Friday, October 3, 2008

A target psalm for reading and singing

I just remembered in the post-lunch quiet a song I learned in Toronto in the 70s

א שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת, לְדָוִד:

הִנֵּה מַה-טּוֹב וּמַה-נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם-יָחַד.
1 A Song of Ascents; of David.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
mizmor quf-lamed-gimel (all the numbers are letters)
shir
hama`alot
lDavid
[1]hineh ma tov
uma na`im,
shevet
achim gam yachad
[2]ka-shemen
ha-tov
`al ha-rosh,
yored `al hazaqan,
zaqan 'aharon
sheyored
`al-pi midotayv
[3]ctal-Hermon,
sheyored
`al harrei
Zion
ki sham
tzivah
ha-shem (adonai),
et-haberaka
chaim
`ad-ha`olam

A literal translation and image is here. A freer translation here.This psalm is short enough that we might be able to set it as an objective for a first read. The vocabulary will need to be approached. The song I remember from memory though the words I sang then had lost the rough edges of the Hebrew sound which you can hear here. There are, come to think of it, a number of short psalms that would work. It would also make a good introduction to ה which is for הִנֵּה.

Someday maybe I'll record it :) Here is my recording.

No comments: