Now here's some fun for Christmas

I have in all humility (!) been reviewing my all-time favorite posts in the blog world. Quite unexpectedly, the all-time favorites on my blog are some of the posts containing my 2010 translation of Ecclesiastes (Qohelet), which I made up in the style of Dr. Seuss. (You know, I think their popularity may be accidental. The automated transcription of the Hebrew may catch the search engines by surprise.)

I am not sure I can still do doggerel, but I remember laughing then and I still do now. Yet do not laugh too much (see verse 6 below).

The thought of Christmas comes from chapter 7 and the Grinch in the text. So as an exercise, I reread my work, the play of my learning, to see if it would get through my translation net today. It didn't. I am sure much more discussion could arise on my choices. Equally, my net may stretch or even tear and require repairing.

Ecclesiastes chapter 7 says that there is a Grinch in heaven?
Heavens! A Grinch - really? In the Bible - O no, not so.
Who says "good is vexation over laughter 
for in a facial grimace the heart is made good" 
and is not laughing himself in the heaven of heavens?

You can't read chapter 7 without the last verse of chapter 6 - so you know the antecedent of the pronoun that some translations omit. The earthling of the prior chapter is the antecedent of its. And the end is a curious revelation and a curious twist. I have not fathomed it.

(I have just joined the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid #bgbg2 - and there is my first pointer to one of their features - a way of comparing up to 5 translations at a glance.)

Here's my translation, one I struggle with at each twist and turn as I read in the intriguing foreignness of the ancient world. Warning - there is next to no punctuation. I use deliberate repetition where the Hebrew has repetition, and I avoid some words - like better.

The sign ^ shows the rest point in the verse if there is one. (Only verse 4 lacks such a sign.) The rest point is a guard against violating the primary disjunction in the text. This is the subdominant in the music implied in the te'amim. Pause in your reading to slow your spirit.

For who knows what is good for the earthling in these lives, in the tale of the days of the lives of its futility? And as a shadow it makes them, but who will make clear to the earthing what has become after it   --- under the sun?

