War is a lovely girl

11 January 2008 in translation | No comments

קְרָב דּוֹמֶה בְרֹאשׁוֹ אֶל יְפֵיפָה
אֲשֶׁר כָּל אִישׁ לְשַׂחֶק בָּהּ יְאַוֶּה
וְסוֹפוֹ כַּזְּקֵנָה הַמְּאוּסָה
אֲשֶׁר כָּל שׁוֹחֲרָה יִבְכֶּה וְיִדְוֶה.

At first, War is a lovely girl;
Every man lusts to play with her.
But she ends up a horrible hag;
Her former suitors weep in pain.

—Samuel ibn Naghrela (Shmuel Ha-Nagid, 993–1056). From his collection Ben Mishlei, ‘Son of Proverbs’

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