(1092-1167)
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“I have a garment. . . ./ “Sitting inside, I see the moon and the Pleiades.” Is it possible that 900 years ago Abraham Ibn
Ezra saw something the Hubble Space Telescope, which took this picture of the
Pleiades, could not see? |
A SELECTION OF HIS POEMS IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION
To Whom Shall I Cry in My Anguish?
Grace and Charm Are Your Weapons
ABRAHAM IBN EZRA AND THE METAPHORS OF IMAGINATION
Links to Other Web Sites with Information on Abraham Ibn Ezra
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I HAVE A GARMENT
I have a garment which is like a sieve
Through which girls sift barley and wheat.
In the dead of night I spread it out like a tent
And a thousand stars pierce it with their gleams.
Sitting inside, I see the moon and the Pleiades
And on a good night, the great Orion himself.
I get awfully tired of counting all the holes
Which seem to me like the teeth of many saws.
A piece of thread to sew up all the other threads
Would be, to say the least, superfluous.
If a fly landed on it with all his weight,
The little idiot would hang by his foot, cursing.
Dear God, do what you can to mend it.
Make me a mantle of praise from these poor rags.
Translated by
Robert Mezey
Copyright © Robert Mezey, 1973.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
۞
MY STARS
On the
day I was born,
The
unalterable stars altered.
If I
decided to sell lamps,
It
wouldn’t get dark till the day I died.
Some
stars. Whatever I do,
I’m a
failure before I begin.
If I
suddenly decided to sell shrouds,
People
would suddenly stop dying.
after Abraham ibn
Ezra
Robert Mezey
Copyright © Robert Mezey, 1973.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
۞
When I come to the patron’s house early in
the morning, they say: ‘He has already ridden away.’ When I come in the
evening, they say: ‘He has already gone to sleep.’ He either climbs into his
carriage or climbs into bed — woe to the poor man, born to misfortune!*
*Lit. ‘without a star.’
Translated by T. Carmi
from The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse, edited by T. Carmi (Allen Lane, 1981).
Copyright © T. Carmi, 1981.
۞
TO WHOM
SHALL I CRY IN MY ANGUISH?
To whom shall I cry in my anguish?
And where shall I flee from the flies?
No breathing-space do they
allow me;
They treat me as would enemies.
They buzz in my ears all
their love-songs,
And creep on my brow and
my eyes.
I try to partake of my breakfast—
They swarm on the coveted prize.
They drink of my wine from
the goblets,
Considering me in no wise.
Translated by Meyer Waxman
from Meyer Waxman, A History of Jewish Literature, vo1 1
(New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1960). Copyright © Meyer Waxman.
۞
God, exalted in grandeur; praised be His glorious name.
He fashioned every form,
Both hidden and revealed;
Even reason’s rule
By himself He established! Who is privy to His council?
They who see His bounty
In the course He takes,
How can they deny him?
All are His creatures, they are His witness,
vouching for Him.
Whoever considers His wonders
With his heart and his eyes,
And with the guidance of His
prophets,
He will be grateful throughout life that his breath is in God’s hands.
Translated by Leon J. Weinberger
from Leon J. Weinberger,
Twilight
of a Golden Age: Selected Poems of Abraham Ibn Ezra
(Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 1997).
Copyright © 1997 The University of
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
۞
When I hunger to praise
Thee, I’m sated;
When to worship I thirst,
I am drunk.
Then my heart is
secure, when I fear Thee
When in terror and awe I am sunk.
When I bow to Thee low,
I am lifted;
When I fall in Thy presence, I rise.
I am free when I serve,
for Thy name’s sake,
My oppressors who Thy name
despise.
All suffering is sweet
to my heart,
When I know that My God
Thou art.
Translated by Meyer Waxman
from Meyer Waxman, A History of Jewish Literature, vo1 1
(New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1960). Copyright © Meyer Waxman.
۞
O God
of earth and heaven,
Spirit
and flesh are Thine!
Thou
hast in wisdom given,
Man’s
inward light divine;
And
unto him Thy grace accords
The gift of spoken words.
