![]() ![]() In this respect too Hebrew poetry is not consistent. The standard meter consists of a two-unit verse of around sixteen syllables. The number of accents in verse units within the same poem will vary.Īnother method for analyzing meter involves counting syllables. The meter in Hebrew poetry is not consistent, however. Lam 1:3 Judah has-gone-into-exile from-oppression /and-hard servitude. Since this meter predominates in Lamentations, it is called qina (lament). Ps 47:7 Sing to-our-God sing /sing to-our-king sing.Īnother frequent meter is 3 + 2. The most common meter in a two-unit line is 3 + 3. Introductory or linking words such as conjunctions or prepositions are not counted. When counting accents, each of these words receives an accent. The Hebrew verse unit is very short, often composed of only two or three words. There are two primary methods: counting syllables and counting accents. The question of analysis of meter, however, is still debated. There is general agreement that meter is important and that it is a feature of Hebrew poetry. No element of Hebrew poetry is more contested than that of meter. In Nahum's description of the destruction of Nineveh, the sound of the words -including alliteration, assonance, and rhyme -emphasizes the totality of the devastation: buqah umebuqah umebulaqah (devastation and desolation and destruction). In Ps 47:7: zammeru 'elohim zammeru/zammeru lemalkenu zammeru (Sing to God, sing sing to our king, sing). Song of Songs 6:3: 'ani ledodi/wedodi li (I am my beloved's my beloved is mine). The repetition of sound may occur through the repetition of the words themselves: Lehoshibi ‘im-nedibim/ ‘im nedibe ammo (to seat them with princes, with the princes of his people). Note, for example, the repetition of "i" in Ps 113:8: The two consonants are repeated in the last half of verse 6 ( yishlayw ) and in verse 7 ( shalom, shalwa ).Īssonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. Ps 122:6: sh a'a l u sh e l om yeru sh a l aim (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem). The repetition of "sh" echoes the clashing sound of the destruction and fixes the idea of "shattering" ( shibbar ) in the hearer's mind. Ps 76:4: sh ammah sh ibbarri sh pe-qa sh et (There were shattered the flashing arrows). In Pss 76:4 and 122:6 there are fine examples of the repetition of the consonant sound "sh." In both instances the repetition of the sound reinforces the meaning of the line. The two ways in which sound is brought into play are the repetition of consonants (related to alliteration in English poetry) and the repetition of vowel sounds (related to rhyme or assonance). The patterns which distinguish Hebrew poetry are found at several levels: sound, meter, word, and imagery. ![]() ![]() On the positive side, the texts have been in constant use since their writing and there is a lengthy tradition of interpretation upon which to draw. In addition the culture, which affects imagery and expectations, is far removed from modern life. The poetry of the Hebrew Bible was written more than two thousand years ago in an ancient language only recently restored as a living tongue. The recognition and analysis of Hebrew poetry has the added difficulty of distance. Poetry is an art as well as a science, and the analysis of its patterns and its effects demand the freedom and discipline necessary for any of the arts. This definition is ambiguous and deliberately vague, because the distinction between poetry and prose in any language is difficult and contested. Poetry has been defined as patterned speech. ![]()
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