Yhudah ibn Mar Abbun and the "lost" poem by Yehudah ha-Levi

Abstract

Three poems, fruit of a poetic exchange maintained between Yehudah ibn Mar Abbun and the young Yehudah ha-Levi are analyzed in this article. A reproachful poem is sent by the former to the Tudelan poet complaining about his neglect for him; the latter's response, and the supposedly lost poem which distanced them when it failed to reach the addresse on time, reveal a unique episode in the relationship between the two, and confirm the value of Hebrew Andalusian poetry as a means of communication between friends.