Sir Philip Sydney and Mary Herbert

The act of writing poetry with a constraint goes well beyond 'meaning', and rhyme or pulse.

Here's a comparison of the Hebrew of Psalm 1 with the first poem in that stunning and wonderfully varied collection begun by Sir Philip Sydney and completed by his sister, Mary Herbert, and praised by John Donne.

Can you match the English to the Hebrew? Really quite an insight into the mind of the 16th century poet.

Psalm 1

BeatusVir

אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב	1	He blessed is who neither loosely treads the straying steps as wicked councel leads Nor for bad mates in way of sinners waiteth nor yet himself with idle scorners seateth
כִּי אִם בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה חֶפְצוֹ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה	2	But on Gods law his whole delight doth bind Which night and day he calls to marking mind
וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל פַּלְגֵי-מָיִם אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא יִבּוֹל וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר-יַעֲשֶׂה  יַצְלִיחַ	3	He shall be like a freshly planted tree To which sweet springs of waters neighbours be Whose branches fail not timely fruit to nourish Nor withered leaf shall make it fail to flourish So all the things whereto that man doth bend Shall prosper still with well succeeding end
לֹא-כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים כִּי אִם כַּמֹּץ אֲשֶׁר-תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ	4	Such blessing shall not wicked wretches see But like wild chaff with wind shall scattered be
עַל-כֵּן לֹא-יָקֻמוּ רְשָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְחַטָּאִים  בַּעֲדַת צַדִּיקִים	5	For neither shall the men in sin delighted Consist when they to highest doom are cited Ne yet shall suffered be their place to take Where goodly men do their assembly make
כִּי-יוֹדֵעַ יְהוָה דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים  תֹּאבֵד	6	For God doth know and knowing doth approve the trade of them that just proceedings love but they that in sinfull breast do cherish The way they go shall be their way to perish