Solomon ibn Gabirol, Solomon ibn Gabirol poetry, Jewish, Jewish poetry, poetry, poetry, poetry Solomon ibn Gabirol
Spain (1021? - 1058) Timeline
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Poems by Solomon ibn Gabirol
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Shelomo ibn Gabirol (or Solomon ibn Gabirol) was a Jewish poet and philosopher who lived in Andalusian Spain when it was under Muslim rule. He was born in Malaga and lived most of his life in Saragossa. He was an impoverished orphan who survived with the support of a wealthy Jewish courtier, who encouraged him in his poetry.

His major philosophical work known in Christian Europe during the Middle Ages was entitled Fons Vitae (The Fountain of Life). Ironically, for centuries this was thought to be the work of a Muslim philosopher since it was lost in Europe but eventually translated into European languages from an Arabic source. It was only in the nineteenth century that Gabirol was identified as its author.

Gabirol's great poetical work was A Kingly Crown, a collection of verses that exhibit his talents as mystic poet and philosopher. He was clearly a Kabbalist as several of his poems make reference to the Sefer Yezira (The Book of Creation, an important work in the Kabbalistic tradition). Other elements of his poetry hint at the influence of Sufism, which was widely practiced throughout Spain and much of the Muslim Mediterranean.

Poems by Solomon ibn Gabirol


Recommended Books: Solomon ibn Gabirol

Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish & Hebrew Poems The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain, 950-1492
The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse from the Jewish Tradition The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain



Related Links

Medieval Hebrew Poetry: Solomon ibn Gabirol
http://medievalhebrewpoetry.org/ibngabirolselection1.html
A good sampling of poems online.

Sacred-Texts.com - Selected Religious Poems of Solomon ibn Gabirol
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/sig/index.htm
A good introduction to the religious poetry by ibn Gabirol, though Israel Zangwill's translations sometimes feel a little dated.
Solomon ibn Gabirol