Sonnet: Ketubot 23a

When Nehardea's captive girls came back
Sage Shmuel's father set guards at their door
To watch them lest the local men attack
Shrugged Shmuel: "What's the point? Who watched before?"

His wizened father sighed: "Would you cast scorn
If they were your beloved girls?" And so
It came to pass. His daughters wept, forlorn.
And when released, they knew right where to go:

Chaninah's study house. Each lass stood tall
And cried with all her heart, "I'm pure, I vow."
Chaninah let them marry one and all
Their captives came, but no one had a cow.

"A sage's daughters, these," Chaninah knew--
And sad but wiser, Shmuel proved it true.