טוֹב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב וְיוֹם הַמָּוֶת מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדוֹ	1	a good name may be compared with good oil^ and the day of death with the day of its birth
טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל בֵּית אֵבֶל מִלֶּכֶת אֶל בֵּית מִשְׁתֶּה בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא סוֹף כָּל הָאָדָם וְהַחַי יִתֵּן אֶל לִבּוֹ	2	good it is to walk to a house of lament compared to walking to a house of feasting in that itself is the conclusion of every earthling^ and one who lives will take it to heart
טוֹב כַּעַס מִשְּׂחוֹק כִּי בְרֹעַ פָּנִים יִיטַב לֵב	3	good is grief compared to laughter^ for in a facial grimace a heart is made good
לֵב חֲכָמִים בְּבֵית אֵבֶל וְלֵב כְּסִילִים בְּבֵית שִׂמְחָה	4	the heart of the shrewd is in the house of lament but the heart of the foolish is in the house of gladness
טוֹב לִשְׁמֹעַ גַּעֲרַת חָכָם  מֵאִישׁ שֹׁמֵעַ שִׁיר כְּסִילִים	5	good it is to hear the rebuke of the shrewd^ compared to one's hearing of the song of fools
כִּי כְקוֹל הַסִּירִים תַּחַת הַסִּיר כֵּן שְׂחֹק הַכְּסִיל וְגַם זֶה הָבֶל	6	for as the voice of the thorns under the pot so is the laughter of the fool^ and even this is futility
כִּי הָעֹשֶׁק יְהוֹלֵל חָכָם וִיאַבֵּד אֶת לֵב מַתָּנָה	7	for the oppression maddens the shrewd^ and a gift makes a heart perish
טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁיתוֹ טוֹב אֶרֶךְ רוּחַ מִגְּבַהּ רוּחַ	8	good is a thing's end compared to its beginning^ good is a slow spirit compared to a proud spirit
אַל תְּבַהֵל בְּרוּחֲךָ לִכְעוֹס כִּי כַעַס בְּחֵיק כְּסִילִים יָנוּחַ	9	let not grief vex your spirit^ for grief reposes in the embrace of fools
אַל תֹּאמַר מֶה הָיָה שֶׁהַיָּמִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים הָיוּ טוֹבִים מֵאֵלֶּה כִּי לֹא מֵחָכְמָה שָׁאַלְתָּ עַל זֶה	10	say not - 'how is it that the days of the beginning  were good compared to these?'^ for it is not from shrewdness that you beg for them
טוֹבָה חָכְמָה עִם נַחֲלָה וְיֹתֵר לְרֹאֵי הַשָּׁמֶשׁ	11	good is shrewdness with an inheritance^ when it is left to those that see the sun
כִּי בְּצֵל הַחָכְמָה בְּצֵל הַכָּסֶף וְיִתְרוֹן דַּעַת הַחָכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה בְעָלֶיהָ	12	for in the shadow of shrewdness, is in the shadow of silver^ and what is left of knowledge is shrewdness she keeps her husband alive
רְאֵה אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים  כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתוֹ	13	See what this God does^ for who can straighten what he subverts?
בְּיוֹם טוֹבָה הֱיֵה בְטוֹב וּבְיוֹם רָעָה רְאֵה גַּם אֶת זֶה לְעֻמַּת זֶה עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים עַל דִּבְרַת שֶׁלֹּא יִמְצָא הָאָדָם אַחֲרָיו מְאוּמָה	14	in a good day, be in the good and in an evil day, see^ even this set against that this God has made up things that the earthling will not find --- after him nothing!
אֶת הַכֹּל רָאִיתִי בִּימֵי הֶבְלִי יֵשׁ צַדִּיק אֹבֵד בְּצִדְקוֹ וְיֵשׁ רָשָׁע מַאֲרִיךְ בְּרָעָתוֹ	15	I have seen everything in the days of my futility^ here is a righteous one that perished in his righteousness and here is a wicked one prolonged in his evil
אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה וְאַל תִּתְחַכַּם יוֹתֵר  לָמָּה תִּשּׁוֹמֵם	16	do not be too much righteous and do not leave yourself with excess shrewdness^ why make yourself desolate?
אַל תִּרְשַׁע הַרְבֵּה  וְאַל תְּהִי סָכָל  לָמָּה תָמוּת בְּלֹא עִתֶּךָ	17	do not be too wicked and don't be foolish^ why die when it's not your time?
טוֹב אֲשֶׁר תֶּאֱחֹז בָּזֶה וְגַם מִזֶּה אַל תַּנַּח אֶת יָדֶךָ  כִּי יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים יֵצֵא אֶת כֻּלָּם	18	good it is that you should grasp this and even from that not rest your hand^ for the one who fears God emerges from them all
הַחָכְמָה תָּעֹז לֶחָכָם  מֵעֲשָׂרָה שַׁלִּיטִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בָּעִיר	19	shrewdness strengthens the shrewd^ over ten bullies that are in the city
כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ  אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָא	20	for there is no righteous earthling in the earth^ that does good and does not sin
גַּם לְכָל הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּרוּ אַל תִּתֵּן לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר לֹא תִשְׁמַע אֶת עַבְדְּךָ מְקַלְלֶךָ	21	even of all the things that are spoken don't take them to your heart^ lest you hear your servant slight you
כִּי גַּם פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת יָדַע לִבֶּךָ  אֲשֶׁר גַּם אַתָּה קִלַּלְתָּ אֲחֵרִים	22	for even your rapidly beating heart knows^ that even you have slighted others
כָּל זֹה נִסִּיתִי בַחָכְמָה אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּנִּי	23	All this I have proved with shrewdness^ I said 'I will be shrewd' but she was distant from me
רָחוֹק מַה שֶּׁהָיָה וְעָמֹק עָמֹק מִי יִמְצָאֶנּוּ	24	What is it that is so distant^ and deeply deep? who will find it?
סַבּוֹתִי אֲנִי וְלִבִּי לָדַעַת וְלָתוּר וּבַקֵּשׁ חָכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְלָדַעַת רֶשַׁע כֶּסֶל וְהַסִּכְלוּת הוֹלֵלוֹת	25	I circled, I and my heart, to know and to explore and seek shrewdness and rationality^ and to know wickedness, folly, and foolhardy madness
וּמוֹצֶא אֲנִי מַר מִמָּוֶת אֶת הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר הִיא מְצוֹדִים וַחֲרָמִים לִבָּהּ אֲסוּרִים יָדֶיהָ טוֹב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים יִמָּלֵט מִמֶּנָּה וְחוֹטֵא יִלָּכֶד בָּהּ	26	and I, I found the woman more bitter than death that she is entrapment and devotions^ her heart is the bondage of her hands one who is good in the presence of this God will escape from her but the sinner is caught in her
רְאֵה זֶה מָצָאתִי אָמְרָה קֹהֶלֶת אַחַת לְאַחַת לִמְצֹא חֶשְׁבּוֹן	27	'See, this I have found', Qohelet, (preacher), herself said^ one by one to find out rationality
אֲשֶׁר עוֹד בִּקְשָׁה נַפְשִׁי וְלֹא מָצָאתִי  אָדָם אֶחָד מֵאֶלֶף מָצָאתִי  וְאִשָּׁה בְכָל אֵלֶּה לֹא מָצָאתִי	28	that yet I seek and I have not found^ An earthling, one in a thousand, I have found and a woman among all these, I have not found
לְבַד רְאֵה זֶה מָצָאתִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם יָשָׁר וְהֵמָּה בִקְשׁוּ חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת רַבִּים	29	see, this alone I have found that this God has made the earthling upright^ but they have sought many rationalizations

1	Compare Song 1:3 Note what is almost a palindrome in the Hebrew.
3	Qohelet is the grinch.
8	'thing' or word, but word is a round vowel and thing a narrow one, a heavy sound compare to a light one.
13	cf Eccl 1:15, this God. The noun has an unnecessary definite article attached.
14	cf Eccl 7:18 bazeh ... mizeh.
25	cf Eccl 1:17
28	Seow considers the last line a scribal 'enhancement'. Pity. If this be projection, it is not missing today either. It is not above a man to blame woman for his own weakness. But shrewdness should let each discover its own heart and not impute the cause of trouble to another. Compare Job 31:9-10 for a cultural view from a righteous man in his last defense.