Israel Ben-Moses Nagara
Israel Ben-Moses Nagara [1]
a Jewish writer, was a native of Spain, but flourished at Damascus near the closing part of the 16th century. He was a celebrated poet, and was wont to attend the mosques to collect their musical tunes, to which he adapted Hebrew or Chaldee verses. His works were, זְמַירוֹת יַשְׂרָאֵל , a collection of religious poems in three parts (Isafet, 1587; Venice, 1606): — מְשִׂחֶקֶת בִּתֵּבֵל , a metrical homily on contempt for the world (Venice, 1580, 1599):- יַשְׂרָאֵל מֵימֵי , The Waters Of Israel, a Mdlange, poetical, epistolary, and oratorical, arranged under six heads, designated by the waters mentioned in the Bible: 1. הִשַׁלֹה מֵיּ , Waters of Siloah; 2. מֵי מְנוּחוֹת ',. Waters Of Quietude; 3. מֵי מְרַיבָה , Waters Of Strife 4. מֵי מָצוֹר Waters Of Besieging; 5. מֵי זָהָב , Gold Waters; 6. מֵי מָרַים , Bitter Waters (Venice, 1605). See Furst, Biblioth. Judaica, 3:12; De Rossi, Dizionario (Germ. transl.), page 240; Lindo, Hist. Of The Jews In Spain, page 360; Etheridlge, Introd. To Hebr. Lit. page 462; Margoliouth, Motdern Judaism Investigated, page 245; Jost, Gesch. D. Judenth. U. S. Sekten, 3:275; Gratz, Gesch. D. Juden, 9:421, 422; Delitzsch, Zur Gesch. D. Jud. Poesie, page 56; Zunz, Zur Gesch. u. Literatur. page 229; Literaturgesch. d. synagogalen Poesie (Berl. 1865), page 419. (B.P.)
