The Late-Comer

Joseph Bibas

Early 16th Century

He will surely come with songs of joy, carrying the child, in the full assembly. My friends, wait here for the bridegroom of blood.¹

He should be coming down the road. Why is the child so late? You ladies, who are charged with swaddling the child, go forth and see—

Whether his kinswomen have lingered and are moving at a slow pace, or whether the…

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Creator Bio

Joseph Bibas

16th Century

Little is known about Joseph Bibas, who lived in Constantinople at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He may be Joseph ben Joel Bibas, who copied a Hebrew mathematical manuscript in 1506. A poem by Joseph Bibas was printed at the beginning of the story collection Hagadot ha-talmud (Talmudic Stories; Constantinople, 1511).

Related Guide

Early Modern Jewish Languages (1500–1750)

As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.