10. ’Tis Joy to Me

Selected Religious Poems of Solomon ibn Gabirol, tr. by Israel Zangwill, [1923], at sacred-texts.com

p. 13

10

’TIS JOY TO ME

’Tis joy to me to dwell in Thee,
  At thought of Thee all grief retreats,
Thy mercies call for thanks, but all
  I have to pay are tongue’s conceits.

Not heaven’s height can bound Thy might,
  How then shall thought due praise assign?
Teach me, and bless with righteousness,
  And let my will but further Thine.

The praise I bring as offering
  Accept in lieu of sacrifice,
My service call memorial,
  Pleased with Thy worshipper’s device.

Let Thy clear eye, O Lord, descry
  How wretched are my fears and hopes,
And send Thy light to chase the night
  In which my blinded spirit gropes.

In kindness great, compassionate,
  O guard for me Thy tenderness,
Within its wideness let me hide
  The vastness of my trespasses.

And as Thy name to me became
  A treasure in my heart to stand,
So let to Thee my spirit be
  A treasure held within Thy hand.