מִי יִתְּנֵנִי כְיַרְחֵי קֶדֶם. כְּיָמִים קַדְמוֹנִים, שֶׁהָיִיתִי בִּגְדֻלָּתִי:

Would that I were as [in] my early months Like the early days, when I was in my greatness.

when He lit His candle [This is] an expression of light and joy.

by His light I would go. In every occasion of darkness and trouble that came to the world, I had light.

in my early days Heb. חרפי, in my early days. This is an Aramaism, early crops and late crops (חרפי ואפלי).

when God’s counsel was upon my tent When the righteous of the generation would come to my tent, to take counsel in the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the Torah and in enacting temporary safeguards.

my young men My servants.

my feet Heb. הליכי, my feet.

with cream Heb. בְּחֵמָה, like בחמאה.

and the rock that was with me would pour forth rivulets of oil i.e., all the desires of my heart, which are as pleasing as rivulets of oil.

would pour as in (Lev. 2:6), “and you shall pour.”

the ceiling a high ceiling, prepared for a chair for the elders of the city to sit on.

and when I was in the square, I would prepare my seat.

Youths saw me They would see me and hide, and old men stood in my presence.

Princes refrained from talking and would wait until I started the conversation.

For the ear that heard my word praised me.

and the eye [that] saw my greatness and the propriety of my traits in all places.

The blessing of the lost who died because of his iniquity and was banished.

would come upon me because I would sustain his children and his wife. Our Sages said, however, that he [Job] would rob the orphans of their field, improve it and [then] return it to them (Baba Bathra 16a). But the simple meaning of the verse does not appear to be so, for no one is called אובד, but a thing that is itself lost, like (Ps. 31:13), “like a lost vessel”; and so (ibid. 119:176), “I have gone astray like a lost sheep”, (Jer. 50:6), “lost sheep.”

and I would make the widow’s heart sing for joy for he would attach his name to widows, saying, “She is my kinswoman,” or “I will marry her,” in order that men should be anxious to marry her.

I put on righteousness and it clothed me I pursued righteousness and it is present with me as a coat and a turban, which are beautiful ornaments; so was my judgment beautiful and pure.

And I said, I will perish with my nest Because of the propriety of my traits, I would think to myself that when I die, I would have my nest and my house established with me.

and I will multiply days as the phoenix Heb. וכחול. This is a bird named חול, phoenix, upon which the punishment of death was not decreed because it did not taste of the Tree of Knowledge, and at the end of one thousand years, it renews itself and returns to its youth.

My root will be open etc. All this I was saying to myself, that my root would not dry up, and my branches would not die, like (above 14:9), “and it will produce a branch (קציר).” They are יונקות, tender branches of a tree.

And I thought that my honor would be renewed. which is with meconstantly.

and my bow And my strength will constantly change for the better.

They listened to me and waited Those who listened to my words would wait until they would be realized, and they would be realized because the tradition of wisdom was in my hand.

my speech would drip Heb. תטף. This is an expression of prophecy. Similarly (Amos 7:16), “and do not prophesy (תטיף) concerning the house of Isaac.” That is to say that my word was like prophecy.

after a long time After a long time they would speak, because most of their time was spent in silence, for they were anxiously waiting to hear my words.

they would not believe it that I was jesting with them, because of my esteem[ed position].

and they would not cast down the light of my countenance They were afraid to get near me and to become familiar with me.

I would choose their way All their ways and their counsel I would choose for them, for they would ask me, “Which way shall we go and what shall we do?”

and sit at the head if they were reclining at a banquet, I would recline at the head of the diners.