Seeker of Truth

Abraham Dov (Adam) ha-Kohen Lebensohn

1842

I

He said: “Show me, I pray You, Your glory!”1
Behold, wise men have declared,
Moreover, the proofs adduced by them have attested,
That the senses are illusory,
Mirages are legion,
Thoughts are liars,
Cogitations alter,
The intellect turns foolish,
Understanding is not steady,
Opinions err,
And there is deficiency in every knowledge:
Everything I perceive
Is not like a genuine vision,
And as for what I know,
My heart has erred in respect thereof.
As for myself too, who am I?
Alas! Who has deceived me?
And who are all these?
Wonder of wonders!
Support me, I pray You,
O God, my Maker!

II

He said: “You cannot see My face, for no man can
see Me and live!”
Understand, O man! Do so like a man, and this should suffice you.
Do not discern as God does,
In regard either to lowly or lofty matters,
For then you are no longer man—indeed, you are no longer alive!
Sweet is the light of the sun, but not the strength of its face;
Delightful is the light of wisdom,
But it has no boundaries.
How comely is the light of truth, but who can see it?
The veil is over its face—do not lift it,
Lest you gaze upon its countenance with your eyes.
Woe! For then the light of life will grow dark for you!

Translated by
David E.
Cohen
.

Notes

[Exodus 33.—Ed.]

Credits

Abraham Dov Lebensohn, “Mevakesh emet,” in Shire śefat ḳodesh (Leipzig: C. L. Fritzsche, 1842), 74–75, https://www.nli.org.il/en/books/NNL_ALEPH001967864/NLI.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

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Creator Bio

Abraham Dov (Adam) ha-Kohen Lebensohn

1794–1878

Abraham (Avraham) Dov Lebensohn, a Lithuanian maskil and poet also known as Adam ha-Kohen, was born in Vilna, received a traditional Jewish education, but explored the Hebrew language and grammar. He worked as a merchant and as a Jewish legal scholar for several years in small towns, returning to Vilna in 1819, where he taught and worked in commerce. He earned his fame as a poet, often writing poems for commission (including for a visit to Vilna of Moses Montefiore, and in honor of Russian governmental figures). He advocated for enlightened Jewish education and wrote biblical commentaries.

Related Guide

Poetry, 1750–1880

Jewish poets throughout Europe and the Americas created in the languages of their native tongues. From folk-song lyrics to wedding riddles and synagogue hymns, poetry, even in translation, allows us access to voices and moments, particular and collective, that we would otherwise not hear. 

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