The Strophe-System of the Psalms

This is a huge topic. I have spent the last 10 years working on the music of the accents. When I read Delitzsch, however much I admire his excellent scholarship, I do not expect to find myself in full agreement. Nor do I necessarily have full agreement with myself at this point. I wonder if Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura would have had access to his work. I doubt it, because she approached the accents as a musician, not as a Hebrew scholar. 

I have much greater confidence concerning what I read in Dr. D, in contrast to my reading in Dr. F. LLD, where I am thoroughly skeptical because of what I regard as a fundamental and fatal flaw in his approach to the text. We cannot approach a text to prove a point about what we think we have to believe. That is to approach the tree of the knowledge of good and evil while thinking we know what we are doing.

But my words may not stand as I approach a real reader of the text who has some knowledge of poetry and its reception in Rabbinic discourse. I hope I can help you hear the music, Dr D. And we can rejoice together.

Here is the opening sentence: "The early Hebrew poetry has neither rhyme nor metre."

Yes - in general I agree about rhyme. Rhyme arises incidentally from enclitic word-endings and is not a deliberated act of construction in Hebrew poetry. Metre in the sense of total regularity for a stanza as we find in forms of English poetry is also not characteristic of any Hebrew poem that I have noted, but metre in a particular verse or stich is both clear and deliberate. The opening of Psalms 150 was noted yesterday here. It seems to me that metre takes its shape from the music of the accents embedded in the text. This is the ancient poetry.

Dr. D. cites Ps. cvi. 4-7 cf. Jer. iii. 21-25

Here is 106:4-7. The repetition of pronoun endings in the second person singular and first person plural is clear. It is evident as a rhetorical technique - anaphoric assonance if you like such terms. It is an accidental rhyme.  It is immediately evident when singing the text.

Psalms 106:7-9 anaphoric repetition of pronouns
This technique extends across languages and is used repeatedly in the Psalms.
Look at the 67 repetitions of c in Psalms 145, 34 of them final c.
Or look at the striking change at the opening of Book 2 - 
How Psalms 44 uses the final nu 40 times.

Notice the subdued music of verse 6 - no internal cadence and no rising of the tone of voice beyond the second note of the scale.

זָכְרֵ֣נִי יְ֭הוָה בִּרְצ֣וֹן עַמֶּ֑ךָ פָּ֝קְדֵ֗נִי בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ		4 Remember me Yahweh in the acceptance of your people. Visit me in your salvation.
d zocrni ihvh brxon ymç poqdni biwuytç	10 8	zcr\ni ihvh b/rx\vn ym\c pqd\ni b/iwvy\tc
לִרְא֤וֹת ׀ בְּט֘וֹבַ֤ת בְּחִירֶ֗יךָ לִ֭שְׂמֹחַ בְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת גּוֹיֶ֑ךָ לְ֝הִתְהַלֵּ֗ל עִם־נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ		5 To see the good of your chosen, to be glad in the gladness of your nation, to praise with your inheritance.
h lraot b'tobt bkiriç lwmok bwmkt goiiç lhthll ym-nkltç	18 10	l/ra\vt b/'tvb\t bkr\ic l/wmk b/wmk\t gvi\c lht/hll ym nkl\tc
חָטָ֥אנוּ עִם־אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ הֶעֱוִ֥ינוּ הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ		6 We have sinned with our ancestors. We have been perverse. We are wicked.
v k'tanu ym-abotinu hyvvinu hrwynu	15	k'ta\nv ym ab\vtinv h/yv\inv h/rwy\nv
אֲב֘וֹתֵ֤ינוּ בְמִצְרַ֨יִם ׀ לֹא־הִשְׂכִּ֬ילוּ נִפְלְאוֹתֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א זָ֭כְרוּ אֶת־רֹ֣ב חֲסָדֶ֑יךָ וַיַּמְר֖וּ עַל־יָ֣ם בְּיַם־סֽוּף		7 Our ancestors in Egypt did not have insight into your wonders. They did not remember your many kindnesses, but they were provocative over the sea, at that sea of reeds.
z abotinu bmxriim la-hwcilu nplaotiç la zcru at-rob ksdiç vimru yl-im bim-suf	25 8	ab\vtinv bm/xr\im la h/wcl\v n/pla\vtic la zcr\v at rb ksd\ic vi/mr\v yl im b/im svp

Here is Jeremiah 3:21-25. Many of the same endings are clear, particularly the we/us/ours in verse 25. Can this be seen or heard in translation? What is the rhetoric of the prayer? Here is the music.

