Letter to Moses Ibn Ezra

May abundant well-being (Psalms 119:165) and salvation draw near to the light of the West, sage among Hebrews and Arabs, a tower of refuge on the day of battle and a beneficent shade on the day of blistering heat, the [one of] good and pleasant name—the magnificent R. Moshe: magnanimous and noble, light of [all] hearts, a cloudless morning (2 Samuel 23:4) raining down showers of kindness that fructify the earth. His generous hands are interlocked with those of his ancestors, and with their help he wages war on behalf of thousands and myriads. For he is the fount of generosity and ever a refuge in need (Psalms 46:2). He is clothed in divine spirit and guided by a magnanimous soul. Thus will he forever be a Western Lamp never failing, and his well-being will wax and grow.

From one insignificant and young, who rouses the heart of friendship and kindles the fire of love, as he comes up from Seir [i.e., Christian Spain] to bask in the light of accomplished men. These are the great luminaries (Genesis 1:16), the sages of Western Sefarad [i.e., Muslim al-Andalus] at whose mention my heart trembles and leaps.

Long ago I harnessed the chariots of friendship, but Time made me (Genesis 1:16) proceed sluggishly. Notwithstanding, I directed my gaze toward the Lord’s saints. And I proceeded slowly (Genesis 33:14), to seek them out, a bit here and a bit there (Isaiah 28:10, 13), until I reached the edge of their region but was prevented from approaching their border.

Time, however, had forsworn destroying [me] utterly. It sustained me in the house where I sojourned, supported me with songs of love and gave me my fill of the wine of companionship after I had become sated with wandering (Job 7:4). So, sustained by wine goblets, I dealt craftily with Time, [among] singers of pleasant poems the object of whose musical improvisation was a poem by the chief of their number. Now the beginning of the poem was At night I arouse the musings of the heart. And they improvised its first part well but its latter part escaped them. Then they haughtily turned to me and said: As you see, we’ve made a beginning, so you make an end. To this I replied: God forbid that I should open wide my mouth and speak proudly. I will not claim expertise in things I do not know, lest the hearer reproach me. For I’ve run with footmen and they’ve tired me out—how then can I compete with stallions who will put me to shame? Especially since I’m a tongue-tied stammerer (Exodus 4:10) raised among Dishan and Dishon [i.e., in Christian Spain]—a fierce and unintelligible folk, whose sea of stupidity knows no bounds. And besides, you have asked a difficult thing, and are oblivious to the terrors lying in this path (Ecclesiastes 12:5). Is it a trifling matter for you to exasperate people (Isaiah 7:13)? For the rhymes that you require are few and hard. I am sure that I cannot reach the goal, so why should I toil to no purpose (Job 9:29)? And who can be so self-assured as to propose a poem in the wake of his superior? Who is the poor wretch who dares follow in the king’s footsteps (Ecclesiastes 2:12)? So they entreated me until refusal would have been an embarrassment, and I resolved to try my best, having perceived that there would be no advantage in my being the last [to try his hand] in this matter. So I resolved with myself (Nehemiah 5:7): Come what may, I’ll enter the fray (2 Samuel 18:23). Perhaps [I’ll succeed]. Complying with the wish of my fellow[s]‌, I too will speak my piece.

Now when I saw that the rhymes were beyond my grasp and that I had not the strength to bring them together and arrange them according to my will, I thought of a stratagem against them and dealt with them craftily. I subdued them by the name of Moshe, so that the strong was captured and the resistant was rendered pliant. And they yielded to me after fierce [opposition], so that I was able to put them in a double check. Then I rendered them in a poetic arrangement according to the intended sense, as my lord can see for himself. And I did not abstain [from changing] every first rhyme, but rather proceeded as my verbal abilities allowed. As a result, I changed some of the rhymes, while others I retained in their original form. But I reshaped the material [throughout] to suit the new sense, and it cohered.

So I made it my reply to your pleasant poem, which yields lovely phrases (Genesis 49:21) and is more desirable than a cluster of henna. It’s worth more than its weight in the fine gold of Ophir or precious onyx or sapphire (Job 28:16). The firmament of its paper is beaten silver-leaf (Jeremiah 10:9) and brilliant dawn [shachar] bursts forth from the darkness [shechor] of its lines. For me, its signs are marvelous indeed and its words are inscribed as a wonder. It’s framed from your glorious delights and utters the sweet [inventions] of your palate, has consoled me in my affliction (Psalms 119:50) and healed me in my infirmity. I made it the plant in which I delighted and mixed [the wine in] my goblets with its nectar.

Therefore, I rejoice in praising you, for your deeds have given me great joy. May you act kindly with your young [servant] and graciously guide him to bask in your light. And how will my having found grace in your eyes become evident (Exodus 33:16)? Surely, through your extending the sceptre of love and looking on with a gracious and generous eye. If any part of my message seems good to you [I am satisfied]. Otherwise, by your soul, I will return whence I came. Indeed no such thing would have crossed my mind had I not been anxious about the matter (Joshua 22:24). I hope that you will render [my] highway smooth and straight, so that I won’t have to tread crooked paths.

Indeed, what sense is there in my speaking further and composing youthful vanities? My Lord is wise with the wisdom of an angel of God (2 Samuel 14:20), whom I entreat to make his greatness everlasting and double his reward, as well as to add glory and honour to that which he already possesses. Amen.