We begin after the Sinfonia – (Instrumental) with an Accompagnato (a recitative with orchestral accompaniment) for Tenor.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. These are the opening words of Messiah. The verb is imperative, second person plural. The archaic comfort ye fits well for rhythm and sense. Perhaps we should bring thou and ye back into regular usage. This is not under my control -- but it would clarify singular and plural throughout my translation -- and guarantee that I look at the whole thing again.
Isaiah 40:1-2 |
All my automated transcriptions of the music for the cantillation are based on Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura's inferred deciphering key of the te'amim, those little jots and tittles that aren't vowels above and below the Hebrew consonantal text of manuscripts since the Aleppo Codex.
In each of these posts, I will examine what happens to the snippets / sound bites chosen for Handel's libretto when I compare them to my rigidly concordant translation? It's not, by the way, that translation needs precise accuracy. That's not the way that God or language works! I am convinced that the Most High can speak even through the distorted lens of the King James rendering, and even through my own errors and distortions. Convincing myself (or others) through accuracy or logic is not possible. The affective impact of language is an internal mysterious human and presumably divine process the effect of which is not at all subject to my or the king's control.
נַחֲמ֥וּ נַחֲמ֖וּ עַמִּ֑י יֹאמַ֖ר אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם |
1 Comfort [ye], comfort [ye], my people, says your [plural] God. |
|
a nkmu nkmu ymi iamr alohicm |
8 6 |
nkm\v
nkm\v
ym\i i/amr alh\icm |
דַּבְּר֞וּ עַל־לֵ֤ב יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ וְקִרְא֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ כִּ֤י
מָֽלְאָה֙ צְבָאָ֔הּ כִּ֥י נִרְצָ֖ה עֲוֺנָ֑הּ כִּ֤י לָקְחָה֙ מִיַּ֣ד יְהוָ֔ה כִּפְלַ֖יִם בְּכָל־חַטֹּאתֶֽיהָ ס |
2 Speak [ye] to the heart of Jerusalem and
call [ye] to her, for fulfilled is her pressed service, for accepted is her
iniquity, for she has received from the hand of Yahweh double in all her sins. |
|
b dbru yl-lb iruwlim vqrau alih ci mlah
xbah ci nrxh yvonh ci lqkh mid ihvh cpliim bcl-k'taotih s |
26 16 |
dbr\v
yl
lb
irvwlm
v/qra\v
al\ih
ci
mla\h
xba\h
ci
n/rxh
yvn\h ci lqk\h m/id ihvh cpl\im b/cl k'ta\tih |
ק֣וֹל קוֹרֵ֔א בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר פַּנּ֖וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֑ה יַשְּׁרוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה מְסִלָּ֖ה לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ |
3 ♪B The voice of one calling in
the wilderness, Face the way of Yahweh. Make a level place in the steppe, a highway for our God. |
|
g qol qora bmdbr pnu drç ihvh iwru byrbh msilh lalohinu |
12 13 |
qvl qvra b/mdbr pn\v drc ihvh iwr\v b/yrb\h m/sl\h l/alh\inv |
יְהוָ֤ה ׀
נְחֵ֬נִי
בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ
לְמַ֥עַן
שׁוֹרְרָ֑י הַיְשַׁ֖ר לְפָנַ֣י דַּרְכֶּֽךָ |
9 Yahweh, guide me in your
righteousness on account of my watchers. Upright to my face be your way. |
|
't ihvh nkni bxdqtç lmyn worrii
hiwr lpnii drcç |
15 8 |
ihvh
nk\ni
b/xdq\tc
lmyn
wvrr\i h/iwr l/pn\i drc\c |
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