Who could accomplish what you've accomplished
by Solomon ibn GabirolEnglish version by Peter Cole
Original Language Hebrew
Who could accomplish what you've accomplished
in establishing under the Throne of Glory
a level for all who were righteous in spirit?
This is the range of pure soul
gathered in the bond of all that's vital.
For those who've worked to exhaustion --
this is the place of their strength's renewal,
where the weary will find repose;
these are the children of calm,
of pleasure that knows no bound in the mind:
this is the World to Come,
a place of position and vision for souls
that gaze
into the mirrors of the palace's servants,
before the Lord to see and be seen.
They dwell in the halls of the king,
and stand alongside his table
taking delight
in the sweetness of intellect's fruit
which offers them majesty's savor.
This is the rest and inheritance
that knows no bounds in its goodness and beauty,
flowing with milk and honey;
this is its fruit and deliverance.
 | -- from The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse from the Jewish Tradition, Edited by Peter Cole |
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