Wail, O community, and lament in trembling

Eli ben ‘Amram composed this kinah (lament) for the death of the Karaite Tsemaḥ ben Asa, who died sometime after 1036. It survives in the Cairo Geniza in a manuscript written by Eli himself. As in his lament for the assassination of Abū Naṣr Faḍl al-Tustarī, this poem shows Eli’s connections with Karaite notables; here, it is particularly striking that Eli praises Tsemaḥ’s knowledge, referring to Tsemaḥ as “the ark of testimony.” It has been suggested that this poem was written to be recited at Tsemaḥ’s grave, as it contains directives for the mourners to lament Tsemaḥ’s death.