Selected Poems (Engelse vertaling)

106 JEHUDAH HALEVI

And who can utter the glory of Him who

formed the clouds by His word?
He liveth eternally, albeit hidden; in the

highest heights His abode.
And in His love for the son of His house,
within his tent He set His presence,
And granted vision to prophecy, to look

toward His likeness.
And there is no form and no measurement,
and no end to the knowledge of Him;
Only the vision of Him in the sight of
His prophets is like a King high and
exalted.¹

Praised be He and glorified, exalted and extolledI

The tale of mighty acts is beyond telling, and

who can declare His praises?
Happy is the man who is quick to perceive

the strength of His great deeds,
And stayeth himself upon God who upholdeth
the universe in His arms,
Ezek. 1.14. And proclaimeth His awe whate'er betide,
and holdeth just His acts,
And giveth thanks for all He doeth, since for

His own sake are His doings,
And since a terrible day of God cometh when
there shall be judgment for all work.

Praised be He and glorified, exalted and extolled!

¹ The text is possibly defective here. The line is
unlikely to have ended with a word giving practically the
same sense as the last one of the refrain. See the last
word in all the other verses.