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Psalm 1 from The Sidney Psalter

Psalm one is the first Psalm in the Sidney Psalter, written by brother and sister, Phillip and Mary Sideny in the 16th. Psalm One, as discussed here, was written by Phillip Sidney in the late 1500s. It is a poetic adaption of psalm one from the biblical book of psalms. Although there were many translations of the psalms during the renaissance period the Sidney psalms are different due to their concentration on aesthetics. Though some claim this takes away from true translations (which will be returned to in this article) they are still praised today for their creative poetic forms; John Donne a contemporary praised them as “The highest matter in the noblest form”.

Themes
Psalm 1 is, as the tittle suggests, the first psalm in the biblical book of Pslams and so the first in the Sidney Psalter. As the first psalm it can be seen as setting up several themes which recur through the psalter:

The Separation of the sinful and the righteous
The book of Psalms and so the Sidney Psalter is very concerned with being righteous, there is pious apologies (i.e. psalm 31, 51), blaming God (i.e. Psalm 22) and lots and lots of blaming others (i.e. Psalm 109) when people aren’t completely sinless. But this may be due to the recurring theme of judgment, separating out the sinners from the righteous. This begins straight of in Psalm 1 where quite literally the wheat are sorted from the “chaff” (“the wicked, but like chaff”). “Not with the just, be their meetings placed” This may be one of the most recurring themes in the psalter so here are just a few examples: Psalm 11: “on them: storms, brimstone, coals he rains: that is their share assigned. But so of happy other side.” Psalm 145: “He will his lovers all preserve; He will the wicked all destroy:” One way in which the righteous and the sinful are often separated is by the path they choose. Psalm 1 see’s two paths laid out for man “ruin’s way” where “wicked counsel leads” or the way of God. Paths or “the way”, especially choosing the right path, is a common theme throughout the whole bible, but also within the psalms. Phillip Sidney sets up this theme firmly in Psalm 1 with the opening line referring to “tread[ing]” the right path. This path can be seen as the beginning of a journey the psalms and through this lyrical psalter. Other refernces to paths in the Psalter include: Psalm 16: “Thou life’s path wilt make me know” Psalm 119: “and to thy paths will have a good eye”

Anthropomorphic Nature
One problem the psalm struggle with is describing the nature of God, how does a finite mind describe the infinite being? One way this problem is addressed in the psalms is by describing God as a man, but in doing so actual man must become less to preserve the distinction of our inferiority to God. When God is made man, man becomes a worm (psalm 22), a sheep (psalm 23) or, as in this psalm, he becomes a tree. Verse 2 describes the righteous as “a freshly planted tree” and continues this metaphor throughout the stanza referring to the “braunches”, “fruite” and “leafe” of the tree as ways of describing a prosperous follower of God. This sets up imagery for the rest of the psalter where followers of God are often referred to as trees. Trees are used throughout the psalms for several reasons: they are strongly routed and this is used are a metaphor for roots in God; they bear fruit, which is used as a metaphor for the gifts of God; they grow slowly but strongly, which is used as a metaphor for spiritual growth; and finally for their symbolic references, such as fig leaves for shame or sin. Below are some examples of this recurring theme: Psalm 72: “I as an Olive tree, Still green shall flourish: God’s house the soil shall be My roots to nourish.” Psalm 92: “like cedar high and like date-bearing tree, For green and growth, the just shall be”

Differences in Translation
(Remember in this section the word “translation” refers to translation of meaning!)

In the 16th century biblical translations were rife, with the growth of The Church of England promoting personal relationships with God and understanding of Holy texts. These different translations highlighted some of the problems with interpreting “The Word of God”: how is meaning truly translated? This is particularly true with literary versions such as The Sidney Psalter, which as aesthetic interpretations arguably let the focus on form and courtly style obscure the true message – or so thought – the revisers of The Whole Booke of Psalmes. The examples below highlight some of the differences in meaning implied by different translations. Sidney’s Psalm one is here being compared to the anti-aesthetic King James Bible equivalent.

