HARIZI, JUDAH BEN SOLOMON

born c. 1170, , Spain died c. 1235 man of letters, last representative of the golden age of Spanish Hebrew poetry. He wandered through Provence and also the Middle East, translating Arabic poetry and scientific works into Hebrew. His version of the Guide of the Perplexed of Maimonides is more artistic if less accurate than that of Ibn Tibbon. His skillful adaptation of the difficult Maqamat of al-Hariri, under the title Mahberot Ithi'el, encouraged him to compose original Hebrew maqamahs entitled the Tahkemoni, on which his fame primarily rests. His writing is characterized by its rich vocabulary and remarkable linguistic dexterity.