Page:Chapters on Jewish literature (IA chaptersonjewish00abra).pdf/111



“ the days of Chasdai,” says Charizi, “the Hebrew poets began to sing.” We have seen that the new-Hebrew poetry was older than Chasdai, but Charizi’s assertion is true. The Hebrew poets of Spain are melodious, and Kalir is only ingenious. Again, it was in Spain that Hebrew was first used for secular poetry, for love songs and ballads, for praises of nature, for the expression of all human feelings. In most of this the poets found their models in the Bible. When Jehuda Halevi sang in Hebrew of love, he echoed the “Song of Songs.” When Moses Ibn Ezra wrote penitential hymns, or Ibn Gebirol divine