Libi BaMizrah (Hebrew: לִבִּי בְמִזְרָח, lit. 'My heart is in the east') is a Hebrew poem by the Spanish-Jewish philosopher, physician, and poet Judah Halevi. It is one of the most prominent works of medieval Hebrew poetry in Spain. The poem expresses yearning for the Land of Israel and belongs to the group of "Songs of Zion," one of the most original categories in secular Hebrew poetry in Spain. The poem is among Halevi's most frequently read and translated works.[1]
Poem
editלִבִּי בְמִזְרָח וְאָנֹכִי בְּסוֹף מַעֲרָב / אֵיךְ אֶטְעֲמָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר אֹכַל וְאֵיךְ יֶעֱרָב
אֵיכָה אֲשַׁלֵּם נְדָרַי וֶאֱסָרַי, בְּעוֹד / צִיּוֹן בְּחֶבֶל אֱדוֹם וַאֲנִי בְּכֶבֶל עֲרָב
יֵקַל בְּעֵינַי עֲזֹב כָּל טוּב סְפָרַד, כְּמוֹ / יֵקַר בְּעֵינַי רְאוֹת עַפְרוֹת דְּבִיר נֶחֱרָב.
My heart is in the east, and I in the uttermost west—
How can I find savour in food? How shall it be sweet to me?
How shall I render my vows and my bonds, while yet
Zion lieth beneath the fetter of Edom, and I in Arab chains?
A light thing would it seem to me to leave all the good
things of Spain—
Seeing how precious in mine eyes to behold the dust of the desolate sanctuary.[2]
Analysis
editA central theme in the poem—one that is also key to Halevi's broader body of work—revolves around the tension between spiritual aspirations and worldly attachments. The speaker expresses a profound yearning to fulfill his religious duties, particularly a desire to return to the Land of Israel. However, this spiritual longing stands in contrast to the allure of the material comforts and pleasures he experiences in Spain.[3] The paradox emerges in the speaker's struggle to reconcile these conflicting impulses. He questions how he can enjoy the pleasures of life while being physically distant from Zion.[3] The contrast is established through a series of escalation oppositions between spiritual aspirations and the geographical, political, and personal challenges.[1]
The poem incorporates references to prophetic texts and the Psalms.[4] The motifs and images found in "Libi Bamizrach" are also present in other works by Halevi, such as "Siyyon halo tishali" ("O Zion, Will You Not Ask?").[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Brann 2012, p. 368.
- ^ Brody 1946, p. 2.
- ^ a b Lemberger 2013, p. 419.
- ^ a b Brann 2012, pp. 273–274.
Sources
edit- Brody, H. (1946). Selected Poems of Jehudah ha-Levi. Translated by Salaman, Nina. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America. pp. 273–274.
- Lemberger, Dorit (2013). Sagi, Avi; Schwartz, Dov (eds.). Faith: Jewish Perspectives. Philadelphia: Academic Studies Press. pp. 418–420. ISBN 9781618112828.
- Brann, Ross (2012). "Judah Halevi". The Literature of Al-Andalus. The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature. Cambridge University Press. pp. 273–274. ISBN 9781139177870.
- Brann, Ross (2021). ""How Can My Heart Be in the East?" Intertextual Irony in Judah ha-Levi". Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Communication and Interaction. Brill's Series in Jewish Studies. Vol. 21. Brill. pp. 365–379. ISBN 9789004453159.