[God], the light of rescue

This is a yotser, a liturgical poem written for the first blessing before the Shema‘, which begins “He who creates (yotser) light.” It has long been recited by Ashkenazic congregations on the morning of the first day of Passover. At some point in the medieval period, the Song of Songs came to be recited on Passover, and therefore piyyutim for the holiday were often written around that biblical book. Many, such as this one, follow the entire Song of Songs, verse by verse, with the poem serving as a kind of interpretation of or commentary on the biblical book. Each stanza here ends with words from successive verses.