The
world was fashioned by Thy will,
Nor
did’st Thou toil at it, for still
Thy
breath did Thy design fulfil.
My
times are in Thy hand,
Thou
knowest what is best,
And
where I fear to stand,
Thy
strength brings succour bless’d.
Thy loving-kindness,
as within
A mantle, hides my sin.
Thy
mercies are my sure defence,
And for
Thy bounteous providence
Thou
dost demand no recompense.
For all
the sons of men
Thou
hast a book prepared
Where,
without hand or pen,
Their
deeds are all declared:
Yet for
the pure in heart shall be
A
pardon found with Thee.
The
life and soul Thou did’st create
Thou
hast redeemed from evil strait,
Thou
hast not left me desolate.
The
heavens Thou badest be,
Thy
bright, celestial throne,
Are
witnesses to Thee,
O Thou
the Lord alone!
One,
indivisible, Thy name
Upholds creation’s frame.
Thou
madest all—the depth, the height—
Thou
rulest all in power and might,
Supreme,
eternal, infinite!
Translated by
Alice Lucas
from Alice Lucas, The Jewish Year
(New York: Bloch, 1926).
Copyright © Alice Lucas, 1926.
۞
I bow
down with my face to the ground, for there is nothing lower than it. I throw
myself down before the Supreme One, highest of the high. What but my spirit
shall I bring when I approach Him? It comes from Him, He gives it life in the
choicest part of my body, and a man has nothing dearer than his soul. There is
no end and no beginning to His glory—how then can my tongue glorify Him? He is
farther from me than the farthest heaven, and closer than my flesh and bone! I
come to You now, my God, because none but You can be
of help. The earth and all the heavens are, like me, Your
creations; how then could I ask them to save me, when salvation by any creature
is a vain hope! A slave can find no refuge but in his master. What more can I
hope to know, knowing that You created me for my good?
Your acts of love are beyond number, but my sins outnumber the sand of the
sea-shore. How shall I lift up my eyes to You? They,
too, are sinful. What more can my lips say? They, too, have done wrong. My
wanton heart has done to me what no enemy could have done. Gusts of anger seize
me as I think of it—woe is me, I have disobeyed. My evil passions led me
astray; I had no wish to anger You. My wrongs have
wronged no one but me, and none but You will keep
faith with me. Show me the right path for it is You
who have taught me all I know. I have heard myself speak the words of my heart;
may You hear them in heaven!
Translated by T. Carmi
from The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse, edited by T. Carmi (Allen Lane, 1981).
Copyright © T. Carmi,
1981.
۞
GOD’S
O God,
You have searched me and know my mind;
You
discern my thoughts from afar, You are privy to my
every move.
You
anticipate my plans; my walking and reclining.
You observe
and are familiar with my ways.
You see
the word forming in my heart before it reaches
My
tongue; You know when my days will end;
You hem
me in behind and in front and from above;
You
guide me with your right hand, while your left supports me.
You fill
the high heavens and distant sea;
Where
can I go from your presence when You confront me
everywhere?
Darkness
does not conceal me; nothing obscures your view.
It is You who reveals my secrets.
In the
beginning You formed me; You knit me together in the
womb;
In its
depth You crafted my delicate frame.
Your
eyes beheld my bare limbs; they were all recorded
In your
book; in due time they took their separate shapes.
How
vast are the sum of your thoughts, they are most
Difficult
to comprehend; my “knowledge” and “wisdom is foolishness.
I thank
You for your wonders; I am grateful for your mercies.
By your
power I am sustained; to You belong my breath and my
soul.
Translated by Leon J. Weinberger
from Leon J. Weinberger,
Twilight
of a Golden Age: Selected Poems of Abraham Ibn Ezra
(Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 1997).
Copyright © 1997 The University of
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
۞
My help, my hope, my strength shall be,
Thou perfect law of God, in thee!
My faith shall be my rock of might,
Its law my portion and my right,
Its testimonies my delight,
And day by day, my voice I raise
In song and hymn to chant their
praise.
