Why do you complain?

Mid-11th Century

About This Entry

This rhymed but unmetered poem depicts an exchange between a lovesick maiden who feels her lover has spurned her, and the lover who reassures her of his eternal love. The poet uses language and imagery common in medieval Hebrew (and Arabic) love poetry, but here the forsaken maiden is the Jewish people, and the lover who has abandoned her is God. While the traditional allegorical reading of the biblical Song of Songs as the story of the love between the Jewish people and God stands in the background here, some of the poet’s choices are quite daring. The final couplet of the poem is in Arabic.

Why do you complain about me, O maiden,

and grumble in your tent about your beloved?

And you say, “Hopeless! No! For the glorious, gorgeous One that loved me

has taken back His glorious raiment and told me, ‘Sit in silence!’

How has my lover become my enemy?

My friend since youth, since long ago!

I float on the sea of His love, like a boat.”

He gave you all that your soul wanted,

and He put His own soul in his hand, in forced straits,

to the point of death, and spurned life,

in order to rescue you, with such force,

from the foe, of whom He had no fear.

Therefore, O girl of crimson lips,

come again to kiss your beloved’s mouth.

What should your beloved do, O loving girl,

that He has not yet done? He has destroyed and demolished the foe,

and removed his [the foe’s] burden from your shoulders,

and raised up a king for you, and made him great,¹

and placed his enemies under his shoe.

And when he cried out to God, “Look, I am downtrodden!”

He responded, “What’s wrong? Fear not, my son!”

“The king’s right hand learned to treat me with goodness,

until his left hand became jealous of his right.

How has man now incited him to turn away from me?

Yesterday he swore by God’s life

that ‘I love those that love me’—he said this out of love.

By God, I have loved no man but him that loved me.

Ignore people’s claims; he will not hurt me!”

Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

Notes

[I.e., the kings of David’s dynasty. Later in this poem, the distinction between the earthly king and the heavenly King (God) becomes confused.—Trans.]

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