129:. In 1279 the king ordered him to collect an enormous amount of taxes from the Jewish community of Castile. The king needed the money to pay for his religious military campaign. The collected money never reached the army because one of the king's sons used it for his own purpose. The angry king ordered the
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poems written in Hebrew, presents some challenges because some words could be interpreted with several meanings. A good example of such challenge is the poem "Figs". Asking a friend for some figs, the poet writes: "end a ripening fig, give a portion for seven of them, even for eight." The next line
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states: "Above all, Todros’s work is distinguished by its freshness and candor: he managed to introduce a vivid (though not always straight forward) personal dimension into his verse that went well beyond anything medieval Hebrew poetry had seen before him. He filled the classical conventions with
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means 'penis' and 'fig,' a reference to 'vagina.' I think that this is a sexual and not a scatological reference; both, however, fit the category of the grotesque. The next line—'Henceforth I won't give it to strangers'—could fit either way."
60:). The collection of poems was written mostly in Hebrew and included poems by other authors as well. Also included were 35 poems that represented a poetic debate between Todros Abulafia and the poet Phinehas Halevi.
345:, who was a leading scholar in medieval Hebrew poetry at that time. Yellin published the manuscript between 1934 and 1937 in three volumes, adding around twelve hundred poems to "the medieval Hebrew canon".
341:. (It is unclear how the manuscript got to Hong Kong.) Yosef understood the manuscript's value because he was very knowledgeable in Hebrew. After his death in 1906, the manuscript became the possession of
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collectors from different countries. In the late 1800s, the manuscript became the property of Sha'ul 'Abdullah Yosef, an Iraqi scholar and businessman, who obtained the manuscript while working in
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was set as the condition for their release. Abulafia continued to write poems while in prison. After he was released he became a courtier once again, this time in the court of
Alfonso's son
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Little is known about the poet's life after 1298. After his death, his poetry was almost forgotten for more than six hundred years. Then the diwan was discovered and copied in 17th century
179:. In the poem, titled "Flowers' debate", "the author's tapestried earth, encircled by a jeweled necklace of flowers, frames the rivalry of a group of prominent flowers: the red rose,
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118:. The court of Alfonso, who was called Alfonso the Wise and Alfonso the Learned, attracted an ambitious poet because it was a cultural center of Castile at that time.
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Todros led a life of adventures, and "prosperous sensuality" and this sexual realism with some degree of lustfulness gets reflected in many of his poems.
199:, won the debate of the flowers because it presented the best characteristics: "righteous, courageous, humble, philanthropic and praiseworthy."
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The poetry of Todros ben Judah Halevi
Abulafia was influenced by his living in Christian Spain, where Arabic was still spoken 150 years after
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of two leading tax collectors, one of whom was
Abulafia's patron. Some time later Abulafia and most other Jews of Castile were taken from a
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Jews, Muslims, and
Christians in and Around the Crown of Aragon: Essays in Honour of Professor Elena Lourie (Medieval Mediterranean)
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still can be seen. One example is a poem that
Abulafia dedicated to Ibn Shoshan, a Jew who had just arrived in Toledo from
364:Ángel Sáenz-Badillos (January 1996). "Hebrew Invective Poetry: The Debate between Todros Abulafia and Phinehas Halevi".
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irony, turned them on their heads, or did away with them altogether and created new poetic space in which to work."
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195:, which also stands for the honoree of the poem, Ibn Shoshan and his family. In the poem the pale rose,
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of the poem was translated as "And in return, here is my flatus." The Hebrew word used in the poem was
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The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew poetry from Muslim and
Christian Spain, 950–1492
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The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew poetry from Muslim and
Christian Spain, 950–1492
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In some ways, his poetry differs from the poetry written by his Jewish
434:"Toward a History of Hispano-Hebrew Literature in its Romance Context"
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Who's who in Jewish history: after the period of the Old
Testament
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Cultures of the Jews, Volume 2: Diversities of
Diaspora, Volume 2
411:. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp. 256–257.
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nevertheless she is naked. And at the right moment she pleases;
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predecessors, who were forced to flee
Southern Spain during the
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99:. He mastered Arabic, and was well educated in both Arabic and
627:"Todros Abulafia, Hebrew Troubadour at the Court of Alfonso X"
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Angel Sáenz-Badillos, Professor in the Hebrew Department of
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a treadstone for her, and to lick the dust from her foot!
