tastes like sweets and choice viands.” liketasteschoice and That viands.” sweets Without the kindness of a helping hand?” An ever-eastward wanderer, “My luck,” I say, “is that a righteous I say, man luck,” “My anachronize?” “Don’t you they“Manna?” say. Ibn-Gabbai’s!” “when it’s I reply, “Not,” לְרַעֲבֹונְ � וְתֵימָ זְרָ מִ ן ּבְׁשּוטִיח מַעְבְרֹות מַעְבְרֹות מִ זְרָ ח וְתֵימָ ן רֹוב קָרו

מַמְּתָ ק

וְנֶאֱמָ ן ּבְתֵבֵ ל–

וְרַחְמָ ן? ּכְַאלְמָ ן, ” ּומִׁשְמָ ן. ” ׁשָ ם

אֲחִ י

מָ ן. ”

,

: ‘If is he

.’”

. IJIJIJIJIJIJ in

. A of blame try

was but on two that family I sought to There blow to in the , a pun

s tribute ’ who from : ‘ Hebrew s loss ibn Ezra his ’ s brother ’ has had a play what to heartfelt one of said .’ I answered i man . final h is is he remained a bitter Halevi , Halevi in Fustat . The other Ahiman a who in meaning its was , They , Yitzhak manna . When ” is was return daughter of world : “ side is companions translator , which gracefully conveyed , where to Halevi his Yehuda Halevi his

-in-law , the different t be . for ’ in this , there by For t ’ s brother Egypt ’ Numbers would be s son biblical name ’ can translation to here isn of husband, this voyage the Though humorous Spain. Shlomo ibn Gabbai do “Manna there on Book to no manna Shlomo ibn Gabbai literal distich words young traveling accompanied did not intend in Spain devotedly Halevi who informed something translation similar in spirit to her his אֲבָ ל לְעֵ ת אֲׁשֶ ר

מֹול ּתְמו

ׁש יָאֵ אֲ ֵָׁ

נָ ד

נָקַ ל ּכָ זֹאת

אֹות מֵרְאו

הִתְ חּולַּקְ ּ

ּפְ רֹד

ּתְ כַ ל מִּמְ קֹומֹו

אֲחִ י

עַ ל

עֵינִ י יקֹוד בִ קו

יִצְחָ ק

S וְרֵ עַ י–

וְתֵרַ ד לְבָבִ י ׁשְ �מֹה

ּבְעֵינַ י, 33

וְזֶה

R וְאִ ם אֲׁשֶ ר ּכָ לְעֵתזֹאת ּכָ זֹאת

סֹוף

ִ י וְתָׂשִ ים

ּת נָ ד

ּכָ ל לַּקַ ח ּכְהִתְ ַק ַ ר

On Boarding Ship in Alexandria נַחֲלֵ י

יְקֹוד יְדִידַ י וַעֲ זָבַנִ י לְבָבִ י

But now that now ShlomoBut is gone too, Hot from a storm-wracked heart.Hot left I’m in solitude Even thoughEven the shock of it was rude. The back tears more. any They pour like hailstones, part from Yitzhak was theTo easy part, With no hope of seeing again. anyone At suchAt a time, hold eyes can’t my And that’s theAnd that’s last of all friends my from Spain! דִ מְעִ י לֹו

ּגַחַ ל

פֹרָ מְ ד. מִּסְפָרַ ד! וְחָרַ ד, ּבְמֹורָ ד ּבְבָרָ ד. -

IJIJIJIJIJIJ. . , not him for , whose took feared 7, 1141 dined con in Egypt that volunteered May greatly Palestine on a reputation ship hosts months wined and were had the his Israel him to of and rulers with one of his during boarded Land the travel Halevi to he wasAlthough stantly to Crusader a single viciousness moving poemsmost wrote. he ever describing simplest in one it of the and said goodbye Shlomo ibn Gabbai, to Yitzhak ibn Ezra in Fustat, he now Having already parted angrily from parted from angrily already Having יַד אֹו

