XXIV. The Sphere of Intelligence

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

XXIV.

Who shall understand the mysteries of Thy creations?
For Thou hast exalted above the ninth sphere the sphere of Intelligence.
It is the Temple confronting us,
"The tenth that shall be sacred to the Lord,"
It is the Sphere transcending height,
To which conception cannot reach,
And there stands the veiled palanquin of Thy glory.
From the silver of Truth hast Thou cast it,
And of the gold of Reason hast Thou wrought its arms,
And on a pillar of Righteousness set its cushions
And from Thy power is its existence,
And from and toward Thee its yearning,
"And unto Thee shall be its desire."