12
Jewish Parody and Allegory
in Medieval Hebrew Poetry in SpainLibby GarshowitzWith the arrival of Fez native Dūnash ben Labrat (died ca. 990) in Cor-
doba, Spain, and his introduction of Arabic quantitative meter, structure,
themes, and rhetorical style into Hebrew poetry, the golden age of He-
brew Andalusian poetry was launched.^1 Its most prominent represen-
tatives over the next two centuries (ca. 1020–1150), beginning with the
Muslim caliphate of the welcoming ̔Abd-ar-Rahmān III (912–61), were
Samuel ibn Nagrela (993–1056), Moses ibn Ezra (1055–ca. 1140), Solomon
ibn Gabirol (1021–58), and Judah Halevi (1075–1141).
But many other poets soon joined their ranks, excelling in the creation
of a new and enriched genre of poetry by the Jews of southern Spain, con-
centrated mainly in the Andalusian cities of Granada, Córdoba, and Se-
ville and in the border city of Toledo, which embraced both Christian and
Muslim influences. Their proximity to the seats of Muslim power enabled
Andalusian scholars to become deeply involved with the learned courtiers
there, skilled in belles-lettres, philosophy, and the narration of the glories
of their conquests. Furthermore, these literary contacts enhanced their
own creative skills, hitherto devoted to writing philosophical and gram-
matical treatises, codes of law, technical studies, and biblical translations,
among others, in the Arabic language.
Soon, however, Andalusian Jews set out to write their own poetry
in Hebrew, deeming it appropriate that their language was sufficiently
rich and elegant to leave behind the domain of the Arabic language and