אֵ י� לִּמֵ ד

הֶרֶ ף חֵלֶ ף ּיֹום הַ יו

ַאהֲ רֹן יַעֲ זֹב אֲ נִ י וְ �א

יַחלִ יף לְצֵ ל

אֹון ׁשְאו

אֶ ת יָם יׁש אִ ׁ

הָרָ ב, ָאמַ ר

מֹודֶ ה

קֹורַ ת

צֵ ל עַ ד

אֶ ת

אֲׁשֶ ר כְ נַ ף נְוַ ת

יהּו לְפִיּ עֲ נַ ף

צְרִ י אֲׁשֶ ר

“

הָרַ ב S

טֹו ׁשִבְ ֹ

זְרָ מִ ח, הֹון,

בֹות עָבו ” גִלְעָ ד

יִקְרַ ב

ּכִ י צִּלִ י �א 34

ּת R ּזֵר ּפִֵּ

נָ ס חֹום ּבַחו

עֹון מְעו ַאחְרָ יו,

יָם אֹון ׁשְ הֶרֶף ׁשְ אֹון יָ ם

מָחֳרָ ת וְ �א ַלְמִ יד

נְעִ ים

קִרְ יָה הּוא וְהו ּובַּקֶרַ ח

ּקֹב אֶֹּ ָאמַ ר

וְיִּׁשַ ק

On Parting from Aharon Al-Ammani

לֵ חֹה

Be still, booming you surf, enough to let For winter’s ice and summer’s savagery, For the shrivingFor rain and of God’s sun? How can a man who feels asHow though a scorpion Gilead’s balm stung himHas behind? leave trade the shadeHow of a grand, leafy tree He makes me bless theHe east wind’s wings today (That’s Master Aaron, Master whose(That’s unflagging staff The shelter of a masterly mansion The years have not made tremulous or weak.) have The years And curse tomorrow’s gusts out of the gusts out west. And curse tomorrow’s A pupil go to kiss his master’s cheek.A pupil his master’s go to kiss A teacher who “The says, never done,” lesson’s too whoA giver much, to give fears never אֶ ת ּכְ נַ ף יָדֹו לְ ָ ֹ

חֹולֶ ה לְמֶלֶ �

וְ �א “

ּובַּׁשָרָ ב, ּפְנֵ י

רָ ב? רַ ב . ׁשּו� נְ שו ” מַעְרָ ב,

חָרַ ב, הָרָ ב. עַקְרַ ב,

. ,

-

-

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJ-

, - - , of

- , all

to in

- of el a re was wind voy him place wind to the ” be east , whose cold likened seemed “unflag months . Now Halevi in Alex change many sea Land wind keep were west a disap Aharon east dreaded icy to the . Yet his tree , wrote had and be the boarding its , now in remained Halevi the east many s the ’ for in the was and to bore friend . Suddenly it visit mansion poet for “leafy that the after in biblical to times , and his during s ship bring ’ indeed Aharon blowing perfunctory allu- nearby his heat . Passengers the prove , the biblical Aaron to a last that . Always , waiting been depicted Aaron” and . a startling confession was pay , pushing him onward ” are stay s grand ’ Ammani wind that is reversed - a week the Halevi holding him back torrid to written had he would not his find which El ally Egypt might s wish to s presence ’ for of ’ was poem Master , Halevi fear -minute west destination “ Ammani a westerly his a foe - as this the God ging staff poet his as threatening land which neath

sions port name blowing last Israel pointment while Yehuda passengers poems age wind that to to quired el this unable Ammani andria home—as like a homeless traveler

S 35 R West Wind Stay not hand your fromStay us now. flat Stamp the depths. Spikenard-and-apple-tinged, Scented like incense, Swift as a bird, Come not from the Cavern of Winds,Come not from the Cavern Part thePart in water two. But trustBut in him, But from theBut storerooms of a spice merchant: Bearing freedom. my thoseBy who rode Fill our sails, long becalmed. How you were longed were you for How Now leashed,Now loosed— now Rest not till reach you the most sacred of mounts. Rebuff the easterlies stirthat the sea like a bubbling stew! Maker of mountainsMaker and winds, The sea’s back thisThe far sea’s The deck of a bark! To send you? To Winged from the west, What could a Lord-lashed prisoner do While they bestrode You, wind, You, ּכִ י ּכִ י זֶה

