A Poet's Bible
Encyclopedia
A Poet's Bible: Rediscovering The Voices of the Original Text is a 1991 partial translation of the Old Testament
of the Hebrew Bible
, and some related apocrypha
, into English, by David Rosenberg. Rosenberg's philosophy in approaching the Hebrew text was to render into English not a literal translation of the Old Testament material for religious purposes, but to capture the essence of the art as viewed by the contemporaries of the authors. Rosenberg argues that most Biblical material has become overly familiar to us, and we are at a loss, for whatever personal reason we may have, to appreciate it as poetry, in and of itself (hence the "rediscovery" of the book's subtitle). To accomplish this, Rosenberg uses a modern poetic form, the triadic stanza favoured by William Carlos Williams
, for the majority of the book, and also uses a great deal of modern slang and imagery. Rosenberg describes the latter as Doogri, which is a Modern Hebrew
word for street idiom. The book was received well by scholars and critics, but did not do well commercially, and is currently out of print.
From the KJV:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
From A Poet's Bible:
The Lord is my shepherd
and keeps me from wanting
what I can't have
lush green grass is set
around me and crystal water
to graze by
there I revive with my soul
find the way that love makes
for his name and though I pass
through cities of pain, through death's living shadow
I'm not afraid to touch
to know what I am
your shepherd's staff is always there
to keep me calm
in my body
you set a table before me
in the presence of my enemies
you give me grace to speak
to quiet them
to be full with humanness
to be warm in my soul's lightness
to feel contact every day
in my hand and in my belly
love coming down to me
in the air of your name, Lord
in your house
in my life.
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, and some related apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
, into English, by David Rosenberg. Rosenberg's philosophy in approaching the Hebrew text was to render into English not a literal translation of the Old Testament material for religious purposes, but to capture the essence of the art as viewed by the contemporaries of the authors. Rosenberg argues that most Biblical material has become overly familiar to us, and we are at a loss, for whatever personal reason we may have, to appreciate it as poetry, in and of itself (hence the "rediscovery" of the book's subtitle). To accomplish this, Rosenberg uses a modern poetic form, the triadic stanza favoured by William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
, for the majority of the book, and also uses a great deal of modern slang and imagery. Rosenberg describes the latter as Doogri, which is a Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew , also known as Israeli Hebrew or Modern Israeli Hebrew, is the language spoken in Israel and in some Jewish communities worldwide, from the early 20th century to the present....
word for street idiom. The book was received well by scholars and critics, but did not do well commercially, and is currently out of print.
Books Translated
- Psalms
- Song of Solomon
- Lamentations
- Maccabees
- Job
- Ecclesiastes
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Zechariah
- Jonah
- Ruth
- Esther
- Judith
- Daniel
- Ezra/Nehemiah
Comparison to KJV
The King James Version, prepared in 1611, is the best-known and most widely-used translation of Christian Bible, and that with which most readers are most familiar with. To provide a feel for Rosenberg's translation, Psalm 23 is given below in the versions from the KJV and from A Poet's Bible.From the KJV:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
From A Poet's Bible:
The Lord is my shepherd
and keeps me from wanting
what I can't have
lush green grass is set
around me and crystal water
to graze by
there I revive with my soul
find the way that love makes
for his name and though I pass
through cities of pain, through death's living shadow
I'm not afraid to touch
to know what I am
your shepherd's staff is always there
to keep me calm
in my body
you set a table before me
in the presence of my enemies
you give me grace to speak
to quiet them
to be full with humanness
to be warm in my soul's lightness
to feel contact every day
in my hand and in my belly
love coming down to me
in the air of your name, Lord
in your house
in my life.