Wednesday 31 January 2018

Ezekiel 19

Verse 11, in the extended parable, the pronouns change here from feminine to masculine/neuter. I have altered the text to read clouds (עבים) rather than cords (עבתים).

This being a dirge (qinah), it should be in qinah meter. Like Lamentations 3. It could be formatted in shorter lines. (Some possible explanations here.)

See if the music suggests the 3+2 patterns. I don't think it does. I have never embraced the 19th century view of Hebrew poetry in any case. The music shows clear tonal movement and clear accents based on changes of pitch.

verse 2a bar structure implies a long upbeat (4 syllables with a mordent dit-dit-dit-dah), then 4 'bars' dit-dit-dah-dit-dit dah, dah-dit-dit, dah-dit, dah-dit. Take dah and dit as equal length but less equal stress.
verse 2b a short upbeat then rhythms by bar as dah-dit-dit, dah-dit, dah-dit, dah-dit,

I put the rest of this thoroughly boring analysis below. Just sing it. Eventually the music will speak its own language. It is a syllabic free pulse like plainsong. Flexible speech rhythm for prose. In poetry or prose, don't let a syllable disappear entirely.

[Here is an example of how this sort of music might be sung. This example is for 2 Samuel 1:19. I did a version here (pdf). Full chapter here. I don't have the singing resources to record Ezekiel 19 or the composition resources to develop an accompaniment.]


