Bow down before God, my precious thinking soul,
and make haste to worship Him with reverence.
Night and day think only of your everlasting world.
Why should you chase after vanity and emptiness?
As long as you live, you are akin to the living God:
just as He is invisible, so are you.
Since your Creator is pure and flawless,
know that you too are pure and perfect.
The Mighty One upholds the heavens on His arm,
as you uphold the mute body.
My soul, let your songs come before your Rock,
who does not lay your form in the dust.
My innermost heart, bless your Rock always,
whose name is praised by everything that has breath.
Solomon Ibn Gabirol (c. 1021-1058) was a Spanish poet, philosopher, and mystic of the Jewish tradition. This passage is published in Easwaran’s spiritual anthologies, “God Makes the Rivers to Flow” and “Timeless Wisdom.” The audio recording is by Eknath Easwaran’s wife, Christine Easwaran.