Wednesday 29 June 2011

Apophatic learning

There are more psalms than 1 and 15 that emphasize what not to do.  I have stopped writing at psalm 90 for the moment, and I am reviewing and reading all the psalms ahead of me and behind me. As usual I am examining every word and turn of phrase, near frames and distant ones. There are spots of colour in the psalms that must survive translation, unique words, words used only in one or two psalms. I continue to change the posts that contain my translations. Maybe I will never finish - but I will leave behind the trace of a journey through these poems.

Psalm 101 is a miniature in No. It matches in word usage Psalm 15, A sevenfold no and Psalm 26 walk in completeness.  Take time to read them bifocally - a good exercise. Do the earlier apophatic psalms prepare for psalm 101 - announcing the one who will demonstrate completeness?

Psalms 101 and 15: Total words 138, Percent shared of total: 15.2
Percent of Psalm 15: 38.2

Words in psalm 101 (83) in the order of word usage in psalm 15 (55)
Word and gloss * first usage123456789101234VsStem
לדוד of David
1דוד
מזמור a psalm
1זמר
אזמרה I will sing a psalm
1זמר
תמים completeness
2תמם
אתהלך I will walk
2הלך
בתם in the completeness of
2תמם
לבבי my heart
2לבב
בקרב within
2קרב
לא not
3לא
עיני my eyes
3עין
דבר a thing of
3דבר
עשׂה to do
3עשׂה
לא not
3לא
לבב a heart
4לבב
רע evil
4רע
לא not
4לא
מלשׁני for slandering
5לשׁון
רעהו his friend
5רעה
עינים eyes
5עין
לבב heart
5לבב
לא not
5לא
עיני my eyes
6עין
הלך walking
6הלך
תמים completeness
6תמם
לא not
7לא
בקרב within
7קרב
עשׂה the one who does
7עשׂה
דבר the telling of
7דבר
לא not
7לא
עיני my eyes
7עין
פעלי workers of
8פעל

Psalms 101 and 26: Total words 168, Percent shared of total: 12.5Percent of Psalm 26: 24.7
Words in psalm 101 (83) in the order of word usage in psalm 26 (85)
Word and gloss * first usage1234567891012345VsStem
לדוד of David
1דוד
חסד mercy
1חסד
ומשׁפט and judgment
1שׁפט
תמים completeness
2תמם
תבוא will you come
2בוא
אתהלך I will walk
2הלך
בתם in the completeness of
2תמם
ביתי my house
2בית
לא not
3לא
לנגד before
3נגד
עיני my eyes
3עין
שׂנאתי I hate
3שׂנא
לא not
3לא
לא not
4לא
עינים eyes
5עין
לא not
5לא
עיני my eyes
6עין
לשׁבת to sit
6ישׁב
עמדי with me
6עמד
הלך walking
6הלך
תמים completeness
6תמם
לא not
7לא
ישׁב will sit
7ישׁב
ביתי my house
7בית
לא not
7לא
לנגד before
7נגד
עיני my eyes
7עין
כל all
8כל
רשׁעי the wicked of
8רשׁע
כל all
8כל




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