Ezekiel 19 Fn Min Max Syll
וְאַתָּה֙ שָׂ֣א קִינָ֔ה אֶל־נְשִׂיאֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל 1 And you lift up a dirge to the principals of Israel. 3e 4B 13
וְאָמַרְתָּ֗ מָ֤ה אִמְּךָ֙ לְבִיָּ֔א בֵּ֥ין אֲרָי֖וֹת רָבָ֑צָה
בְּת֥וֹךְ כְּפִרִ֖ים רִבְּתָ֥ה גוּרֶֽיהָ
2 And say, What is your mother? a great cat? between lions reclining,
in the midst of young lions, increasing her whelps?
3e 4C 17
10
וַתַּ֛עַל אֶחָ֥ד מִגֻּרֶ֖יהָ כְּפִ֣יר הָיָ֑ה
וַיִּלְמַ֥ד לִטְרָף־טֶ֖רֶף אָדָ֥ם אָכָֽל
3 And she brought up one from her whelps. A young lion it became,
and it learned to tear prey. Human, it eats.
3d 4B 13
11
וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּ אֵלָ֛יו גּוֹיִ֖ם בְּשַׁחְתָּ֣ם נִתְפָּ֑שׂ
וַיְבִאֻ֥הוּ בַֽחַחִ֖ים אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם
4 And nations heard about it. In their ditch it was arrested,
and they brought it in thorns to the land of Egypt.
3d 4B 13
13
וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י נֽוֹחֲלָ֔ה אָבְדָ֖ה תִּקְוָתָ֑הּ
וַתִּקַּ֛ח אֶחָ֥ד מִגֻּרֶ֖יהָ כְּפִ֥יר שָׂמָֽתְהוּ
5 And she saw that she had hoped. Perished was her expectation.
And she took one from her whelps, a young lion. She set it in place.
3d 4B 12
14
וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בְּתוֹךְ־אֲרָי֖וֹת כְּפִ֣יר הָיָ֑ה
וַיִּלְמַ֥ד לִטְרָף־טֶ֖רֶף אָדָ֥ם אָכָֽל
6 And it walked in the midst of lions. A young lion it became,
and it learned to tear prey. Human, it eats.
3e 4B 13
11
וַיֵּ֙דַע֙ אַלְמְנוֹתָ֔יו וְעָרֵיהֶ֖ם הֶחֱרִ֑יב
וַתֵּ֤שַׁם אֶ֙רֶץ֙ וּמְלֹאָ֔הּ מִקּ֖וֹל שַׁאֲגָתֽוֹ
7 And it knew its widowed places, and their cities it made desert,
and wasteland was earth and her fullness, from the voice of its roaring.
3e 4C 14
14
וַיִּתְּנ֨וּ עָלָ֥יו גּוֹיִ֛ם סָבִ֖יב מִמְּדִינ֑וֹת
וַֽיִּפְרְשׂ֥וּ עָלָ֛יו רִשְׁתָּ֖ם בְּשַׁחְתָּ֥ם נִתְפָּֽשׂ
8 And nations were positioned against it round about from the provinces,
and they spread over it their net. In their ditch it was arrested.
3d 4A 12
13
וַֽיִּתְּנֻ֤הוּ בַסּוּגַר֙ בַּֽחַחִ֔ים וַיְבִאֻ֖הוּ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֑ל
יְבִאֻ֙הוּ֙ בַּמְּצֹד֔וֹת לְמַ֗עַן לֹא־יִשָּׁמַ֥ע קוֹל֛וֹ ע֖וֹד אֶל־הָרֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל
9 And they consigned it in prison among thorns, and brought it to the king of Babel.
They conducted it into the fortresses, so that its voice was not heard any more on the mountains of Israel.
3d 4C 19
22
אִמְּךָ֥ כַגֶּ֛פֶן בְּדָמְךָ֖ עַל־מַ֣יִם שְׁתוּלָ֑ה
פֹּֽרִיָּה֙ וַֽעֲנֵפָ֔ה הָיְתָ֖ה מִמַּ֥יִם רַבִּֽים
10 Your mother is like a vine in your blood, over waters transplanted.
Fruitful and full of boughs she was, from many waters.
3d 4B 13
13
וַיִּֽהְיוּ־לָ֞הּ מַטּ֣וֹת עֹ֗ז אֶל־שִׁבְטֵי֙ מֹֽשְׁלִ֔ים וַתִּגְבַּ֥הּ קֽוֹמָת֖וֹ עַל־בֵּ֣ין עֲבֹתִ֑ים
וַיֵּרָ֣א בְגָבְה֔וֹ בְּרֹ֖ב דָּלִיֹּתָֽיו
11 And she had rods of strength for sceptres of governors, and she was lofty, its height between thick clouds.
And it appeared in its haughtiness in the abundance of its tresses.
3e 4B 23
12
וַתֻּתַּ֤שׁ בְּחֵמָה֙ לָאָ֣רֶץ הֻשְׁלָ֔כָה וְר֥וּחַ הַקָּדִ֖ים הוֹבִ֣ישׁ פִּרְיָ֑הּ
הִתְפָּרְק֧וּ וְיָבֵ֛שׁוּ מַטֵּ֥ה עֻזָּ֖הּ אֵ֥שׁ אֲכָלָֽתְהוּ
12 But she was deported in heat. To earth she was flung, and the wind from the east dried up her fruit.
Rent and dried up was the rod of her strength. Fire has devoured it.
3c 4C 22
16
וְעַתָּ֖ה שְׁתוּלָ֣ה בַמִּדְבָּ֑ר
בְּאֶ֖רֶץ צִיָּ֥ה וְצָמָֽא
13 And now she is transplanted in the wilderness,
in a land arid and thirsty.
3e 4B 9
8
וַתֵּצֵ֨א אֵ֜שׁ מִמַּטֵּ֤ה בַדֶּ֙יהָ֙ פִּרְיָ֣הּ אָכָ֔לָה וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה בָ֛הּ מַטֵּה־עֹ֖ז שֵׁ֣בֶט לִמְשׁ֑וֹל
קִ֥ינָה הִ֖יא וַתְּהִ֥י לְקִינָֽה
14 And fire has gone out from the rod of her shafts. Her fruit it devours that she has no rod of strength to be a sceptre of governance.
A dirge this is, and will be for a dirge.
3d 4C 26
8
Boring analysis continued.
verse 3 is 5 stresses in the first half and 4 in the second half. verse 4 is similar.
verse 5 has a long upbeat followed by a single beat bar sort of like this dah-dah-dah, dah, dah-dit-dah-dit. dah-dit-dit dah, then in the second half: an upbeat with 4 single pulsed bars following.
verse 6 is 4 stresses then 4 more
verse 7 has a long recitation followed by 2 short bars dit-dah-dah-dit-dit-dit-dah-dit-dit-dit, dah-dit-dit, dah - and a similarly paced second half.
verse 8 is reversed 4 then 5 stresses.
verse 9 is a long high recitative and three following pulse groups and its second half is a long recitative on the rest note. Very suitable for shutting up the voice. 5 stresses follow in the second half.
verse 10 is 5 then 4
verse 11 first half has as many as 8 stressed bars followed by 3.
verse 12 is 6 followed by 6.
verse 13 3 by 3 - very short.
verse 14 7 or 8 followed by 3.



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