Tabula Smaragdina (The Emerald Tablet) in Arabic and Judeo-Arabic, with Hebrew and English translations

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Unknown Author(s)

Shared on:

7 August 2024 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Incantations, Adjurations, & Amulets

Tags:

Magic, entering magical territory, 9th century C.E., 46th century A.M., ritual power, magical recipes, Hermes Trismegistus

The Tabula Smaragdina, or the Emerald Tablet, is a cryptic and compact work, part of the Technical Hermetica — a genre of mystical and magical texts of great popularity in the medieval and renaissance era. Traditionally attributed to the legendary figure Hermes Trismegistus, it is considered a foundational text for Near Eastern and European alchemy. It is the ultimate source of the popular occultist expression “as above, so below,” although that specific expression doesn’t appear in the original Arabic text as found in the ninth-century Secret of Creation.

Is the Emerald Tablet a Jewish text? No, not really. But its emphasis on the ultimate oneness of all, deriving from neoplatonist philosophy, means it is quite closely linked with the development of the kabbalah. And there is a long history of Jewish involvement in alchemy, dating back to the legendary first alchemist ever, Mary the Jewess (said to be the inventor of the double boiler). So I translated it into Hebrew, because why not?

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Source (Arabic)	Transliteration (Judeo-Arabic)	Translation (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
حقٌّ لا شكَّ فيه صَحيح، إنّ الأعلى من الأسفل والأسفل من الأعلى،	חַקֻּן לָא שַׁךַּ פִיהִ צַחִיחֻן אִןּ אַלְאַעְלַ׳ מִן־אַלאַסְפַלִ וַאלְאַסְפַלֻ מִן־אַלְאַעְלַ׳׃	אֱמֶ֛ת אֵין־סָפֵ֥ק בּ֖וֹ נָכ֑וֹן הִנֵּ֤ה הָעֶלְיוֹן֙ מִן־הַתַּחְתּ֔וֹן וְהַתַּחְתּ֖וֹן מִן־הָעֶלְיֽוֹן׃	True, without a doubt, correct: Behold, the uppermost is from the lowermost, And the lowermost from the uppermost.
عمل العجائب من واحد كما كانت الأشياء كلّها من واحد بتدبير واحد،	עַמַלֻ אַלְעַגָּאיִאבִּ מִן־וַאחִדִּן כַּמַּא כָּאנַתִּ אלְאַשִׁיאַאֻ כֻּלֻּהָא מִן וַאחִדִּן בִּתַּדְבִּירִן וַאחִדִּן،	עָשָׂ֥ה נִסִּ֖ים מֵאֶחָ֑ד כְּהָי֨וֹ הַדְּבָרִ֤ים כֻּלָּם֙ מֵאֶחָ֔ד בְּסֵ֖דֶר אֶחָֽד׃	He made wonders from one, As all things were from one in one order.
أبوه الشمس، أُمّه القمر، حملته الريح في بطنها، غذته الأرض،	אַבּוּהֻ ﭏשַּׁמְסֻ אֻמֻּהֻ אלְקַמַרֻ חַמַלַתְּהֻ אַלְרִיחֻ פִי בַּטְנִהָא גַׄדַׄתְּהֻ אלְאַרְץׄ	אָבִ֥יו הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ אִמּ֣וֹ הַיָּרֵ֑חַ נְשָׁאָ֤הוּ הָר֙וּחַ֙ בְּבִטְנָ֔הּ הֱזִינָ֖הוּ הָאָֽרֶץ׃	His father the sun, His mother the moon, The wind carried him in her womb, The earth sustained him.
