Selected Poems (Engelse vertaling)

139 JEHUDAH HALEVI

76

A NEW SONG

(For rhymed version see page 170)

The day the depths were turned into dry land,

A new song sang the redeemed.

That day Thou wast honoured of the foe, and

wast precious unto me,
And didst lay for Thyself a foundation of
strength from the mouths of sucklings.¹

Thou didst sink in deceit the feet of the
daughter of the Anamim²,
Cant. 7,1-2. But the steps of the Shulamite were beautiful
in sandals.

And all that see me shall sing, when they
look upon mine honour:*
Deut. 32,31. "There is none like the God of Jeshurun"—even
though our foes be the judges.
So wilt Thou raise my banners over those that
are left,

And gather them that are scattered as though
gathering ears of corn.
¹ This stanza is omitted in Heidenheim's Mahzor,
the opening י being taken as the first letter of the acrostic.
Brody opens the acrostic with the second

³ Mentioned among the sons of Mizraim. See Gen. 10,13.
3 Thus Brody ׳S reading;וכל רואי ישירון בעת הודי ישורון
Heidenheim reads: וכל רואי ישורון בבית הודי ישוררון, which
seems less probable. (See rhymed version).