Religion
Ye Curtains of Solomon
Translated by Nina Salaman (1924) · From Selected Poems of Jehudah Halevi (Jewish Publication Society, 1924)
Ye curtains of Solomon, how, amid the tents of Kedar,
Are ye changed? Ye have no form, no beauty
"The multitudes which dwelt aforetime in our midst,
Have left us a desolation, a broken ruin, unprotected—
The holy vessels have gone into exile and become profane,
And how can ye ask for beauty of a lily among thorns?”
Rejected of their neighbours, but sought of their Lord,
He will call them each by name; not one shall be missing.
Their beauty, as in the beginning, He shall restore in the end,
And shall illume as the sevenfold light their lamp which is darkened.
Codex Note
Salaman no. 61. Devotional Poems.
Cite this poem
MLA
Halevi, Judah. “Ye Curtains of Solomon.” Translated by Nina Salaman. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/judah-halevi/67/.
Chicago
Halevi, Judah. “Ye Curtains of Solomon.” Translated by Nina Salaman. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/judah-halevi/67/.
Read this poem with the Codex →