Once on a night, I, Joseph, lay upon my bed; sleep was sweet upon me, my
one return for all my toil. Things there are which weary the soul and
rest the body, others that weary the body and rest the soul, but sleep
brings calm to the body and the soul at once.... While I slept, I dreamt;
and a gigantic but manlike figure appeared before me, rousing me from my
slumber. "Arise, thou sleeper, rouse thyself and see the wine while it is
red; come, sit thee down and eat of what I provide." It was dawn when I
hastily rose, and I saw before me wine, bread, and viands; and in the
man's hand was a lighted lamp, which cast a glare into every corner. I
said, "What are these, my master?" "My wine, my bread, my viands; come,
eat and drink with me, for I love thee as one of my mother's sons." And I
thanked him, but protested: "I cannot eat or drink till I have prayed to
the Orderer of all my ways; for Moses, the choice of the prophets, and
the head of those called, hath ordained, 'Eat not with the blood';
therefore no son of Israel will eat until he prays for his soul, for the
blood is the soul...."
Then said he, "Pray, if such be thy wish"; and I bathed my hands and
face, and prayed. Then I ate of all that was before me, for my soul loved
him.... Wine I would not drink, though he pressed me sore. "Wine," I
said, "blindeth the eyes, robbeth the old of wisdom and the body of
strength, it revealeth the secrets of friends, and raiseth dissension
between brothers." The man's anger was roused. "Why blasphemest thou
against wine, and bearest false witness against it? Wine bringeth joy;
sorrow and sighing fly before it. It strengtheneth the body, maketh the
heart generous, prolongeth pleasure, and deferreth age; faces it maketh
shine, and the senses it maketh bright."
"Agreed, but let thy servant take the water first, as the ancient
physicians advise; later I will take the wine, a little, without water."
When I had eaten and drunk with him, I asked for his name and his
purpose. "I come," said he, "from a distant land, from pleasant and
fruitful hills, my wisdom is as thine, my laws as thine, my name Enan
Hanatash, the son of Arnan ha-Desh." I was amazed at the name, unlike any
I had ever heard. "Come with me from this land, and I will tell thee all
my secret lore; leave this spot, for they know not here thy worth and thy
wisdom. I will take thee to another place, pleasant as a garden, peopled
by loving men, wise above all others." But I answered: "My lord, I cannot
go. Here are many wise and friendly; while I live, they bear me on the
wing of their love; when I die, they will make my death sweet.... I fear
thee for thy long limbs, and in thy face I see, clear-cut, the marks of
unworthiness; I fear thee, and I will not be thy companion, lest there
befall me what befell the leopard with the fox." And I told him the
story.
In this manner, illustrative tales are introduced throughout the poem.
Zabara displays rare ingenuity in fitting the illustrations into his
framework. He proceeds: