Religion

Two Things Have Met

by Solomon ibn Gabirol c. 1021–c. 1058

Translated by Israel Zangwill (1923) · From Selected Religious Poems of Solomon ibn Gabirol (1923)

Religion

Two things have met in me, one in their ways,
And stand within me, above or below,
My tongue that hastes to proclaim Thy praise,
My heart Thy greatness to see and know.
The angels on high cannot speak of Thy glory,
Then how shall contemptible man tell its story?

When men bring tribute, an ox, say, or dove,
The lean or the fat gives Thee equal delight,
If but ’tis brought by a heart full of love.
So too take my prayer as priestly rite,
For my soul and spirit unite in Thy praise,
Two things having met in me, one in their ways.

MLA

Gabirol, Solomon ibn. “Two Things Have Met.” Translated by Israel Zangwill. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/ibn-gabirol/33/.

Chicago

Gabirol, Solomon ibn. “Two Things Have Met.” Translated by Israel Zangwill. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/ibn-gabirol/33/.

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