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| Blackbird Fledgling in our Garden |
Prophets had delivered
Their report: telling of God's
Power and love, His Servant,
His coming, suffering and triumph:
A drum roll. But had to ask:
Who hath believed our report?
Apostles have spoken: trumpets
With more certain sound, for they
Report what they have seen: a Man
Triumphant over sin and death
Sits glorified. Still they must ask:
Who hath believed our report?
And feeble saints have whispered,
Or roared the report:
Written it on parchment or
Paper; printed it, broadcast it,
Posted it; yet still must ask:
Who hath believed our report?
The Lord Himself testified it;
The Father endorsed it, and Him;
The Holy Spirit joined His help
To men preaching in weakness.
Still They must send the challenge:
Who hath believed our report?
Thank God I have believed the report.
ReplyDeleteMay my life reflect the report I have believed and dare others to hear it.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Maxine
It is hard to believe when our eyes are not opened, I confess, I didn't believe it much of my life until my eyes were opened 6 years ago.
ReplyDeletePraise God and may He open the eyes of all who haven't yet believed!!
Thank you for the beautiful sonnet!!
Very nice. Also, as we started our chat re: the Hebrew of Isaiah 53, this is very in line with many things in Hebrew poetry!
ReplyDeleteGlad of an exposition on Hebrew poetry when you're in the mood!
DeleteSo, you went with verse 1, and I worked on 8! Lovely. Like the first comment: "Thank God I have believed the report."
ReplyDeleteBest transliteration I can give:
Meh heh-eh-meen* lee-she^--moo-ah-thay-noo**
*a verb related to Amen (truly) and "emeth" (truth)
**a noun related to the verb "shah-mah", to hear, as in the Jewish creed, or She^-mah: Hear (O) Israel, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one." Also the name Shi-moo-ayl, Samuel, "heard by God."
Best literal translation: "Who has believed [trusted] our report [the report that reached us, the thing we heard]?"
Interesting, Luther, which the KJV often followed in another language, went with "Aber wer glaubt dem, was uns verkündet hat.." or "But who believed it, what to us was announced..." The "aber" or "but" isn't there, but to the German mind, it's a great equivalent translation because of the transition. Last verse of the last chapter tells us that kings shall shut their mouths because of him; they will see what they have not been told; they will understand what they have not heard; BUT... who has believed our report?
Germans get a bad rap for their supposedly buttoned down, non-emotional ways. But Germans also had great depths of feeling, which bubbled up in their romantic eras, especially the "folk people." Luther both exemplified this himself and prefigured that era. It is a great fit for Hebrew. When you know the difference between Hebrew and Greek, you can see how much more Hebrew is earthy and holisitic, where Greek is far more analytical & philosophic. This is why I sometimes go to the German, to make me think and to pick up this "zest"
As far as some of the workings of Hebrew poetry, if you haven't read it yet, there's the commentary misplaced under the Fourth of July entry again about the twists of language in Hebrew poetry and prophecy, of which there is a great overlap.
Blessings!