Meʼir Schön poetry book, 1900?-1914; מאיר שאֶן ספר-שירים, 1900?-1914

Alternate Title:

Imre shefer

Name:

Schön, Meʼir

Timespan:

20th century; 19th century

Date:

1900

Description:

This is a manuscript book of poetry by Meʼir Schön, likely a rendering of his archive of poems into a manuscript for publication. Introduction (f. 2r-13v) details the author's exhaustive toil of lifelong Hebrew study (he admired the contributions to the study of Hebrew of Naphtali Hirz Wessely, Joseph Kohen-Zedek, Avrom Ber Gotlober, Solomon Rubin, Isaac Baer Levinsohn, Max Emanuel Stern, among others (f. 7r; additionally quoting Mordecai b. Abraham Banet on f. 8r)). Poems include a memorial for his parents and teacher (f. 15r-16v), poems for holidays, meditations on old age and death, a long poem of homebuilding as a parable for life's toil (f. 59r-99r); a section called Shirat dodim contains poems written for friends and relatives (such as a poem for a friend on his fiftieth anniversary in the rabbinate; f. 115v); the names of the subjects are replaced by an ellipsis. An afterword indicates that the manuscript was completed on the eve of Rosh ha-Shanah 5674 (September 20, 1914). Written mostly in stanzas on commercial lined paper (binder holes in gutter), rebound in buckram; written in an Ashkenazic cursive script, with highlights in a square script; select words and accents vocalized.

Language:

Hebrew; Hungarian

Provenance:

Formerly owned by Hekhal Shelomoh, Jerusalem, in the Sir Isaac Wolfson Central Rabbinic Library (Hebrew stamp on free-end); former call number "Hekhal Shlomo Jerusalem Israel Ms. Qu. 30".; Sold at Kedem Auctions, Sale 12 (October 21, 2010) lot 463.; Sold at Suissia Auction House, Auction 36 (June 29, 2021) lot 209.; Hekhal Shelomoh. Library, former owner.

Relation:

The Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund Home Page: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017.12/1229047

Subject:

Jews; History; Haskalah; Fasts and feasts -- Judaism; Hebrew poetry, Modern; Ungar, Moses, Rabbi (Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland), 1814-1890?, poetry; Hebrew poetry, Modern -- 19th century; Hebrew poetry, Modern -- 20th century; Fasts and feasts -- Judaism -- Meditations -- Poetry; Haskalah -- Slovakia -- 20th century; Jews -- Slovakia -- Košice -- 20th century -- History -- Sources

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

manuscripts (documents); codices (bound manuscripts); poems; manuscripts for publication; black-and-white photographs; Meditations

Physical Description:

1 item (239 leaves) : paper; 220 x 143 mm + 1 photograph

Geographic Subject:

Slovakia -- Košice; Slovakia

Rights:

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund.; Itinerant Hebrew teacher and poet, likely in Slovakia (possibly Košice) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; traditionalist and likely anti-Neolog (introduction to this manuscript), maskil (he studied with Moses Ungar, rabbi and author in Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland, author of Shevil ha-Emunah, Der Stad der Religion (Krotoschin, 1862); f. 15r).; In Hebrew; end inscriptions in Hungarian (f. 238v-239r).

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, CAJS Rar Ms 554

Collection:

Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund