Tziyyon ha-lo tishali

Tziyyon ha-lo tishali (Hebrew: צִיּוֹן הֲלֹוא תִשְׁאֲלִי, lit. 'Zion, do you not inquire'), also transcribed Siyyon ha-lo' Tishaliy, is a Hebrew-language poem composed by Judah Halevi (c. 1075–1141), one of the most prominent Jewish poets of medieval Spain. The poem is part of a group known as the "Zion poems," which express longing for the Land of Israel. The poem became a model for later Hebrew poetry both in structure and theme and entered the liturgy of some communities.

Background

Lyrics

The poem was composed during the later phase of Halevi's life, when he decided to leave Spain and settle in the Holy Land. In the poem, Halevi laments the fate of Zion, then under Crusader control, and describes himself as a "captive of exile."

Legacy

Siyyon ha-lo' Tishaliy achieved wide circulation in Jewish communities across the diaspora and was translated into multiple languages. The German Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn and the theologian Franz Rosenzweig were among its translators, although the latter's version has been criticised for its quality.

The poem also influenced medieval Hebrew poetry in Central Europe, including the 13th-century elegy Sha'ali serufah ba'esh by Meir of Rothenburg.

It contains the well-known line, "I am a lute for your songs" (אֲנִי כִּנּוֹר לְשִׁירָיִךְ), which was also a source for later works, including the modern Israeli song "Jerusalem of Gold" (Yerushalayim shel zahav) by Naomi Shemer.

See also

• Jewish poetry from al-Andalus – Hebrew poems composed in Muslim Spain
• Libi baMizrah – another prominent Zion poem by Judah Halevi
• Zionides – Jewish poetry expressing yearning for the Land of Israel

Bibliography

• Habermann, A. M. (1957). "שירת החול של יהודי אשכנז" [The secular poetry of Ashkenazi Jews]. Moznaim (in Hebrew). ה (ו). Hebrew Writers Association in Israel: 403–408. JSTOR 23836996.
• Roth, Norman, ed. (2003). Medieval Jewish Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Routledge Revivals. Routledge. pp. 380–384. ISBN 9781315165394.