Preface to Ben Tehilim

Said Yehosef son of the Nagid our master Samuel ha-Levi: 

In this book, I have gathered what came to my hand from the metered writing of my father and teacher, may God honor him. And I wrote it in my handwriting. And I was eight years and six months old. For, according to the precise note of my father, may God preserve him for me, I was born exactly three hours and fifty-six minutes into the night of the third day, on the 11th of Tishri in the year 4796 [1035 CE] in the counting of the world, which is the 11th day of Dhū al-Qa‘da in the year 426 of the Ḥijra. 

And I started on this compilation just after Passover in the year 1044. And among what I gathered into this dīwān from his metered sayings are the metered poems in many different meters that were performed before him. And even though some of them include words of desire, it was his belief that they refer to the people of Israel and the like, according to that which was said in this way in some of the prophetic books, and may God compensate him for his intention. One who finds something in his words that differs from what was intended, his guilt is on him. 

And when I put them in, I did not worry at all about placing them in chronological order, and indeed I wrote them out as they came. And from God I ask help, for behold all is in His hand.