Creator Bio
Levi Ibn al-Tābban
11th Century
Levi Ibn al-Tābban was a grammarian and poet active in Saragossa, Spain, at the time a leading cultural and political center. Many later figures praised his poetry, including Moses Ibn Ezra (ca. 1055–ca. 1138) and Judah ha-Levi (ca. 1075–1141), but most of his poems were lost until the twentieth century. Only small pieces of his grammatical writings survive.
Content by Levi Ibn al-Tābban
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May He give great strength
May He give great strength—the Lord of lords,to those who stand on their watch in prayer and supplication.May He draw them out of the depths of vicious waters.He gives might to the weary, to those…
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To rise with the dawning
This poem, designated for the Sabbath morning service, refers to God as a “fair gazelle,” an image for the beloved that was popular in contemporary Jewish and Muslim love poetry.
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A Recitation and Discussion of Levi Ibn al-Tābban’s “To Rise with the Dawning”
In this video, the translator of Levi Ibn al-Tābban’s “To Rise with the Dawning” recites the poem in Hebrew and English and discusses its roots in Arabic poetry.