Classic and Contemporary Poetry
UPON THE TRANSLATION OF THE PSALMS BY SIR PHILIP SYDNEY & HIS SISTER, by JOHN DONNE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Eternall god, (for whom who ever dare) Last Line: We may fall in with them, and sing our part. Subject(s): Sidney, Sir Philip (1554-1586); Translating & Interpreting | ||||||||
Eternall God, (for whom who ever dare Seeke new expressions, doe the Circle square, And thrust into strait corners of poore wit Thee, who art cornerlesse and infinite) I would but blesse thy Name, not name thee now; (And thy gifts are as infinite as thou:) Fixe we our prayses therefore on this one, That, as thy blessed Spirit fell upon These Psalmes first Author in a cloven tongue; (For 'twas a double power by which he sung The highest matter in the noblest forme;) So thou hast cleft that spirit, to performe That worke againe, and shed it, here, upon Two, by their bloods, and by thy Spirit one; A Brother and a Sister, made by thee The Organ, where thou art the Harmony. Two that make one John Baptists holy voyce, And who that Psalme, Now let the Iles rejoyce, Have both translated, and apply'd it too, Both told us what, and taught us how to doe. They shew us Ilanders our joy, our King, They tell us why, and teach us how to sing; Make all this All, three Quires, heaven, earth, and sphears; The first, Heaven, hath a song, but no man heares, The Spheares have Musick, but they have no tongue, Their harmony is rather danc'd than sung; But our third Quire, to which the first gives eare, (For, Angels learne by what the Church does here) This Quire hath all. The Organist is hee Who hath tun'd God and Man, the Organ we: The songs are these, which heavens high holy Muse Whisper'd to David, David to the Jewes: And Davids Successors, in holy zeale, In formes of joy and art doe re-reveale To us so sweetly and sincerely too, That I must not rejoyce as I would doe When I behold that these Psalmes are become So well attyr'd abroad, so ill at home, So well in Chambers, in thy Church so ill, As I can scarce call that reform'd untill This be reform'd; Would a whole State present A lesser gift than some one man hath sent? And shall our Church, unto our Spouse and King More hoarse, more harsh than any other, sing? For that we pray, we praise thy name for this, Which, by Already done; and as those Psalmes we call (Though some have other Authors) Davids all: So though some have, some may some Psalmes translate, We thy Sydnean Psalmes shall celebrate, And, till we come th'Extemporall song to sing, (Learn'd the first hower, that we see the King, Who hath translated those translators) may These their sweet learned labours, all the way Be as our tuning; that, when hence we part, We may fall in with them, and sing our part. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FOUND IN TRANSLATION [FOR CLAIRE MALROUX] by MARILYN HACKER MESSAGES AS TRANSLATION by MICHAEL S. HARPER THE MYSTERIES OF CAESAR by ANTHONY HECHT IN HELL WITH VIRG AND DAN: CANTO 17 by CAROLYN KIZER OF DISTRESS BEING HUMILIATED BY THE CLASSICAL CHINESE POETS by HAYDEN CARRUTH RELIGIO LAICI; OR, A LAYMAN'S FAITH by JOHN DRYDEN THE CHESSBOARD IS ON FIRE by AARON FOGEL ON FIRST LOOKING INTO CHAPMAN'S HOMER by JOHN KEATS A TRANSLATION by JAMES LAUGHLIN A HYMN TO CHRIST, AT THE AUTHOR'S LAST GOING INTO GERMANY by JOHN DONNE |
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