Chapter XIII: The Penitent. By the same author^70-1

A rich, but not a holy man,
Grew old, and to repent began;
So, to perform a pious deed
That would procure him heaven's meed,
He thought, and thought, then bade at last
His _servants_ one whole day to fast.

A frequent charge preferred against Jewish literature by modern critics^[70-2] is, that it is deficient of humour. The instances given in this essay, as well as in some others forming part of the present volume may, perhaps, contribute in some small degree to dissipate this fallacy.

Footnotes:

[60-1] There is also in existence a witty epigram composed by the same author when a certain Jewish scribbler plagiarized one of his poems, and circulated it as his own. In this epigram Gabirol compares himself to an ever-flowing stream, which continues its course, and does not mind if some poor mortal draws from it now and again a bucketful of water. Cp. Dukes, _Shire Shelomo_, p. 50.

[61-1] Cp. Geiger's _Jüdische Dichtungen_, Leipzig, 1856, p. 21.

[61-2] Cp. _Orient_, 1843, Literaturblatt, p. 658.

[63-1] This translation is taken from Mr. Joseph Jacobs' article on “Jehuda Halevi,” published among the _Papers read before the Jews' College Literary Society_, 1886–7.

[63-2] Cp. the above article by Mr. Joseph Jacobs.

[63-3] This translation from the original Hebrew was done by Mr. Israel Abrahams.

[67-1] Cp. Steinschneider, _Jewish Literature_, p. 171.

[67-2] Cp. Dukes, _Lit.-Blatt des Orients_, p. 709.

[67-3] Cp. the ninth Makāma in his _Tachkemoni_.

[67-4] Cp. the twentieth Makāma in his _Tachkemoni_.

[67-5] The latter phrase occurs in the Book of Judges ix. 54, and is here wittily applied by Alcharizi to his own purpose.

[68-1] Cp. _Catalogue of the Hebrew MSS. of the Montefiore College Library_, compiled by Dr. H. Hirschfeld.

[68-2] Cp. third Machberoth.

[68-3] Steinschneider, _Manna_, p. 84.

[68-4] Cp. His תלמוד לשון עברי, p. 190.

[69-1] Cp. Ben-Jacob, _Epigrammata ac Poemata varia_, p. 104.

[69-2] Cp. Schlesinger, _Meassef_, 1805.

[69-3] Cp. Ben-Jacob, _Epigrammata_, &c., p. 19.

[69-4] Ibid. p. 7.

[69-5] Ibid. p. 101.

[70-1] Cp. Ben-Jacob, _Epigrammata_, &c., p. 38.

[70-2] Cp. Froude, _Carlyle's Life in London_, II, p. 480; and also Renan, _Histoire des langues sémitiques_ (I, 9, 11), wherein the following curious remark occurs: “Les peuples sémitiques manquent presque complètement de curiosité et de la faculté de rire.”