Will he, her beloved, remember?
About This Entry
This Hebrew poem—written in the voice of a woman saying farewell to her departing husband—is thought to have been composed by the otherwise unknown wife of Dunash ben Labraṭ. It was copied together with a poem by Dunash, on a page found in the Cairo Geniza, with a heading, which may or may not be accurate, that says it was written on the occasion of Dunash’s forced departure from Spain. The last line alludes to Esther 5:3.
Will he, her beloved, remember his lovely gazelle,
when he is separated from her? And that in her arms was his only son?
When he placed the signet-ring from his right hand upon her left,
and on his arm she placed her bracelet.
When she took his mantle as a memento,
and as a memento he took her mantle?
Would he remain anywhere in Sefarad,
even were he to receive half the territory of its prince?
Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.