“He shall be like a freshly planted tree/ To which sweet springs of waters neighbours be” (The Sidney Psalter)

“and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water” (King James Bible)

The main difference between these verse translations is the addition of adjectives. For example, the adjective “freshly” arguably changes the whole imagery of this section, from that of a firmly rooted, strong being of nature, to a weak and flexible sapling. Another interpretation of this, is that Sidney’s tree represents a new “fresh” faith that still has room to grow with the aid of god’s “sweet springs”. Equally the inclusion of the noun “neighbours” in the following line gives new action to the “water”. Making the “waters neighbours” to the tree changes the relationship between the two from one of simple useful proximity to and active relationship of caring attention.

“wicked"             “ungodly” (The Sidney Psalter)  (King James Bible)

In both line 2, verse one and line 1, verse 3 Sidney substitutes the word “ungodly” as used in the King James Bible for the word “wicked”. In the 16th Century the difference between these two adjectives was not as great as it appears to a modern audience however the different level of negative connotations is still there. Often in biblical literature the “ungodly” simply need educating and saving, making them appear more as “the lost sheep”; whereas, “the wicked” suggests much more intention in the person towards evil doing. Part of the definition of “wicked in the Oxford English Dictionary is “inclined or addicted to wilful wrong-doing”. Therefore this change in adjective actually changes the level of sinners intent.

“but are like the chaf which the wind driveth away”   “but like chaf with wind/ Scattered.” (The Sidney Psalter)                                   (The King James Bible)

In this line the main difference is obviously the use of the term “scattered” as opposed to “driveth away”. It is important to remember here that the King James Bible was not completed until 1611, long after the circulation of the psalms, so it cannot be said that Sidney softened or harshened any terms as he had not the comparative reference we do here. What can be said is different imagery is created: Sidney’s psalm portrays the wicked being separated from one another, carelessly “scattered” away. Whereas the King James Bible gives the impression of force driving away the wicked to a separate and faraway place. “Scattered” also has some positive connotations however, especially when thinking of farming. A farmer would “scatter” feeds to grow, of “scatter” feed for animals. Although this is not the implied meaning here these connotations are significant when it is considered how often animal husbandry and agricultural language is used throughout the book of psalms. “but on God’s law his heart’s delight doth binde.”   “but his delight is in the law of the Lord.” (The Sidney Psalter)                                  (The Kiing James Bible)

There are interesting differences between these lines. Firstly, let’s examine the placement of God in the sentence construction. In both sentences “God” or “the Lord” is the object however where the King James Bible uses the now standard sentence construction SVO (subject, verb, object) placing “the Lord” at the end of the sentence; the Sidney psalm has an archaic OSV (object, subject, verb) form. One reason for this could simply be to make the line fit the rhyming pattern (“binde” rhyming with “minde” at the end of the following line). But it does change the importance placed on “God”/”the Lord” by placing him in the middle of the line his presence does not have as much impact as it does as the closing words in the verse in the King James Bible version.

Another difference between these lines is the inclusion of the possessive noun “heart’s”. As with the first example inclusion of extra words like these have often been put down to poetic flourishes, however, they do create different interpretations of the text. By making the “delight” from the “heart” Sidney makes the “delight” a purely emotional reaction, whereas, without this addition in The King James Bible translation, the delight can equally be from the mind – happy to choose the righteous option – or soul – naturally reacting to God – or any other part of man.

Criticism
In his journal “Sir Philip Sidney's Psalms, the Sixteenth-Century Psalter, and the Nature of Lyric” Roland Green praises Phillip Sidney as “the premier English poetical theorist of the time” (p.20, 1990). Hoever, most criticism and reviews of the Sidney Psalter focus on the later psalms written by Mary Sidney; with Moffet terming Mary Sidney’s Psalmes “sweet and heavenly tuned,”. This sadly leaves a gap in critical response to first 43 Psalms that were written by Phillip Sidney before his death; though there is much on his other works. However there is some criticism of the Psalter as a whole. David Noroton explains how Bray, a Sidney contemporary and “great spreader of Christian culture”, hopped that “literary appreciation (of a sort) would make people more religious.”. Bray praised the psalter as a work of art that would make people more interested in the bible and therefore religion.