Writing with scissors- A Jewish Rabbi and Poet in Christian Spain

Sem Tob de Carrión(1290-1369)
(Sem Tob ben Ishaq ibn Ardutiel)


Selections from his Moral Proverbs written in Medieval Spanish peculiar for its Hebreo-Arabic imagery and rhyme scheme.

To show a certain astrologer my smarts

I sent him a writing done with scissors.

And the fool didn’t know

I did it as a lark

since I didn’t want

To waste any of my ink on him.

So in order to do him no honors

I cut out its body,

refusing to give him

A good and complete letter.

Like the guy who chucked

The insides out of hazelnuts

For himself

And gave everyone else the empty shells.

I took out the letter’s contents

And kept it for myself,

Giving him an empty missive instead.

Then I dyed my gray hairs

Not for hate of them

Nor to deny my age

Or to look like a young man

But out of a great fear

That men would come looking

For elderly wisdom from me

And would not find it.

…………………………..

If it’s not what I wish for

Let me want what there is

And if at first I don’t like it

I’ll enjoy it later.

…………………………….

Men,

always talking,

for a short while

they trod the earth,

which will soon trod on them,

forever silent.

40

Vn astroso cuydaua

Y por mostrar que era

Sotil, yo le enuiaua

Escripto de tisera.

41

El nesçio non sabia

Que lo fize por infinta

Por que yo non quería

Perder en el la tynta

42

Ca por non la deñar

Fize vazia la llena,

Y non le quise donar

La carta sana, buena.

43

Commo el que tomaua

Meollos de avellanas

Para, sy, y donaua

Al otro caxcas vanas.

44

Yo del papel saque

La rrazon que dezia

Con ella me finque

Dile carta vazia.

45

Las mis canas teñí las

Non por las aborresçer

Nin por desdezyr las

Nin mancebo paresçer

46

Mas con miedo sobejo

De omes que buscarian

En mi seso de viejo

E non lo fallarian.

48

Sy non es lo que quiero

Quiera yo lo que es

Si pesar he primero

Plazer avre despues.

55

Por que pisan poquiella

Sazon tierra, parlando

Omnes que pisa ella

Para sienpre, callando.