أبو الطِّلسمات، خازن العجائب، كامل القوى، نار صارت أرضاً ٱعزِل الأرض من النار،	אַבּוּ ﭏַטִּלְסְמַאתִּ כָׄאזִןֻ אלְעַגַּאיִאבִּ כָּאמִלֻ אלְקֻוָ׳ נָארֻן צַארַתּ אַרְצָׄאן אַעְזִל אַלְאַרְץִׄ מִן־אַלְנַארִ	אֲבִ֤י הַסְּגֻלּוֹת֙ אֹגֵ֣ר הַנִּסִּ֔ים תַּם־כֹּ֕חַ אֵ֖שׁ הָֽפְכָ֣ה לָאָ֑רֶץ הַבְדֵּ֕ל אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ מִן־הָאֵֽשׁ׃	Father of talismans, Amasser of wonders, Total strength, Fire turned to earth; Separate the earth from the fire!
اللطيف أكرم من الغليظ،	ﭏַלַּטִיףֻ אַכְּרַםֻ מִן אַלְגַׄלִיטִׄ	הַדַּ֥ק נָדִ֖יב מֵהַגַּֽס׃	The fine is nobler than the coarse.
برِفق وحُكم يصعد من الأرض إلى السماء وينزل إلى الأرض من السماء، وفيه قُوّة الأعلى والأسفل، لأنّ معه نور الأنوار فلذلك تهرب منه الظُّلمة،	בִּרִפְקִן וַחֻכְּםִן יַצְעַדֻּ מִן אַלְאַרְץִׄ אִלָ׳ ﭏַסַּמָאאִ וַיַנְזִל אִלָ׳ אלְאַרְץִׄ מִן ﭏַסַּמָאאִ וַפִיהִ קֻוַּהֻ̈ אלְאַעְלָ׳ וַאלְאַסְפַלִ، לִאַנָּה מַעַהֻ נוּרֻ אלְאַנְוָארִ פַלִדָׄלִךַּ תַּהְרֻבֻּ מִנְהֻ ﭏטֻּלְמַהֻ̈	בְּרֹ֖ךְ וּבְחׇכְמָ֑ה יַעֲלֶ֤ה מִן־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ הַשָּׁמָ֔יְמָה וְיָרַ֥ד הָאַ֖רְצָה מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ וּב֛וֹ כֹּ֥חַ הָעֶלְי֖וֹן וְהַתַּחְתּ֑וֹן כִּ֤י עִמּוֹ֙ א֣וֹר הָאוֹר֔וֹת לְפִיכָ֕ךְ תָּנ֥וּס מִפָּנָ֖יו הַצַּלְמָֽוֶת׃	In softness and in wisdom, He will ascend from earth to heaven, And will descend to earth from heaven. And in him is the strength of the uppermost and the lowermost, For with him is the light of lights, Thus the tenebrosity flees from him.
قُوّة القوى يغلب كلّ شيء لطيف، يدخل في كلّ شيء غليظ،	קֻוַּתֻּ אלְקֻוָּ׳ יַגְׄלִבֻּ כֻּלַּ שַׁיאִן לַטִיףִן יַדְכֻׄלֻ פִי כֻּלִּ שַׁיאִן גַׄלִיטִׄן	כֹּ֣חַ הַכּוֹח֔וֹת יְנַצֵּ֖חַ עַל־כׇּל־דָּבָ֣ר דַּ֑ק יָב֖וֹא אֶל־כׇּל־דָּבָ֥ר גַּֽס׃	Strength of strengths! He will prevail over every fine thing, And will enter every coarse thing.
على تكوين العالَم الأكبر تكوّن العمل،	עַלָ׳ תַּכְּוִיןִ אלְעָאלַםִ אלאַכְּבַּרִ תַּכַּוַּןַ אלְעַמַלֻ	עַל־בְּרִיאַ֖ת הָעוֹלָ֣ם הַגָּד֑וֹל תֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה הָעֲבֹדָֽה׃	Upon the creation of the macrocosm the work is done.
فهذا فَخْرِي ولذلك سُمّيتُ هرمس المثلَّث بالحكمة.	פַהָדָׄא פַכְׄרִי וַלִדָׄלִךַּ סֻמִּיתֻ הִרְמִסִ אלְמֻתַׄלַּתִׄ בִּאלְחִכְּמַהִ̈.	בְּזֹ֖את גַּאֲוָתִ֑י וְלָכֵ֥ן נִקְרֵ֛אתִי הֶרְמֵ֥ס הַמְּשֻׁלָּ֖שׁ בְּחׇכְמָֽה׃	In this, my pride, And thus I am named Hermes, the threefold of wisdom.

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“Tabula Smaragdina (The Emerald Tablet) in Arabic and Judeo-Arabic, with Hebrew and English translations” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Unknown Author(s)

Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.

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Works of related interest:

Gaster Hebrew 177 f.36a (University of Manchester)

הספר ששמשו בו הכשדים | Theurgy of the Kasdim, an astral-magic treatise on the seven angels of the week

Υγρομαντεια | The Hygromancy of Solomon (ca. 5th c. CE)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17