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Thou art One

Solomon ibn Gabirol, Solomon ibn Gabirol poetry, Jewish, Jewish poetry,  poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry,  poetry by Solomon ibn Gabirol
(1021? - 1058) Timeline

English version by
Bernard Lewis

Original Language
Hebrew

Jewish
11th Century

Thou art One, the beginning of all computation, the base of all construction.
Thou art One, and in the mystery of Thy Oneness the wise of heart are astonished, for they know not what it is.
Thou art One, and Thy Oneness neither diminishes nor increases, neither lacks nor exceeds.
Thou art One, but not as the One that is counted or owned, for number and change cannot reach Thee, nor attribute, nor form.
Thou art One, but my mind is too feeble to set Thee a law or a limit, and therefore I say: "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue."
Thou art One, and Thou art exalted high above abasement and falling -- not like a man, who falls when he is alone.

 

 

-- from The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences, by Joseph Dan

Amazon.com

 

Themes

  Heart
 
 
 
 


Recommended Books


The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain, 950-1492, Edited by Peter Cole
The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences, by Joseph Dan
Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish & Hebrew Poems, Translated by Bernard Lewis
The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse, Edited by T. Carmi
Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty, Edited by Alan Jacobs

 

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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
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