Translating Biblical Poetry

Hi Rob, I don't recall which sessions you attended other than the discussion group. I'd like to make you aware of my work POET Psalms, where 'poet' stands for Poetic Oracle English Translation. An ethnomusicologist friend, Kevin Calcote, set a number of these to music because they were already translated more regularly than the source text. If you're interested in having a look at a particular psalm, I could post one here. The book is a work in progress, and the trial editions are sold out (or packed in a box I have not yet uncovered in our recent move). Here's a look at Psalm 1. I'm hoping that in places where translators command English these can serve as an example of one way to capture poetic forms. Psalm 1 WALK WISE a wisdom psalm heroic sonnet 1 The wise one’s walk will show the way to go— Don’t walk your course by wicked people’s chart, Don’t stand around with sinners on the road, Don’t stay with those who rip our God apart! 2 For you must love the Teachings of the Lord, Absorbing lessons deep within your heart. So murmur them when waking at first light, Recite their verses far into the night. 3 You’ll be a tree that’s rooted near a stream. Your branches will bear fruit in their own time. Your leaves will grow out lush and full and green. You’ll prosper, for that follows God’s design. 4 Not so the wicked, for they won’t obey. They’re just dry chaff blown at the wind’s command. 5 Now with the pure of heart they cannot stay, For at God’s judgment they all fail to stand. 6 While Yahweh guards the path the godly walk, The wicked way is doomed, trails off to naught. Footnotes did not carry over to the post. In my BT2013 talk and in an article in Notes on Translation (found on Translator's Workplace) I also put forth 10 principles for translating poetry (later change to "literary translation"). Boerger, Brenda H. 1997. Extending Translation Principles for Poetry and Biblical Acrostics. Notes on Translation 11(2):35-56.

Re translating psalms. Are you familiar with the book on Understanding and Translating Hebrew Poetry (Zogbo and Wendland, UBS)? It is a pretty accessible book and I would recommend that you read/glance through it (if you have not) and see what you can use to train this team. I think it is chapter 3 (features of Heb poetry) which was used at Asbury Seminary (they asked for permission and UBS granted) and I know Louis Dorn used the book in some adult Sunday school class in the US...so it is easy enough. I have taught this class about 5 times now at FATEAC (each time semester long) and so have developed many exercises totally revamped and actually have a 'new book' in French which I will try to publish sometime...and if copyright is ok, could put up on MAP. I love the idea of taking recognized African poets and African mother tongue songs to discover what matches can be made. This is not work for me, just joy.... Lynell Zogbo