Isaac Gorni Biography | Poet

Isaac Gorni (or Isaac ben Abraham haGorni ) was a late thirteenth-century Hebrew lyric poet from Aire-sur-l'Adour in Gascony, then ruled by the English Prince Edward. His surname derives from the Hebrew goren, "threshing floor", the Occitan for which is aire, as in his birthplace. He was widely travelled. In Provence he journeyed through Arles, Aix, Manosque, Carpentras, Apt, and Draguignan. He also went into Languedoc and Catalonia sojourning in Narbonne, Perpignan, and Luz. His habit was to enjoy the hospitality of the local Jewish community in return for entertaining it. He also accompanied himself on the kinnor, which was tied to his shoulder. He was not always successful, and his poems often record the ingratitude he encountered.