Jeremiah 3:21-25 - Notice the appeal from the opening high C in the first two verses.

ק֚וֹל עַל־שְׁפָיִ֣ים נִשְׁמָ֔ע בְּכִ֥י תַחֲנוּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּ֤י הֶעֱוּוּ֙ אֶת־דַּרְכָּ֔ם שָׁכְח֖וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם		21 ♪C A voice over protruding places was heard, the weeping supplications of the children of Israel, for they have perverted their way. They have forgotten Yahweh their God.
ca qol yl-wpiim nwmy bci tknuni bni iwral ci hyvu at-drcm wcku at-ihvh alohihm	18 17	qvl yl wp\iim n/wmy bc\i t/knvn\i bn\i iwral ci h/yv\v at drc\m wck\v at ihvh alh\ihm
שׁ֚וּבוּ בָּנִ֣ים שׁוֹבָבִ֔ים אֶרְפָּ֖ה מְשׁוּבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם הִנְנוּ֙ אָתָ֣נוּ לָ֔ךְ כִּ֥י אַתָּ֖ה יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ		22 ♪C Turn, turncoat children. I will heal your turning away, Behold us. We are yours, for you, Yahweh, are our God.
cb wubu bnim wobbim arpa mwuboticm hnnu atanu lç ci ath ihvh alohinu	14 16	wvb\v bn\im wvb\bim a/rp\h m/wvb\ticm h/n\nv at\nv l\c ci ath ihvh alh\inv
אָכֵ֥ן לַשֶּׁ֛קֶר מִגְּבָע֖וֹת הָמ֣וֹן הָרִ֑ים אָכֵן֙ בַּיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ תְּשׁוּעַ֖ת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל		23 Notwithstanding, falsely among the hillocks, the tumult of hills, notwithstanding, in Yahweh our God is the salvation of Israel.
cg acn lwqr mgbyot hmon hrim acn bihvh alohinu twuyt iwral	12 15	acn l/wqr m/gby\vt hmvn hr\im acn b/ihvh alh\inv t/w\vyt iwral
וְהַבֹּ֗שֶׁת אָֽכְלָ֛ה אֶת־יְגִ֥יעַ אֲבוֹתֵ֖ינוּ מִנְּעוּרֵ֑ינוּ אֶת־צֹאנָם֙ וְאֶת־בְּקָרָ֔ם אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֖ם וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶֽם		24 And shame has devoured the labour of our ancestors from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
cd vhbowt aclh at-igiy abotinu mnyurinu at-xanm vat-bqrm at-bnihm vat-bnotihm	18 18	vh/bw\t acl\h at igy ab\vtinv m/nyvr\inv at xan\m v/at bqr\m at bn\ihm v/at bn\vtihm
נִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ וּֽתְכַסֵּנוּ֮ כְּלִמָּתֵנוּ֒ כִּי֩ לַיהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ חָטָ֗אנוּ אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ וַאֲבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ מִנְּעוּרֵ֖ינוּ וְעַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֣א שָׁמַ֔עְנוּ בְּק֖וֹל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ ס		25 We lie down in our shame and our humiliation covers us, for to Yahweh our God we have sinned, we and our ancestors from our youth, and till this day, and we have not heard with the voice of Yahweh our God.
ch nwcbh bbowtnu utcsnu climtnu ci lihvh alohinu k'tanu anknu vabotinu mnyurinu vyd-hiom hzh vla wmynu bqol ihvh alohinu s	44 15	n/wcb\h b/bw\tnv vt/cs\nv clm\tnv ci l/ihvh alh\inv k'ta\nv anknv v/ab\vtinv m/nyvr\inv v/yd h/ivm h/zh v/la wmy\nv b/qvl ihvh alh\inv