I rarely read poetry and when I do I don't always like it, but I was quite unexpectedly blown away by some exerpts from a book of Jewish poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain (pre 1492 -- of course) that I found in an article in the latest issue of the New York Review of Books. It was some of the most beautiful meditations on diaspora I have ever read and suprisingly prescient. Take this poem, by Ibn Ezra for instance:
[...]
My longing instead is to lay my threshold
near the threshold of learned men:
all I want is to move toward them,
although my iniquity holds me back
among a people that does not know me;
with whom I have no part or ease —
for when I greet them with kisses of peace,
they say I hurt them with my teeth.
So I know I read too much NYRB which I suppose is more for old farts than for young women in their twenties, but whatev, I am an old fart at heart. Incidentally the same issue of NYRB has a good article on the current situation in Lebanon and how it ties in to the mess to the South of there. It is depressing to see the infinite capability for factionalism that is endemic not only to Israeli and Palestinian, but apparently also Lebanese society. I guess the old adage "Two Jews, three opinions" applies to the Lebanese too. — I knew there was a reason Lebanese people call me "cousin" when they find out I'm Jewish.
Who in the world thought slicing up lucrative real estate along the Mediterranean into tiny nations was a good idea? Not sure what the solution is here but ethnic nationalism ain't it, that's for sure. Perhaps we should bring back the Ottoman Empire?
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