250 r Merav Rosenfeld-Hadad
reliant on Arabic poetry, and every Jewish poet’s goal was to try his best
to follow the footsteps of the Arabic poets.
The Quantitative Meter
One of Dunash’s most significant contributions to Hebrew poetry was
the introduction of Arabic poetic meter, the quantitative meter, which is
based on a distinction between short and long syllables.^4 It replaced the
Hebrew metric system, which was prevalent at that time, and was based
on the distinction between stressed and unstressed syllables (Stoetzer
1998, 619). Dunash’s invention is considered to be a revolutionary act of
immense influence on Hebrew poetry (Yahalom 1979, 24). This is because
it deviated from Hebrew grammar and bestowed on the meter the status
of an independent element overriding the grammar and content of the
text. As such, it also raised enormous opposition (Tobi 2000, 256).
The new meter had far-reaching implications for sung poetry. The old
system had not included any consideration of time. The articulation of the
words was according to the intensity of their syllables rather than their
length. As a result, a melody for a Hebrew poem was in free rhythm. The
new metric system, on the other hand, gave length to the syllables and
thus created the foundation of metered melody with flowing rhythms,
which was easier for singing. It also made the formal idea of a stanza
more prominent, an innovation that helped to bring music into religious
practice (Boehm 1971, 594).
Dunash’s pioneering invention was difficult to grasp until the time of
Ibn Gabirol, who furthered its presence in Hebrew poetry, religious as
well as secular (Levin 1986, 129). Only then, and subsequently over many
centuries, did it spread to other places, such as North Africa, Turkey, Syria,
Babylon, Egypt, and Yemen (Hrushovski 1971, 1121). From Dunash’s time
onwards, meters based on syllable counting have ruled Hebrew poetry.
Biblical Language
Dunash was not the first to introduce biblical language into Hebrew po-
etry, but he was the first to use it exclusively (Tobi 2000, 120). Inspired by
the Islamic adoration of Quranic language, his predecessor and teacher
Sa ̔adyah viewed biblical Hebrew as a language which was by no means
less sophisticated, rich, or powerful than the language of the Quran.
Therefore, he encouraged the use of both the biblical style and the old