Nagara, Israel ben-Moses

Nagara, Israel Ben-Moses a Jewish writer, was a native of Spain, but flourished at Damascus near the closing part of the 16th century. He was a celebrated poet, and was wont to attend the mosques to collect their musical tunes, to which he adapted Hebrew or Chaldee verses. His works were, זמַירוֹת יַשׂרָאֵל, a collection of religious poems in three parts (Isafet, 1587; Venice, 1606): — משִׂחֶקֶת בִּתֵּבֵל, a metrical homily on contempt for the world (Venice, 1580, 1599):- יַשׂרָאֵל מֵימֵי, The Waters of Israel, a mdlange, poetical, epistolary, and oratorical, arranged under six heads, designated by the waters mentioned in the Bible: 1. הִשַׁלֹה מֵיּ, Waters of Siloah; 2. מֵי מנוּחוֹת',. Waters of Quietude; 3. מֵי מרַיבָה, Waters of Strife 4. מֵי מָצוֹרWaters of Besieging; 5. מֵי זָהָב, Gold Waters; 6. מֵי מָרַים, Bitter Waters (Venice, 1605). See Furst, Biblioth. Judaica, 3:12; De Rossi, Dizionario (Germ. transl.), page 240; Lindo, Hist. of the Jews in Spain, page 360; Etheridlge, Introd. to Hebr. Lit. page 462; Margoliouth, Motdern Judaism Investigated, page 245; Jost, Gesch. d. Judenth. u. s. Sekten, 3:275; Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, 9:421, 422; Delitzsch, Zur Gesch. d. Jud. Poesie, page 56; Zunz, Zur Gesch. u. Literatur. page 229; Literaturgesch. d. synagogalen Poesie (Berl. 1865), page 419. (B.P.)