The Ass’s Complaint

Samuel Archevolti

End of the 16th Century

Why is my back loaded with fine flour, while in my mouth there is no bread at all, but only straw? I drink well-water, though I carry wine. And the stick goes on fracturing my skull!

I live in rubble and ruins, barred like an enemy in a fortified town, with no way out. I carry the first-born of the flocks and the finest produce of the soil,¹ but oy…

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Creator Bio

Samuel Archevolti

ca. 1530–1611

Samuel ben Elḥanan Archevolti was born in Cesena, Italy, and by 1563 was living in Bologna. Between 1565 and 1602 he visited Venice, where he worked correcting proofs at a printing house. In 1568, he settled in Padua, where he became community secretary, head of the yeshiva, and head of the rabbinic court. Archevolti composed ethical and educational treatises, but his major work, Arugat ha-bosem (Bed of Spices), is on grammar, written when he was living in Padua. He also wrote both secular and liturgical poetry. Some of his piyyutim (liturgical poems) were included in Italian Jewish prayer books.

Related Guide

Early Modern Jewish Languages (1500–1750)

As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.