Religion

Invocation

by Solomon ibn Gabirol c. 1021–c. 1058

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

Religion

Root of our saviour,
The scion of Jesse,
Till when wilt thou linger,
Invisible, buried?
Bring forth a flower,
For winter is over!

Why should a slave rule
The lineage of princes,
A hairy barbarian
Replace our young sovran?

The years are a thousand
Since, broken and scattered,
We wander in exile,
Like waterfowl lost in
The depths of the desert.

No man in white linen
Reveals at our asking
The end of our Exile.
God sealed up the matter,
And closed up the knowledge.

MLA

Gabirol, Solomon ibn. “Invocation.” Translated by Israel Zangwill. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/ibn-gabirol/52/.

Chicago

Gabirol, Solomon ibn. “Invocation.” Translated by Israel Zangwill. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/ibn-gabirol/52/.

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