Variations on Some Psalms
Copyright 2012 Kamala Moore
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This book is dedicated to Rev.Christine Dudley who started it all.
When I complained about the us and them attitude of some of the Psalms,
she said, "Well, you're a writer. Why don't you write some?"
Vespasian David
Invocation:
ngels in Christ
Draw near to me
Inspire me with a holy poetry
That from the heart of truth is wrest
With natural flow
From those above
To those below
May blessings pour
From out my pen
That blessing me
Will bless a friend
With truth
Which cannot be understood
But held within
The heart of good
So like a seed the truth will sit
Until a time of warmth and spring
When the soul remembering
Will leap to know
The holiness it is
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Introduction to the Glosa Poetry Form:
The Glosa was used by poets of the Spanish court and dates back to the late 14th and early 15th century. From the limited information available it is learned that the traditional structure has two parts. The first part consists of the first few lines or the first stanza from a well-known poem or poet. It has become permissible to use lines from a less well-known poet, or even from one's own verse.
The second part is an expansion on, interpretation or explanation of the text. The formal rule describes the Glosa as consisting of four ten-line stanzas, with the consecutive lines of the text being used as the tenth line Furthermore, lines six and nine must rhyme with the borrowed tenth. Internal features such as length of lines, meter and rhyme are at the discretion of the poet.
As with most poetic forms, poets have taken the liberty to vary the format. In addition to the Glosa’s traditional ten-line stanzas, one will find 4-, 5- and 8-liners. They will be found written in free verse, with meter, and with rhyme. You will find variations in which the first line of each stanza (taken from the original text) repeated again as the last line – added as a refrain.
For my purposes I have adapted the form to my variations on the Psalms by taking each of two or three verses of a Biblical Psalm in turn and elaborating on the meaning each has for me and then ending with the biblical verse. The only rhyme comes in toward the end where the last word in my Psalm rhymes with the last word in the Biblical Psalm.
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salm 1
2. Their delight is in the law of the Lord
and on his law they meditate day and night
3.They are like the trees planted by streams of water
which yield their fruit in its season
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do they prosper.
As the sun and the rain allow the trees
to blossom and fruit;
the truth allows the followers of God
to grow into their true inheritance
of peace, joy and abundance.
Because they love God’s law,
they are giving and loving;
thereby attracting like actions to themselves.
The word is implanted in their hearts,
as a compass to guide them.
they have been given an inner light.
Their delight is in the law of the Lord
and on his law they meditate day and night.
Having plumbed depths of their hearts;
your followers know the truth which cannot be said;
for it was placed in the very cells of their bodies.
They understand that they are not separate
from this inner knowing.
It gives them peace and nourishes their spirits.
Their roots grow deep to tap the eternal spring;
the common ground of being.
With their individual expression they praise the skies.
They are a channel joining heaven and earth.
And inside their hearts they carry a sacred alter.
They are like the trees planted by streams of water
which yield their fruit in season
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do they prosper.
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salm 6
2.Many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.”
3.But you Lord, are a shield around me, my glory and the one who lifts up my head.
4.I cry aloud to the Lord and he answers me from his holy hill.
Many are lost in the valley of commerce.
They are slaves to the masters of production.
They say we will be happy
when we have everything the world has to offer.
They are tied to the wheel of perpetual doing
which appears to move but really goes nowhere.
They have no time for the sacred
and do not hear the cries of those are hungry;
the ones who are deprived of a livelihood.
Many are saying to me, "There is no help for you in God.”
But you, the Divine One within, have guided me this far.
Shall I not trust you to bring me home?
You are the inner compass which directs my journey.
You lead me as down a garden path.
You speak wisdom through my mouth
and open my ears to hear the wisdom of others.
Though I see the terrors of the world,
you help me to focus on the beauty.
I depend on your grace.
Some say you are dead.
But You, O Lord are a shield around me
My glory and the one who lifts up my head.
My heart calls to you every day.
You answer me in the silence within,
in the words of another, in a glance, a touch.
You have opened a door within me
that will never close.
My will is your will.
I cry aloud to the Lord
And he answers me from his holy hill.
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salm 8
4. What are human beings that you are mindful of them
mortals that you care for them.
5. Yet you have made them a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honour.
6. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands…..
Lord, the universe is your body.
And all things manifest contain your spirit.
It is right that human beings should be humbled
by the immensity of your universe.
We should be grateful that they are a part
of your loving creation.
What are human beings that you are mindful of them
mortals that you care for them.
We wonder at the numberless stars in your firmament.
And at the beauty of the earth which sustains them.
We marvel at the mysterious oceans
which reflect to us the depths of their unknowing.
We sometimes feel small and inconsequential.
Where is our place in your grand design, we wonder.
Yet you have made them a littl
e lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honour.
You have given us earth’s creatures to care for;
and the earth as a home which provides sustenance for the body.
You have given us beauty to feed our souls.
May we care for our mother earth and know ourselves
to be one of her children.
May we recognize you have also given us the responsibility
to be good stewards of the land
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands.
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salm 10
16.The lord is king forever and ever;
the nations shall perish from this land.
17.O Lord you hear the desire of the meek.
