Shahar Avakeshkha
This hymn, by R. Shlomo ibn Gabirol, is found in early editions of the prayer book of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, preceding the morning service. The first verse declares: "I will look to you in the mornings, my rock; I will pray to you morning and evening".
According to the late lamented Hazan Abraham ("Bram") Lopes Cardozo, this beautiful hymn was sung to the marvelous melody below at weekday morning services in Amsterdam before WW2. What a rousing way to start the day!
In my own family this is frequently the song with which we open our Shabbat table singing. The version we sing is based on Bram Cardozo's transcription of the music. The version transcribed in the London "Ancient Melodies" is a little different (see next section).
I will seek You at day’s dawning, O my Rock Who rescues me,
I’ll unfurl my prayer before You, in the morning and at eve.
In the morning and at eve.
Before Your boundless greatness I will stand and I will quail
For Your eyes do penetrate my heart and all my thoughts You see.
In the morning and at eve.
What could my heart or my tongue do, existing on their own?
And what strength would I have without Your Spirit placed in me?
In the morning and at eve.
But lo, You love the songs of humankind, so then
I’ll give You praise for all the days Your Spirit dwells in me.
In the morning and at eve.
This poetic translation, which cleverly and in true Victorian style preserves the meter and rhyme scheme of the Hebrew, was composed by my friend Dr. Marc Michael Epstein. See also an older translation in the same tradition on the Deror Yikra page.
"Ancient Melodies" version
This transcription, from "The Ancient Melodies" of Aguilar and De Sola, London 1857, shows what is to my mind a slightly over-embellished version of the same core tune.
Note that it is called "Abakeshcha" with a B rather than "Avekeshcha" with a V. Many Sephardi communities historically pronounced the letter Bet as B - even when there was no Dagesh. This tradition is all but lost today when Israeli pronunciation has almost universally been adopted.
♫ Shahar Avakeshcha - Aguilar version (Eliot Alderman)
