O thou third month most sacred! woe is me
For treason of the fourth,

Which dimmed the sacred light that shone from thee
And kindled wrath;

And break the tablets, yea, and still did rage:

And lo! the Law is burnt!

Ye sinful! is not this the twofold wage
Which ye have earnt?

Dismal hath seized upon my soul; how, then,
Can food be sweet to me,

When, O thou Law, I have beheld base men
Destroying thee?

They cast thee out as one despised, and burn
The wealth of God Most High;

They whom from thine assembly thou wouldst spurn
From drawing nigh.

I cannot pass along the highway more,

Nor seek thy ways forlorn;

How do thy paths their loneliness deplore!
Lo! how they mourn!

The mingled cup shall taste as honey sweet
Where tears o'erbrim the wine;

Yea, and thy chains upon my shackled feet
Are joy divine.

Sweet would it be unto mine eyes alway

A rain of tears to pour,

To sob and drench thy sacred robes, till they

Could hold no more.

But lo! my tears are dried, when, fast outpoured,

They down my cheeks are shed;

Scorched by the fire within: because thy Lord
Hath turned and fled.

Taking His holy treasure, He hath made
His journey far away;

And with Him hath not thy protecting shade
Vanished for aye?

And I am desolate and sore bereft,

Lo! a forsaken one:

Like a sole beacon on a mountain left,

A tower alone.

I hear the voice of singers now no more,
Silence their song hath bound;

The strings are broken which on harps of yore
Breathed forth sweet sound.

In sackcloth I will clothe and sable band,
For well-beloved by me

Were they whose lives were many as the sand--
The slain of thee.

I am astonished that the day's fair light
Yet shineth brilliantly

On all things:-it is ever dark as night
To me and thee.

Send with a bitter cry to God above

Thine anguish, nor withhold:

Ah! that He would remember yet His love,

His troth of old!

Gird on the sackcloth of thy misery

For that devouring fire,

Which burst forth ravenous on thine and thee

With wasting dire.

E'en as thy Rock hath sore afflicted thee,

He will assuage thy woe,

Will turn again the tribes' captivity,

And raise the low.

Yet shalt thou wear thy scarlet raiment choice,
And sound the timbrels high,

And yet amid the dancers shalt rejoice
With gladdened cry.

My heart shall be uplifted on the day

The Rock shall be thy light,

When He shall make thy gloom to pass away,

MY

Thy darkness bright.

MEIR OF ROTHENBERG.

(Translated by Nina Davis.)

The Royal Crown

Y God, I know that those who plead
To thee for grace and mercy need
All their good works should go before
And wait for them at heaven's high door.
But no good deed have I to bring,
No righteousness for offering,

No service for my Lord and King.

Yet hide not thou thy face from me,
Nor cast me out afar from thee;
But when thou bidd'st my life to cease,
O mayst thou lead me forth in peace
Unto the world to come, to dwell
Among the pious ones, who tell
Thy glories inexhaustible.

There let my portion be with those
Who to Eternal life arose;

There purify my heart aright,

In thy light to behold the light.

Raise me from deepest depths to share

Heaven's endless joys of praise and prayer,

That I may evermore declare.

Though thou wast angered, Lord, I will give thanks

to thee,

For past is now thy wrath, and thou dost comfort me.

ISRAEL ABRAHAMS.

New Year Hymn

GONE another year—
Gone beyond recall;

Gone its smile and tear,
Gone its joy and thrall.
Vain is now lament,

Naught canst thou efface;
Though thou now repent
Naught canst thou erase.

Dawns another year—
Open it aright;
Thou shalt have no fear
In its fading light.
Live that not a stain,
Live that not a deed

May awaken pain,

May erasure need.

JOSEPH KRAUSKOPF.

The Royal Crown

HOW shall I stand before Thee, Lord, and I am

bowed with shame?

For e'en as I am poor and humble, exalted is Thy name!

E'en as my mortal might is weak and limited, Thy power is eternal, infinite,

Sorely wanting as I am, Almighty! Thou art perfect and complete!

For Thou art One, the only living God, who dost

exist for aye.

Thou art wise and Thy might and majesty endure

alway,

And I am wrought of dust and for the earth destined, Full of error, helpless as a stone upon the way and blind

A flitting shadow, a wind that passeth and returneth

not

Wrathful as a serpent, of stony heart and harboring. all evil thought!

Yea, of proud and boastful mien, of unclean lips, a mortal vain

Who followeth his heart's desire, and counsel doth despise, and thought disdain.

For what I am and what is even this my life and power?

What fruit may bear my righteousness through life's e'er-changeful hour?

I know not whence I come, nor whither I am bound! Before Thy might in awe I stand, bowed low unto the ground! SOLOMON IBN GABIROL.

O

(Translated by Rebecca A. Altman.)

Servant of God

(Hymn for the Day of Atonement)

WOULD that I might be

A servant unto Thee,

Thou God of all adored!

Then, though by friends outcast,

Thy hand would hold me fast,

And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord.
Spirit and flesh are Thine,

O Heavenly Shepherd mine;

My hopes, my thoughts, my fears, Thou seest all,
Thou measurest my path, my steps dost know
When Thou upholdest, who can make me fall?
When Thou restrainest, who can bid me go?

O would that I might be

A servant unto Thee,

Thou God by all adored.

Then, though by friends outcast,