ַא� ַאל אֶ ל

מַ ה

יֹוצֵ ר ּפַעַ ם ְ ּוגְעַ ר ּכַנְפֵ י יָׂשִ ים בּו כְ רָכ ּ

ּורְקַ ע

ּד ּנֵרְ הְֵַּּ

נָ א רָקּוחַ מַעֲרָב רּוחֲ� צַד זֶה הַזהרוֲ ַ ֲַָ ָּח

סֹוד אֵינְ � יַחֲ נֶ ה

יְהִ י

רּוחֲ �

הַרְרֵ י

רֹות מֵאֹוצְרו בְ גַ ב יַעֲׂשֶ ה

לְבַ ב

רֹום מְרו רֹור ּדְרו פּו ה־ּנִכְסְ מַ ־נכס ּ

רֹור ּוכְמָר־ּדְרו

הֹום ּתְהו צַ ד

ּבְקָדִ ים

יָם

ּבִכְנָפָ יו

ּפֶ ה תְרַ פ ּיֹום הַ יו

צּור עָצו

לָ �

מִ ן ּיָם הַָּ ׁש קֹדֶׁ

ַ ׁשְאֵלָתִ י ָאסּור ּתָ נִ יף

הָרִ ים

עֲלֵ י וְכִ י

ּוקְרַ ע רֹות מֵאֹוצְרו יָדְ � עָ ם

ּת הָ רֹכְלִ ים

מַעֲרָ ב וְעֵ ת

וְׁשָ ם ּבְ יַד ּבְ יַד

הַמְסָעֵ ר ּכְסִ יר

מִ ן

רֹור הַּצְרו

לְבַ ב יָפּוחַ , ּובֹורֵ א

יָם אֲׁשֶ ר וְ ה ַּפּוחַ –

וַּתִקְרָ א

הָרּוחַ .

רָקּוחַ , ּגַב־לּוחַ ! מֹוצָאֲ � ּצּור הַ צו ּתָנּוחַ , ׁשָלּוחַ ? הָאֳ נִ י רֹום, מָ ֹם

לִ י נָפּוחַ !

עֲדֵ י יַּמִ ים, רּוחַ . לָקּוחַ .

ּבִגְלָלְ � אֲׁשֶ ר הּוא וְהו וְגַ ע רֹור דְרו

IJIJIJIJIJIJIJI , .

, , it

first his May the his , in a . Did

up like from as from , east ), we of , on on the (sailing early it than hand . s ship us ot know ’ thought ’ in similar when law Egypt Cairo , too or s voyage away went . Rather ’ was letters to . We long poems keep

Israel the other day could not have actor Shavu they Halevi us drop of , 1141, where , in July in Alexandria forbidden the was an rabbinic route 14 of thinking from more that tell he died less it composed up Halevi of fears again by poem by , on Land port which was to sails later changed, finally , on , as ? No to nothing and , that its us on been this held of holiday fright is as rebound been , in the tell holiday day the African writing that months have written survived , informed raised permitted of Geniza stage there heart doubts the have , the been know which on was The wind, letters Geniza day 14 sailed May. Since have curtain rises only the three August the to imagining Halevi must en circumstances North ship winds had Yet his his IJIJIJIJIJIJ Bé

Le

, both which of at survive Guillaume

of

Types

Hebrew

The , and the canon texte gros double the in is their Plantin-Moretus Museum, Antwerp. This début appearance. Historical not type a significant played forms have role in as in typography, modern they Latin Hebrew types, have hope we but this might inspire further interest. other The types used in this e-book Robert by Garamond Small are Text, Slimbach,de Does. Bram by and Trinité, From 1559 through 1559 1565,From the punchcutter Guillaume Le Bé made typesa series Hebrew of that he sold to the Antwerp printer Christophe Plantin, who use them would in the magnificent Polyglot Bible, as one regarded of the masterpieces of typographic art. Le Bé (1525–1598), who hadwith learned his craft Paris the printer Robert Estienne, had become a specialist in “oriental” languages, especially Settling 1546, he by Hebrew. in Venice produced types for some of the earliest printed editions of the and other Judaic works for theTalmud printers Marc’Antonio Giustiniani, and others. Meir de Parenzo, types The sold to and, work Plantin most mature Le are as Bé’s such, among are the finestof theGolden Hebrew printing—bold, of Age elegant, spirited, and easy to read. types Hebrew The digital used here are types versions of Le Bé’s They made and Matthew by Carter Scott-Martin Kosofsky. veryare close renderings sizes of two of the original types, the larger

IJIJIJIJIJIJ