You will strengthen their heart.
You will incline your ear,
18.to do justice for the orphan
and the oppressed,
so that those from earth
may strike terror no more.
Nations are manmade and thus short lived; but Divinity's law is everlasting.
The rulers of nations have cut themselves off from you,
They cannot hear you and choose to remain ignorant of your laws.
They have given dominion to their egos.
Their desire is for power and wealth.
They despise the weak and the works of your hand.
The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations shall perish form this land.
Those who have humbled their egos hear your word and obey your laws.
They trust in your strength and are open to receive it.
They maintain their connection to you, their source;
the fountain of life within them.
They are constantly refreshed in spirit through communion with you.
They know how to quiet their minds so they can hear.
O lord you hear the desire of the meek.
You will strengthen their heart.
You will incline your ear.
Let the enlightened ones, who hear your word
and do your works, reach out to the poor and the oppressed.
Let those who follow the light be a light to those in darkness.
Let them be channels uniting heaven and earth.
Let them outnumber the oppressors and bring glory to the One they adore.
to do justice to the orphan and the oppressed
so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
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salm 15
1.O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
2.Those who walk blamelessly, and so what is right,
and speak truth from their heart.
3.Who do not slander with their tongue
and do no evil to their friends,
nor take up reproach against their neighbours.
Divine one, how can we keep company with you?
What are the qualities of those who are your closest companions?
How can we uncover your dwelling place within
and establish its reflection without?
Instruct us in your ways.
Our will is your will.
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Those whose eye is single and beyond duality
and act out of their wholeness know
they are not separate from your creation.
They are harmonious in themselves and their inner
congruence is reflected in their experience.
Whoever they meet they see as themselves.
They do not set themselves apart.
Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
and speak truth from their heart.
Because they see themselves in everyone
they have no desire to hurt.
They understand that humanity has a shadow side.
and they have confronted their own.
They have swallowed the lion
and tamed it within them.
They have become harmless
and their harmlessness is their protection.
They are familiar with the darkness
and they choose the light.
Awareness of the Divine one within
is reward for their labours.
Who do not slander with their tongue
and do no evil to their friends
nor take up a reproach against their neighbours.
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salm16
7. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel
in the night also my heart instruction.
8. I keep the Lord always before me
because he is at my right hand
I shall not be moved.
9. Therefore my heart is glad,
and my soul rejoices;
You are always speaking to me in my heart.
When I sleep you bless me with dreams
that show me my direction.
They are like a light upon my path sent to guide me.
You show me through the symbols of my dreams
the purpose of my life; where I have been,
where I am and where I’m going.
You speak to me in dreams
when in the day I am too preoccupied to hear.
You communicate through the depths
of my unconscious mind.
Your guidance leads me around obstructions.
I bless the lord who gives me counsel.
In the night also my heart instructions.
I will not act without your counsel.
Walk before me and tell me where to go,
what to do and whom to see.
Speak your words with my voice;
for only you know what is truly needed.
It is my whole desire to serve you,
to surrender to your will.
The voice of your guidance within me
Tells me I am loved.
I keep the Lord always before me,
because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be moved.
I trust your will for me;
for following it has always brought me
greater happiness.
where you were leading;
your way has always brought me peace.
I know that you are the best judge
of what is good for me
because it is your will that no one loose
and everyone gain.
My will is your will
I give to you the power of choice.
Therefore my heart is glad
and my soul rejoices.
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salm 17
8. Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings;
9. From the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
10. They close their hearts to pity,
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
Creator I know your creations are precious to you.
I know I cannot be separated from you.
Your love is my protection.
There is no condition or circumstance
from which you are absent.
When I am grounded in you I feel safe,
because forms are unstable.
To your divine presence in my heart I cling.
Guard me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Quiet my fearful thoughts,
which are the enemy within.
And forgive me my attack thoughts
which arise out of fear.
Lead me through the valley of the shadow of death
which is my greatest terror.
Help me let go of my dark imaginings,
For I know when I imagine enemies
they become my reality.
From the wicked who despise me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
When people around me seem to have closed their hearts,
I look to my own heart.
When people around me speak unkindly of me,
I look to my own speech.
As co-creator with you,
I know they are my reflections.
I accept responsibility for my reality.
They close their hearts to pity,
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
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salm 19
1. The heavens are telling me the glory of God
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2. Day to day pours forth speech
and night to night declares knowledge.
3. There is no speech nor are there words
their voice is not heard.
Your eternal presence is revealed to us
in the blue of the sky,
by the numberless stars
and galaxies beyond comprehension.
Like the Cosmos
you are without beginning and end;
for like a circle, you are the beginning and the end.
You are Creator God
and all creation is your artwork.
The heavens are telling the glory of god
And the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
During the day you speak to us through
all things manifest.
You reveal your beauty in the rose
and your constancy in the mountains.
The rivers and streams speak of your flowing nature.
Your life giving depths are reflected
in the depths of the oceans.
You never cease speaking;
for at night you speak in dreams
to those who can understand your symbols.
All manifestations are your camouflage,
but to those who want to hear and see
Day to day pours forth speech
And night to night declares knowledge.