Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917.
By Abraham Ibn Ezra (Trans. Alice Lucas)The Living God
I
The living God it is my heart’s desires.
To life. Yea, as I live, spake He,
No living man my face shall see,
Shall see my face and live.
And purpose wonderful that lies
For ever hidden from our eyes,
The eyes of all who live.
Extolled on earth in holy strains,
Blessed is He whose hand maintains
The soul of all who live.
To teach them statutes, which indeed
If that a man do hear and heed,
His soul by them shall live.
They who of dust created were?
Lo, in Thy sight, O Lord, we dare
Call no man just who lives.
The sinful passion dwells in us,
Can then from evil cankerous
Be any free that live?
May yet the evil path forsake,
Ere in that house their rest they take,
That waits for all who live.
Again Thy witnesses to be,
O Thou, who openest graciously
Thy hand to all that live.