You are the God of gods
and the Lord of lords,
the ruler of all that's above and below.
You are Lord
as all of creation bears witness,
and the Name in whose honor
all men are obliged in worship to serve.
You are Lord,
and every creature serves you as slave
and nothing detracts from your glory,
not those who worship without you-
for the drive of all is to reach you-
although they resemble men who are blind,
walking along the way of the king
and going astray,
sinking in the pit of destruction,
slipping in the trap of deception-
certain they'll reach their heaven,
as each one labors in vain.
But your servants are wiser
and walk in their own integrity,
turning neither
to the right or left,
and coming to the court of the king:
You are Lord,
all creation relies on your godliness;
all creatures feast on your oneness.
You are Lord,
and there is no distinction between
your being divine and one;
between your past and the real,
between what you were and will be.
All is a single mystery:
though its name might alter in aspects,
all toward a single place move on ...
You are the God of gods by Gabirol (11th Century). Quoted after: Cole, Peter (Trans.) (2001). Selected Poems of Solomon Ibn Gabirol. Princeton, Oxford: Princeton University Press. P.147-8.
Last updated: 2003/10/23