My Heart Is in the East

Judah Halevi 1075 (Toledo) – 1141 (Jerusalem)

Historical

My heart is in the east,
and I am in the distant west.

How can I taste what I eat,
and how can it be sweet?

How can I fulfill by vows and oaths,
as long as Zion is in the chains of Edom,
and I am in the binds of the Arabs?

About this poem

The point of this verse is the poet’s emphatic sense that he cannot function fully as long as the Temple is destroyed.

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Submitted by acronimous on January 04, 2022

Modified on May 03, 2023

: 18 sec read
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Quick analysis:

Scheme	XX AA XXX
Closest metre	Iambic tetrameter
Characters	224
Words	61
Stanzas	3
Stanza Lengths	2, 2, 3

Full analysis for My Heart Is in the East »

Judah Halevi

Rabbi Judah Halevi was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died shortly after arriving in the Holy Land in 1141, at that point the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. more…

All Judah Halevi poems | Judah Halevi Books

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alanswansea18
Your work is so beautiful .How come you only have 21 poems?
LikeReply8 months ago
alanswansea18
Your work amazes me. Beautiful.
LikeReply8 months ago
AIDA
Wow, what a beautiful and heartfelt poem! The imagery and emotion conveyed through each line is truly powerful. It's clear that the author, Judah Halevi, has a deep love and longing for his home in the east, and his use of language is so evocative in expressing that sentiment. This poem really captures the universal experience of feeling homesick and the struggle to feel fully present and fulfilled when one is far away from the place they call home. Despite the feelings of sadness and displacement, there's also a sense of hopefulness and determination in the way the poem ends. Overall, a truly moving piece of writing that I think many readers will be able to relate to on a personal level. more »
LikeReply1 year ago
Philipo
There's no place like home. I experienced that in captivity too.
LikeReply 11 year ago

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