ABOUT THIS BOOK

Twilight of a Golden Age offers a selection of poems by medieval Jewish scholar Abraham Ibn Ezra. Ibn Ezra (1089–1167) was a scholar, poet, and philosopher from Al-Andalus. Renowned for his biblical commentaries, he also made significant contributions to philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and astrology. His works influenced Jewish and non-Jewish intellectual traditions alike. He was also the first to realize the need to translate the theoretical works of Jewish scholars in Al-Andalus from Arabic to Hebrew. As a sage-teacher he traveled in Spain, Italy, France, and England, where, according to certain researchers, he died. Also considered among the most famous Jewish poets, he penned verse that exemplified high Hebrew-Spanish culture in the Middle Ages. This volume of his work is a welcome addition to lovers of and newcomers to ibn Ezra's work.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089–1167) was a major Jewish writer and scholar in Al-Andalus or Muslim Spain. His writings span Jewish scholarship, theology, philosophy, astronomy, linguistics, and more. His works include Sefer HaShem (Book of the Name), a theological work on the names of God; Yesod Mora (Foundation of Awe), a treatise on Jewish philosophy and ethics; Sefer HaIbbur (Book of Intercalation), a work on the Jewish calendar and astronomy; Commentary on the Torah, his extensive biblical commentaries, particularly on the Pentateuch; and Sefer Tzachot (Book of Purity), a work on Hebrew grammar.

Leon J. Weinberger is the author of Anthology of Hebrew Poetry in Greece, Anatolia, and the Balkans; Early Synagogue Poets in the Balkans; Jewish Poets in Crete Jewish Prince in Moslem Spain: Selected Poems of Samuel ibn Nagrela; Rabbanite and Karaite Liturgical Poetry in Southeastern Europe; and Romaniote Penitential Poetry.

REVIEWS

“Ibn Ezra is generally considered one of the most famous Jewish poets, his writing representing the Hebrew-Spanish culture in the Middle Ages as exemplified in Twilight of the Golden Age… Unlike many other areas of Jewish studies, Hebrew poetry in general and Hebrew medieval poetry in particular, are hardly known to non-Hebrew readers. The publication of the selected poems of such an important writer is therefore very welcome.”
—Jewish Culture and History— -

“Weinberger offers the reader a rare opportunity to become intimately acquainted with… Abraham ibn Ezra, [who] also was known and admired in the non-Jewish world, and has been immortalized in Robert Browning’s ‘Rabbi Ben Ezra.’ Weinberger is to be commended for making his poetry available in English, and for authoring a most valuable introduction to ibn Ezra’s life and work.” —Menorah Review— -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS

PREFACE

A NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

Biography: Crisis and Decision

The Vagabond Life

Poetry in Transition: Realism and Reality

Ibn Ezra's Astrology

The Uses of Wisdom

The Soul's Odyssey

God Is All

Israel: Lover and Beloved

Courting Israel

Transcendence and Familiarity

Israel's Diary

The Playful Side

Folk Hero

SECULAR POETRY

1.
The Patron

2.
Misfortune

3.
On His Torn Garment

4.
The Flies

5.
My Honor

6.
The Denizens of Morah

7.
Song of the Nations

8.
For Joseph b. Amram

9.
Tribute to Samuel Ibn Jāmi'

10.
In Honor of Barukh Ibn Jau

11.
For R. Menahem of Rome and His Son Moses

12.
To His Beloved

13.
Elegy on the Death of His Son Isaac

14.
Lament on the Destruction of Andalusian and North African Jewry

15.
A Sea Voyage

16.
In a Lifetime

17.
Selections From Hay ben Meqis

18.
A Game of Chess

SACRED POETRY

God:

19.
Life's Paradox

20.
God's Providence

21.
God's Presence

22.
I Have But One Request

23.
God, My Desire

24.
One Father

25.
God's Identity

26.
No One Shares His Power

27.
He Sustains the World with His Care

28.
In God's Hands

29.
You Ask for No Reward

30.
Ere I Knew You

31.
The All Comes from Him

32.
He Leaves His Mark on the Stars

33.
God's Thoughts

34.
God's Torah

The Soul:

35.
The Soul's Passion

36.
Chasing After Time's Mistakes

37.
Put Away Time's Delicacies

38.
The Bearer of His Wonders

39.
In the Dark of My Folly

40.
A Summons

41.
Admonition to the Soul

42.
In the Choicest Part of My Body

Israel:

43.
Awaiting the Redeemer

44.
The Whisper of a Falling Leaf

45.
My Anointed King Is Delayed

46.
My Husband Has Left Me

47.
The Captive

48.
The Song of a Bird Frightens Her

49.
Can My Courage Endure

50.
My Redeemer Lives

51.
Grace and Charm Are Your Weapons

52.
I Named You My First Born

53.
Rejoice, Virgin Daughter

54.
The Visions of Ancient Seers

55.
In the Fairest of Lands

56.
When My Enemies Slander Me

57.
They Watch My Agony and Laugh

Dialogue and Chorus:

58.
Zion and Its Foes

59.
The Stray Sheep

60.
Perfumed With Myrrh

61.
His Secret Life

62.
The Spring of My Craving

63.
She Lusted for Her Beloved

64.
Ravished by a Lion

65.
What Is There for Me among Mortals

GLOSSARY OF ARABIC AND HEBREW TERMS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX