After the disintegration of the Jewish state in 70 A. D. a large number of
refugees went to live in Spain, in that land of flowers and sunshine that
was already known in Biblical times under the name of Tarshish. There they
lived happily for several centuries, under the rule of various Gothic
kings, until one of them, Reccared by name, who lived in 590, embraced
Christianity. This was the commencement of a prolonged period of religious
intolerance, which continued till the invasion and conquest of Spain by
the Moors in 711 A. D., when religious independence was proclaimed. The
privileges thus obtained were a direct incentive to the Jews to
participate in the literary and scientific life that flourished round them
under the immediate protection of the high-minded Caliphs. The finest
productions of Jewish thought were brought to light through the cordial
friendship which they entertained for their Mohammedan neighbours, and
their friendly intercourse resulted in far-reaching advantages to both of
them. The Arabs, by this means, became acquainted with the beautiful
legends and maxims found in the Rabbinical writings, a good many of which
they subsequently used as material for enriching their own literature;
while the Jews gained an insight into the beauties of the Arabic poetry,
which they, in their turn, essayed to imitate in Hebrew. The Spanish era,
which extended over more than six centuries, may be justly called the
golden age in the post-Biblical history of the Jews. For, while nearly the
whole of Europe was during that time plunged in the depths of ignorance
and superstition, Spanish Judaism distinguished itself by its efforts
within the field of original classical work. In fact, had it not been for
the labours of the Spanish Jews in handing over to the West some of the
literary treasures of the East, together with those of the Greeks and
Romans, it is doubtful whether these valuable works would have been
preserved to us.
The principal representatives of the Spanish Hebrew poets were—Solomon Ibn
Gabirol, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Jehuda Halevi, and Jehuda Alcharizi. But as
their lives and works have already been largely dealt with by several
eminent scholars, it is only proposed to give here a few specimens of
their humour.
Solomon Ibn Gabirol, who was born in Malaga in 1020, acquired the
reputation of being a profound philosopher, but his special claim to
recognition rests on his poetry. The leading characteristic of his verse
is its sadness, although some of his poems were written in a vein of pure
humour. His poem entitled _Kether Malchus_ (the Royal Crown) is
undoubtedly one of his best poetic compositions. It has for its theme the
loftiest of subjects—God, the Universe, and Man. Humboldt considers it to
be the noblest monument of Neo-Hebraic poetry, inasmuch as it contains
vivid flashes which recall the poetical inspiration of the prophets.
Ibn Gabirol's humour is, however, best represented in his famous
“Wine-song,” which he composed at a banquet given to him by a wealthy but
niggardly man called Moses. Gabirol and the other guests had nothing
offered to them to drink but water, and indignant thereat he wrote a few
stanzas, the refrain of which was easily taken up and chanted by the whole
company. The song runs in a free English translation somewhat as follows:—
I
Full sweet of a truth is the sparkle of wine,
But sorely we miss this blessing divine,
And how can we waken a song or a laugh
When we find that we simply have nothing to quaff
But water, mere water?