Introduces renderings of, and commentary on, Kabbalistic verse that emerged directly from Jewish mysticism and that reveals the foundations of both language and existence itself. A collection that presents a body of poetry from the world of Jewish mysticism. Taking up Gershom Scholem's call to plumb the "tremendous poetic potential concealed" in the Kabbalistic tradition, it provides English renderings of works composed on three continents over a period of some fifteen hundred years.

Poems of the palaces and early liturgical hymns -- Hymn to the Heavens ; A measure of holiness ; Awe and adornment ; Each day ; From whose beauty the depths are lit ; To rise on high ; Blessed is the eye ; The priest's appearance ; Windows of worship / Anonymous -- Angel of fire ; From the sky to the Heavens' Heavens / Yannai -- King girded with might ; Creatures four-square about the throne / Eliezer Kallir -- Release, please / Anonymous -- The Book of Creation -- from Sefer Yetzirah -- Al-Andalus and Ashkenaz -- He dwells forever ; Angels amassing ; I love you ; from Kingdom's crown / Shelomoh Ibn Gabirol -- True life ; Where will I find you ; Lord, [All my desire] ; A dove in the distance / Yehudah HaLevi -- Hymn of divine glory / Yehudah HeHasid -- The Kabbalah in Spain -- Before the world ever was / Moshe ben Nahman -- Prayers for the protection and opening of the heart / Ya'akov HaKohen -- On awakening and drawing near ; Incantation against Lilith / The Zohar -- from The book of the sign / Avraham Abulafia -- The nut garden / Yosef Gikatilla. The safed circle (Galilean Kabbalah) -- Hymn to the Sabbath / Shelomoh Alkabetz -- Peace be upon you / Anonymous -- Soul's beloved / Eliezer Azikri -- Hymns for the three Sabbath meals ; Why, my desire / Yitzhak Luria -- Hidden God / Avraham ben Maimon -- To the Shekhinah ; Your Kingdom's glory / Yisrael Najara -- Extensions east and west -- Who kissed me ; The myrtle's scent / Shalem Shabazi -- Bar Yohai / Shimon Lavi -- In praise of the name and its mystery / Ya'akov Ifargan -- Jewish Muslims/Muslim Jews -- Shabbatian hymns -- Meliselda -- I have found bliss -- The valley of Ishmael -- On the extinguishing of the lights -- Secret pleasure -- On the destruction of the law -- The Ghazal of goodness -- Italian Kabbalah -- The light concealed ; You readied a light / Moshe Zacut -- Messiah / Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto -- Hasidic devotion -- Song of you / Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev -- from The Tanya / Shneaur Zalman -- The seeds of secular mysticism -- from The Pool ; Bring me in under your wing / Hayyim Nahman Bialik -- Notes -- Afterword / bu Aminadav Dykman -- Poems in Hebrew and other languages.