Hurry to the lovers’ camp

Moses Ibn Ezra

Early 12th Century

Hurry to the lovers’ camp,
Dispersed by Time, a ruin now;
Once the haunt of love’s gazelles,
Wolves’ and lions’ lair today.
From far away I hear Gazelle,
From Edom’s keep and Arab’s cell,
Mourning the lover of her youth,
Sounding lovely, ancient words:
“Fortify me with lovers’ flasks,
Strengthen me with sweets of love.”
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This Hebrew poem is in the style of a traditional Arabic qiṭ‘a, a short poem treating a single theme. The lines share a single end rhyme. Ibn Ezra also uses several themes common to Arabic poetry, such as an encounter with a deserted campsite and the heartsickness it recalls, to convey the Jewish people’s longing for God.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval Poetry

7th to 12th Century

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