How did th’ angelic host lament
When from their midst, by God’s intent,
The holy law to earth was sent.
“Woe that the pure and sanctified
Should now on sinful lips abide.”
The people trembled when they saw
Approaching them the heavenly law—
Their voices rose in joy and awe:
“Thy covenant, O Lord, fulfil,
Declare it, we will do Thy will.”
Translated by Alice Lucas
from Alice Lucas, The Jewish Year
(New York: Bloch, 1926).
Copyright © Alice Lucas, 1926.
۞
I HAVE BUT ONE REQUEST
Would that my ways were steadfast in
keeping your laws!
I have found no rest except in my desire
for You.
I am ready to serve You;
lead me in your just path.
I have but one request: I want to earn your favor.
I seek nothing from You except your presence.
Truth knows that no one is your equal;
how then can You be compared?
To what can I liken your labor when all
is made by You?
Since I am your creature what can I say
[that You know not]?
Even my thoughts and talents belong to You.
All your efforts witness to You, not me.
Boundless is your compassion, and who is
not in your debt?
There is no truth but You
and the work of your hands.
Even those who deny You
testify to your presence!
Wherever I turn, I find You;
I am connected to You, for nothing separates
us.
No sooner than I leave your presence do I
hasten after You;
Your beauty is all that my eyes can see;
My ears hear only your command!
My heart’s secrets are revealed to You;
Whatever I say is within your hearing.
Send help to the tempter’s captive;
Put your Name upon his lips and make
your home in his heart;
Pity him when he lifts his eyes to your
place in heaven.
Reach out your hand and let it rest upon the faithful.
Let your face shed light upon us in our
darkness.
Translated by
Leon J. Weinberger
from Leon J. Weinberger,
Twilight of a Golden Age: Selected Poems of
Abraham Ibn Ezra
(Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 1997).
Copyright
© 1997 The University of
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
RESIGNATION
I hope for the salvation
of the Lord,
In Him I trust, when
fears my being thrill,
Come life, come
death, according to His word,
He is my portion
still.
Hence doubting
heart! I will the Lord extol
With gladness, for
in Him is my desire,
Who, as with
fatness, satisfies my soul,
That doth to heaven
aspire.
All that is hidden,
shall mine eyes behold,
And the great Lord
of all be known to me,
Him will I serve, His am I as of old;
I ask not to be
free.
Sweet is ev’n sorrow
coming in His name,
Nor will I seek its
purpose to explore,
His praise will I
continually proclaim,
And bless Him evermore.
Translated by Alice Lucas
from Alice Lucas, The Jewish Year
(New York: Bloch, 1926).
Copyright © Alice Lucas, 1926.
۞
PRAYER FOR HELP
Lord, I
pray with hands uplifted
And my
tears flow fast,
For my
manifold transgressions
And my sinful past.
Heal
mine inward wound and straighten
All my ways at last.
Merciful,
O Father, be,
Even
when Thou judgest me,
Answer
when I call on Thee,
God of
my salvation!
Glad
yet fearful, I am seeking
Pardon,
‘midst the throng
Of Thy
chosen congregation
With
sweet sound of song,
Hymns
and praise and patient striving
To amend the wrong.
Lord,
Thy power I will proclaim,
And exalt
Thy glorious name,
Yea, my
love for Thee like flame
Burns,
Thou my salvation!
Thou
o’er heavenly heights who ridest
Know’st
the inmost parts,
And Thy
love accepts repentance
When it
sorest smarts,
Counting
it as off’rings ever,
Strengthening feeble hearts.
Thou
wilt lead Thy flock aright
To the
land of my delight,
Thou my
refuge, rock, and might,
Heritage and portion.
Well-spring
Thou of strength and gladness,
Lord, I
hope in Thee,
And
declare the power eternal
Of Thy sovereignty.
O! command Thou Thy salvation
To abide with me.
Let it
guide me on my way,
Evermore
my help and stay,
Bringing
me from day to day
Still my daily portion.
Thou
wilt save me, Thou wilt guard me,
Mine
exalted King.