אוֹדֶה לָאֵל | Odeh la-El Levav Ḥoqer B'ran Yaḥad Kokhvei Boqer, a morning piyyut by Rabbi Shamayah Ḳosson (ca. 16th c.) translation by Len Fellman

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=39246

open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Date: 2021-09-30

Last Updated: 2021-10-10

Categories: Morning Baqashot

Tags: 16th century C.E., 54th century A.M., אודה לאל Odeh la-El, בקשות Baqashot, פיוטים piyyutim

Excerpt: "Odeh La-Él" sings to the waking soul, calling on it to return to the service of the Divine. . . .


Content:
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)
שִׂימוּ לֵב עַל הַנְּשָׁמָה
לֶשֶׁם שְׁבוֹ וְאַחְלָמָה
וְאוֹרָהּ כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה
שִׁבְעָתַיִם כְּאוֹר בֹּקֶר
Consider now your neshamah [soul].
A jewel like the opal, the agate, and the amethyst.
The place where your own light, like the light of the sun shines––
seven times greater than morning light.
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל
לֵבָב חוֹקֵר
בְּרָן־יַחַד
כּוֹכְבֵי בֹקֶר
I turn my thoughts toward the face of God,
the One who searches out the depths of the heart,
as voices sing, they all sing out, all in harmony they sing––
the stars of morning.
מִכִּסֵּא כָבוֹד חֻצָּבָה
לָגוּר בְּאֶרֶץ עֲרָבָה
לְהַצִילָהּ מִלֶּהָבָה
וּלְהָאִירָהּ לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל…
From the throne of glory, she was hewn forth,
to live on this earth-plane so desolate.
This was to save her from intense burning
and to illuminate her in the morning.
Odeh la-El…
עוּרוּ נָא כִּי בְכָל לַיְלָה
נִשְׁמַתְכֶם עוֹלָה לְמַעְלָה
לָתֵת דִּין חֶשְׁבּוֹן מִפְעָלָהּ
לְיוֹצֵר עֶרֶב וָבֹקֶר
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל…
Wake up now! Wake up now! See that every night,
your neshamah ascends to a place on high
to give cause and accounting of her earthly actions
to the One who formed evening and morning.
Odeh la-El…
יִמְצָאוּהָ מְטֻנֶפֶת
בַּעֲוֹנוֹת וּבְתוֹסֶפֶת
כְּמוֹ שִׁפְחָה נֶחֱרֶפֶת
תָּמִיד בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל…
If the soul is found to be unclean
from wrongdoing, her shame will be so great,
like that of a maidservant who has been defiled
when she comes home every morning.
Odeh la-El…
ִמְצָאוּהָ מְחֻדֶּשֶׁת [מְקֻדֶשֶׁת] [יִמְצָאָהּ מְקֻשֶׁטֶת] 
בְּזָכִיוֹת וּבְתוֹסֶפֶת [בְּמִצְוֹת וּבְתוֹסֶפֶת/בְּטַלִית וְטוֹטֶפֶת]] 
כְּמוֹ כַלָּה מְקֻשֶׁטֶת
תָּמִיד בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל…
But if she is found to be renewed
since she has donned tallis and tefillin,
she will be like a bride then, adorned with fine jewelry,
when she gets up every morning.
Odeh la-El…
הַנֶּאֱמָן בְּפִקְדוֹנוֹ
יַחֲזִירֶנָּה לוֹ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ
אִישׁ לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ
וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל…
What the Faithful One has stored up for you,
He will return it when you truly long for it.
A man need not die then, amidst his transgressions
whether it be in the evening or morning.
Odeh la-El…
קוּמוּ כִּי [לֹא] זֹאת הַמְּנוּחָה
מִדַּת רַחֲמִים מְתוּחָה
שׁוּבוּ כִּי יָדוֹ פְתוּחָה
לְכָל מַשְׁכִּימֵי בַבֹּקֶר
וְשֵׁנָה אַל תֶּאֱהָבוּ
לְהַקְדִישׁ לָאֵל אֱהָבוּ
הָבוּ לַה׳ הָבוּ
כָּבוֹד וְהָיָה הַבֹּקֶר
סָלּוּהָ כְּמוֹ עֲרֵמִים [עֲרוּמִים]  
נֶפֶשׁ בְּהֵמוֹת נִרְדָּמִים
יַעַן לְמִשְׁטַח חֲרָמִים
לְסֵדֶר עוֹלַת הַבֹּקֶר
וְהַחֲיוּ הָעֲנִיָּה
יְחִידָה תַמָּה וּנְקִיָּה
וַאֲשֶר נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא חִיָּה
אֵיךְ יִזְכֶּה לְאוֹר הַבֹּקֶר
אוֹדֶה לָאֵל…
So re-animate your poor soul again.
See her unified, pure, and washed clean again.
If your neshamah has not been re-enlivened
how will you merit the light of the morning?
Odeh la-El…
נֹעַם ה׳ לַחֲזוֹת
נִזְכֶּה וּבַשָּׁנָה הַזֹּאת
בִּשְׂמָחוֹת תַּחַת רְגָזוֹת
בֹּקֶר תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי בֹּקֶר

This English translation of the piyyut Kokhvei Boqer was made by Len Fellman, and first published at his Jewish music website. There are a number of versions of this piyyut with additional stanzas which we have included here. For a different arrangement, find the one made by Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet.

 

Contributor: Len Fellman (translation)

Co-authors:

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Good Morning by khawkins04 (cc-by)
Title: Good Morning by khawkins04 (cc-by)
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