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She knows all about fornication and is adept at lechery.
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She looks as lovely as if dressed in golden embroidery,
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I shall set my heart to serve my love for her for ever
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Joan Comay; Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok (November 7, 2001).
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she is so ignorant, of intercourse she knows nothing.
293:Translation of Abulafia's poems, as well as other
260:It is doctrine for every nobleman to make his life
228:which capture the heart and alleviate frustration.
171:; at the same time, common motifs like the use of
148:Little is known about Abulafia's life after 1298.
302:that means "vine twig". Howard Tzvi Adelman from
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254:...Truly, it is enough for the man who loves her
694:. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
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250:" is not found in Andalusian Hebrew tradition.
238:Abulafia's poems continue the tradition of the
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206:women finds confirmation in some of his poems.
505:Elena Lourie; Harvey J. Hames (January 2004).
266:for truly then God shall multiply her reward!
158:Christian rulers retook Iberia from the Moors
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121:Besides being a poet, Abulafia was also a
683:Poems by Todros ben Judah Halevi Abulafia
674:Poems by Todros ben Judah Halevi Abulafia
465:Charting memory: recalling medieval Spain
270:Never shall I ask for her to set me free!
242:who were always welcomed in the court of
226:But every Arab girl has charm and beauty
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272:As long as the sun rises in the East, or
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650:"POETRY AND HISTORY IN JEWISH CULTURE"
214:But stay far away from a Spanish girl
106:Early in his career Abulafia became a
95:, Todros Abulafia was born in 1247 in
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212:Even if she's not beautiful or pure.
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625:David A. Wacks (February 26, 2011).
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276:As long as the birds sing of her!”
264:To suffer completely for her love,
58:The Garden of Parables and Riddles
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462:Stacy N. Beckwith (Nov 1, 1999).
280:In discussing Abulafia's poetry,
216:Even if she's radiant as the sun!
210:Yea, one should love an Arab girl
258:to see her or to hear her words!
65:Complutense University of Madrid
24:Todros ben Judah Halevi Abulafia
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246:, and this "troubadouresque
724:13th-century Castilian Jews
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652:. medievalhebrewpoetry.org
26:(1247 – after 1300) was a
18:Todros ben Joseph Abulafia
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513:Brill Academic Publishers
37:. He also wrote poems in
316:Gan HaMeshalim veHaHidot
54:Gan HaMeshalim veHaHidot
16:Not to be confused with
333:, changing hands among
103:poetry and literature.
44:Abulafia collected his
33:who wrote primarily in
289:Translation challenges
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91:A distant relative of
648:Howard Tzvi Adelman.
187:, and the narcissus,
584:(January 10, 2006).
438:University of Oregon
143:Sancho IV of Castile
116:Alfonso X of Castile
81:Sancho IV of Castile
202:His preference for
77:Alfonso the Learned
472:. pp. 95–96.
304:Queen's University
52:, which he called
701:978-0-691-12195-6
678:International PEN
601:978-0-8052-1201-3
560:978-0-415-26030-5
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719:1247 births
688:Cole, Peter
582:David Biale
403:Cole, Peter
335:antiquarian
306:says that "
240:troubadours
713:Categories
366:Prooftexts
349:References
282:Peter Cole
165:Andalusian
551:Routledge
470:Routledge
339:Hong Kong
173:hyperbole
135:synagogue
131:execution
127:financier
101:Christian
690:(2007).
656:April 4,
633:April 4,
607:April 4,
592:Schocken
566:April 4,
528:April 4,
485:April 4,
444:April 4,
405:(2007).
378:20689439
295:medieval
248:fin’amor
189:havasele
123:diplomat
108:courtier
308:Zemorah
300:zemorah
197:shoshan
193:shoshan
185:shoshan
177:Morocco
110:in the
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152:Poetry
139:Ransom
125:and a
97:Toledo
73:reigns
39:Arabic
35:Hebrew
28:Jewish
685:, in
374:JSTOR
331:India
323:Egypt
112:court
69:Spain
50:diwan
46:poems
696:ISBN
658:2011
635:2011
609:2011
596:ISBN
568:2011
555:ISBN
530:2011
517:ISBN
487:2011
474:ISBN
446:2011
413:ISBN
329:and
327:Iraq
204:Arab
181:vere
87:Life
31:poet
114:of
83:."
75:of
48:in
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617:^
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