The Prayer of Queen Esther

João Pinto Delgado

17th Century

Meanwhile the queen, wracked by internal anguish,
invites the king and Haman to her banquet
and in joyous hope awaits the sacred stream
of divine mercy form the holy fount-head;
her humble soul bowed low beside the torrents
from a boundless source, her eyes are flowing springs.
That element which from the abundant vein
of a highmost spring, mingling with…
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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.

Print of seated person in large hat and robes facing to the left smoking a very long pipe.
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Related Guide

Early Modern Literature and the Arts

1500–1750

Jewish literary creativity flourished in the early modern period, dominated by Hebrew poetry that blended religious themes with Renaissance forms.

Creator Bio

João Pinto Delgado

1580–1653

Born in Vila Nova de Portimão, Portugal, to a family of New Christians, João Moses Pinto Delgado moved to Antwerp with his parents but later returned to Portugal to complete his studies. From 1624 to 1626, Pinto Delgado lived in Rouen, France, where he published a book of Spanish poetry centered on the figure of Queen Esther. In 1634, he moved to Amsterdam and openly adopted Judaism.

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