The Tale of Ben Sira (Poetic Version)

Unknown

10th or 11th Century

I

Divulging a secret is a great shame,

and a stealthy blow will bring a curse.

Pillars of smoke precede fire,

and quarrel augurs bloodshed.

Whoso guards a confidence will not suffer shame,

and who keeps slander hidden will prevent calamity.

If your fellow confides in you, spill it not,

lest you be counted a scoundrel on divulging it,

and whoever hears it shun you.

Set a guard upon your mouth

and an impermeable seal upon your lips,

so you will not seem as a secret breaker

or get a reputation for knavery.

You ruin yourself by spilling a confidence,

and your fellow, who trusted you, and the eavesdropper as well.

Say to your Maker: O God, my Father and Lord of my life,

abandon me not to my wiles and desires.

Make me master of my urge,

and save me from my fears.

Pardon me my sin,

for You are my Creator,

so that my transgression not multiply,

and my wickedness not increase.

Let not my enemies rejoice over me,

nor let my friends and kin neglect me.

Let me not be haughty-eyed,

and keep me from faintheartedness. [ . . . ]

V

If you hold others dear in your eyes,

you will make yourself dear to your master.

Then your heart will be tranquil,

and all your innards in a state of grace.

For you have desired his beneficence

and put your trust in his honor and wealth.

Indeed, God has aided you

and endeared you to the wealthy and mighty.

There is a rich man whose treasuries are full,

yet in an instant they disperse like the clouds and are carried away.

Translated by Leonard S. Levin.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

This is a Hebrew versified paraphrase of the second-century BCE book of proverbs called Ben Sira and known in Greek translation as Sirach. Each couplet is rhymed but not metered. The original Hebrew prose version of Ben Sira was thought lost until the discovery of fragments in the Cairo Geniza. The existence of this version shows that Ben Sira was still preserved and cherished as a source of inspiration at the time of this medieval author. Curiously, section V (included here) does not correspond to the original Ben Sira text, and its source is unknown.

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The Tale of Ben Sira (Poetic Version)

I

V

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