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Solomon ibn Gabirol and Samuel ibn Naghrela: An Examination of Life and Death

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2013, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
This thesis focuses upon the poetry of Samuel ibn Naghrela (993-1056) and Solomon ibn Gabirol (c. 1021-1057), two of the most notable poets of the Andalusian period of Hebrew poetry. These two contemporary poets personify different characteristics of medieval Andalusia: Ibn Gabirol's poetry incorporates the Neoplatonic philosophical ideas that infused medieval Andalusian society, while that of Ibn Naghrela, written several years earlier, is unaffected by Neoplatonism. The first chapter introduces the historical and cultural context which gave birth to these two poets. The second chapter introduces the two poets. Chapters three and four present the themes of death and life in the context of eight poems. Ibn Gabirol accepts death as inevitable and reflects on life's brevity. He regards death as a new beginning and celebration of the soul's release. Ibn Naghrela regards death with trepidation. But in the poetry that is examined, he neither advises his reader to prepare for death, nor indicates that he himself is altering his life to prepare for death. Examining the two poets' views towards death in these poems also indicates how they lived their lives. As will be shown, in the poems that are discussed Ibn Naghrela exhorts his readers to enjoy life, reminding them that life is fleeting, and that life's pleasures will not outlast death. He does not advise his reader to renounce the material world in preparation for death, for he views death as a grim finality, and broods on the gruesome aspects of physical decay. Ibn Gabirol, on the other hand, influenced by the Neoplatonic theme of spiritual purification and the soul's release, advocates more pietistic practices in the poems that are examined, urging his readers to improve themselves while they are alive for the edification of their trapped soul, so that she may escape the corporeal body upon its demise.
Adena Tanenbaum, Dr. (Advisor)
Daniel Frank, Dr. (Committee Member)
84 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rudavsky-Brody, M. (2013). Solomon ibn Gabirol and Samuel ibn Naghrela: An Examination of Life and Death [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1374014712

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rudavsky-Brody, Miriam. Solomon ibn Gabirol and Samuel ibn Naghrela: An Examination of Life and Death . 2013. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1374014712.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rudavsky-Brody, Miriam. "Solomon ibn Gabirol and Samuel ibn Naghrela: An Examination of Life and Death ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1374014712

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)