Meditative Poetry

Abraham recently commented on one of my posts dealing with the Bible as literature and mentioned that many authors, recognizing Scripture's literary merit, have exercised their talent and written paraphrases of Bible passages. A modern example would be Eugene Peterson's The Message. There are several Elizabethan examples, but a specific one I read this week is a paraphrase of Psalm 58 by Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke. I thought you might enjoy it. Feel free to compare it to the version of Psalm 58 in your Bible; it's an interesting thing to do.

And call ye this to utter what is just
You that of justice hold the sovereign throne?
And call ye this, to yield, O sons of dust,
To wronged brethren every man his own?
On no! It is your long malicious will
Now to the world by practice made known
With whose oppression you the balance fill:
Just to yourselves, indifferent else to none.
But what could they, who even in birth declined
From truth and right to lies and injuries?
To show the venom of the cankered mind
The adder's image scarcely can suffice;
Nay, scarce the aspic may with them contend,
On whom the charmer all in vain applies
His skillfuls't spells, aye missing of his end,
While she, self-deaf and unaffected lies.
Lord, crack their teeth! Lord crush these lions' jaws!
So let them sink as water in the sand.
When deadly bow their aiming fury draws,
Shiver the shaft ere past the shooter's hand.
So make them melt as the dishoused snail,
Or as the embryo whose vital band
Breaks ere it holds, and formless eyes do fail
To see the sun, though brought to light-full land,
O let their brood, a brood of springing thorns,
Be by untimely rooting overthrown;
Ere bushes waxed, they push with pricking horns,
As fruits yet green are oft by tempest blown.
The good with gladness this revenge shall see
And bathe his feet in blood of wicked one
While all shall say, 'The just rewarded be;
There is a God that carves to each his own.'