Two Things Have Met Poem by Shlomo ibn Gabirol

Two things have met in me, one in their ways,
And stand within me, above or below,
My tongue that hastes to proclaim Thy praise,
My heart Thy greatness to see and know.
The angels on high cannot speak of Thy glory,
Then how shall contemptible man tell its story?

When men bring tribute, an ox, say, or dove,
The lean or the fat gives Thee equal delight,
If but 'tis brought by a heart full of love.
So too take my prayer as priestly rite,
For my soul and spirit unite in Thy praise,
Two things having met in me, one in their ways.


Translated by Israel Zangwill