צוּר מִשֶּׁלּוֹ אָכַֽלְנוּ | Tsur Mishelo Akhalnu, a paraliturgical Birkat haMazon (rhymed translation by Alice Lucas, 1898)

Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license

Date: 2021-03-14

Last Updated: 2025-04-25

Categories: Blessings After Eating

Tags: Acrostic signature, paraliturgical birkat hamazon, rhyming translation, זמירות zemirot, פיוטים piyyuṭim, צור משלו Tsur Mishelo

Excerpt: A rhymed translation of Tsur Mishelo, a paralitugical Birkat haMazon. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
צוּר מִשֶּׁלּוֹ אָכַֽלְנוּ בָּרְכוּ אֱמוּנַי שָׂבַֽעְנוּ וְהוֹתַֽרְנוּ כִּדְבַר יְיָ׃	Our Rock, with loving care, According to His word, Bids all His bounty share; Then let us bless the Lord.
הַזָּן אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ רוֹעֵֽנוּ אָבִֽינוּ אָכַֽלְנוּ אֶת לַחְמוֹ וְיֵינוֹ שָׁתִֽינוּ עַל כֵּן נוֹדֶה לִשְׁמוֹ וּנְהַלְּלוֹ בְּפִֽינוּ אָמַֽרְנוּ וְעָנִֽינוּ אֵין קָדוֹשׁ כַּייָ׃	His flock our Shepherd feeds With graciousness divine, He satisfies our needs With gifts of bread and wine. Therefore with one accord We will His name adore, Proclaiming evermore None holy as the Lord.
בְּשִׁיר וְקוֹל תּוֹדָה נְבָרֵךְ לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ, עַל אֶֽרֶץ חֶמְדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁהִנְחִיל לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, מָזוֹן וְצֵדָה הִשְׂבִּֽיעַ לְנַפְשֵׁנוּ, חַסְדּוֹ גָּבַר עָלֵֽינוּ וֶאֱמֶת יְיָ׃	The land desired so long, Our father’s heritage, Inspires our prayer and song To God from age to age: His bounteous gifts afford Our sustenance each day, His mercy is our stay Yea, faithful in the Lord.
רַחֵם בְּחַסְדֶּֽךָ עַל עַמְּךָ צוּרֵֽנוּ, עַל צִיּוֹן מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ זְבוּל בֵּית תִּפְאַרְתֵּֽנוּ, בֶּן דָּוִד עַבְדֶּֽךָ יָבוֹא וְיִגְאָלֵֽנוּ, רֽוּחַ אַפֵּֽינוּ מְשִֽׁיחַ יְיָ׃	O be Thy mercy moved, Our Rock, to dwell with us, With Zion, thy beloved, Our temple glorious. May we, redeemed, restored, Be led there every one By David’s holy Son, The anointed of the Lord.
יִבָּנֶה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עִיר צִיּוֹן תְּמַלֵּא וְשָׁם נָשִׁיר שִׁיר חָדָשׁ וּבִרְנָנָה נַעֲלֶה הָרַחֲמָן הַנִּקְדָּשׁ יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְעַלֶּה עַל כּוֹס יַֽיִן מָלֵא כְּבִרְכַּת יְיָ׃	Thy city build once more, Thy temple walls upraise, There will we Thee adore With joyful songs of praise, Thee, merciful, adored, We bless and sanctify, With wine-cups filled up high, By blessings of the Lord.

Alice Lucas’s rhymed paraliturgical translation of the piyyut “Tsur Mishelo” by an unknown paytan, was first published in her The Jewish Year (1898), pp. 178-179, under the title “Grace After Meals.” The table song is traditionally sung as a lead-in to the Birkat haMazon.

Thanks to Aliza Arzt for identifying the piyyut from Lucas’s English verse. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

Contributor: Alice Lucas (translation)

Co-authors:

Name: Alice Lucas (translation)
Bio: Alice Julia Lucas (née Montefiore) (2 August 1851 – 25 March 1935) was a British Jewish poet, translator, and communal worker. Alice Julia Montefiore was born in 1851, the elder daughter of Nathaniel M. Montefiore and Emma Goldsmid. Alongside her brother Claude Montefiore, she studied Judaism under Solomon Schechter at the Hochschule in Berlin. On 24 April 1873 she married barrister Henry Lucas, who later served as treasurer and vice-president of the United Synagogue. In 1900 she helped establish the Jewish Study Society, modelled after the Council of Jewish Women, of which she served as the first president. Lucas also sat on the women's committee of the Westminster Jews' Free School and its preparatory nursery, the Jews' Infant School.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Lucas_(poet)
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/alice-lucas

Name: Unknown
Bio: 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.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/unknown

Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
Website: https://aharon.varady.net
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription