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From: wkp@lanl.ARPA
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Subject: A brief digression on Hebrew poetry
Message-ID: <26070@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 19-May-85 00:36:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: lanl.26070
Posted: Sun May 19 00:36:12 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 20-May-85 04:02:18 EDT
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Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
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The following is from a Hebrew love poem by the eleventh century
Jewish scholar Yehuda HaLevy.  It is a classic example of the beauty
and diversity of Jewish poetry:

                      **************************
      Cheeks like a glowing fire upon a marble floor,   
      Around them perfumed hair like woven silk
      Close by me they cause a fire in my heart
      When she pities once, she betrays six times.
			      --Yehuda HaLevy
                       **************************

To fully appreciate this verse, it will be necessary to read the Hebrew:

             Lehi k'ritzpat esh b'ritzpat shesh,
	     Nirkam svivav k'rikmat shesh,
	     Yosef b'libi esh b'korvo li
	     Ki yahmol paam v'yivgod shesh.

Note the incredible play on words with "ritzpah" and "shesh".  In addition,
there are subtle references in this love poem to the Tanach.  For instance,
"ritzpat shesh" is in Esther, "rikmat shesh" is from Yehezkel (Ezekial). 
In fact, the word "shesh" is used THREE different times in this poem in
THREE different ways. 

Reciting such a poem is sheer joy to the senses.  Note that Hebrew poetry
needs strict Sfardic pronounciation.  More than that, the characteristic
meter of the poetry has a fixed sequence of shva na and hataf vowels.
A good example of this fixed meter is in the sidur prayer "Adon Olam".

More recently, however, the fixed meter in Hebrew poetry now usually
approximates the European iambus style.  Consider the modern poem
of Hanah Senesh:

	 Eli, Eli, she'lo y'gamer l'olam
         HaChol v'haYam
         Rishrush shel haMayim
         Barak ha'shamayim
         Tfilat ha'adam.

which translates as:

        May these never end, my G-d:
	The sand and the sea
	The rush of the waves
	The thunder in the heavens
	The prayer of Man.

Many examples of Hebrew poetry and literature are abundant in the works
of Jews who lived during the Golden Age in Spain.  Poems about love
for G-d, love for Zion, personal desolation, wine songs, and erotica
abound in this living and rich literature. 

Many other poets beside Yehuda HaLevy are excellent.  Interested readers
should read the works of people such as Shmuel haNagid, Shlomo ibn Gabirol,
and Moshe ben Ezra.  Even unknown poets such as Yitzhak ibn Khalfun are
wonderful.                   

When I have more time, I will post a critique on the unknown Hebrew poems
of the revolutionary Ze'ev Jabotinsky.
--
bill peter                                     ihnp4!lanl!wkp