Psaumes qui Chantent

Listen well to the poem (notice content, emotions and interesting use of language).

‘Get the poem inside yourself’ (feel the emotions and be able to recall the main ideas).

Listen to the poem again. Orally create stanza by stanza a first draft of the psalm in your own language, trying to capture the poetic elements and essential details of the meaning.

Check the exegesis of the oral translation. Consider whether the correct meaning has been translated and if the wording used can be improved.

Get everything ready for the final performances (audio, visual and written).

Appendix A has two translations in a Psalm Guide, these are in a language of wider communication such as English and are for the group to listen to and understand.

Appendix C is a chart that highlights relevant poetic features of the psalm using the Guide Translation in Appendix A.

Get an overview of the poem (the big picture) - what’s the main message? Who is involved? A poem must be understood as ‘a whole’ (unlike a story).

Note the poetic devices used in the Hebrew mirror or in the Flower Garden. What is the psalmist trying to achieve? Consider what poetic devices are used in the local language to achieve the same functions.

Record the oral translation, and then write it down.

Check if the Hebrew poetry is all accounted for in the translation. Consider if the poetry of the translation can be improved, e.g. lines shortened, better rhythm, or ideophones and other features.

Convert text into performance (dramatic reading/song/chant) to both perform and share this psalm, ensuring the main message comes through in content and style (the same emotional mood as the original poem in the Bible).

Appendix B has the Hebrew text plus a juxtapositional version of the text in English (or another language of wider communication) that reflects the Hebrew along with helpful footnotes.