My thoughts awaken me to see you

Here, the poet presents an individual hymn to God. The poem draws on Psalms 8:4, “When I behold Your heavens, the work Your fingers made . . . what is man that you are mindful of him.” Through the use of cosmic imagery, Ibn Ezra attempts to bridge the gap between the individual and the divine creator of the cosmos. The reference to Gilead’s balm derives from Jeremiah 8:22 and would normally refer to Israel’s redemption. In the context of this hymn centered on the individual, however, it lacks that traditional meaning.