Tuesday 16 August 2011

Day Sixteen

Today I got up to Psalm 100, or about halfway through day 15's reading.  The psalms are where modern hymwriters go to seek inspiration, or in other words, to steal a line or two.

The version of the bible that I'm reading has captions above some of the psalms describing them as a well written psalm.  I'm not sure how much significance this has to a modern reader, given  that these same verses have been translated into english from the original, probably through translators who want to put their own spin on things.Some bits feel as if an early version of Bad Translator has been at work.  For example, the first three verses of psalm 23 translated at random 56 times comes out as...

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I do not know. I think the watershed. Give me your real name and spirit."

or

"My pastor said. Water transport is high. I feel good, he thought the street."

or even

"One of my friends did not rest in peace. This is the name of my mind." 

(please note that this is most certainly not the word of God.)

So it might have been a well written psalm when originally written, but it's a bit rough now.

For a bit of entertainment, in the spirit of  hymn writers everywhere, and in particular, as tribute to "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" let's try a version of Psalm 23 to the tune of "Tiptoe through the Tulips"
  


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