Upon the Translation of the Psalms by Sir Philip
John Donne's poem addresses God directly as a being beyond human expression, whom no one should dare to name fully since He is "cornerless and infinite," and so Donne states he will bless God's name rather than attempt to define it, focusing his praise instead on God's gifts. He recalls that God's blessed Spirit descended upon the Psalms' first author, David, "in a cloven tongue," granting him a double power to sing the highest matter in the noblest form. Donne asserts that God has now cleft that same Spirit again and shed it upon two people, a brother and sister united by blood and by God's Spirit: Sir Philip Sidney and the Countess of Pembroke, his sister. Donne calls them the "organ" through which God is the harmony, and says together they make one voice like John the Baptist's, having both translated the Psalm "Now let the Isles rejoice" and applied it, showing "us islanders" their joy and King, teaching how to sing. Donne then envisions three choirs praising God: Heaven, whose song no man hears; the spheres, whose harmony is danced rather than sung; and the Church on earth, which he calls the third choir that has "all," since angels themselves learn from what the Church does. He describes the songs of this earthly choir as those which heaven's Muse whispered to David, David gave to the Jews, and David's successors have re-revealed to later generations with sweetness and sincerity. Donne then expresses that he cannot rejoice fully as he would wish, because these Psalms are "so well attired abroad, so ill at home"—well received in private chambers but poorly served within the Church itself—so that he can scarcely consider the English Church "reform'd" until this deficiency is addressed. He asks rhetorically whether a whole state should offer a lesser gift than what "some one man hath sent," and whether the Church, in singing to its Spouse and King, should sound "more hoarse, more harsh" than any other. He states that this present translation, provided by "this Moses and this Miriam" (Sidney and his sister), already answers that need. Just as the Psalms are called "David's all" though some had other authors, Donne says that though others may translate some Psalms, "we Thy Sidneian psalms shall celebrate." He closes by looking toward the time when believers will sing "th' extemporal song," learned in the first hour of seeing the King who translated the translators themselves, and prays that until then, the sweet, learned labours of Sidney and his sister may serve as tuning, so that when we depart this life we may join with them and sing our part.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Dedicatory Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Religious Poetry · 708 words
First lines
Eternal God-for whom who ever dare / Seek new expressions, do the circle square, / And thrust into straight corners of poor wit / Thee, who art cornerless and infinite- / I would but bless Thy name, not name Thee now / -And Thy gifts are as infinite as Thou- / Fix we our praises therefore on this one, / That, as thy blessed Spirit fell upon / These Psalms' first author in a cloven tongue / -For 'twas a double power by which he sung / The highest matter in the noblest form- / So Thou hast cleft that Spirit, to performs / That work again, and shed it here, upon / Two, by their bloods, and by Thy Spirit one; / A brother and a sister, made by Thee / The organ, where Thou art the harmony. / Two that make one John Baptist's holy voice, / And who that Psalm, "Now let the Isles rejoice," / Have both translated, and applied it too, / Both told us what, and taught us how to do. / They show us islanders our Joy, our King; / They tell us why, and teach us how to sing. / Make all this all three choirs, heaven, earth, and spheres; / The first, Heaven, hath a song, but no man hears; / The spheres have music, but they have no tongue, / Their harmony is rather danced than sung; / But our third choir, to which the first gives ear / -For angels learn by what the Church does here- / This choir hath all. The organist is he / Who hath tuned God and man, the organ we; / The songs are these, which heaven's high holy Muse / Whisper'd to David, David to the Jews; / And David's successors in holy zeal, / In forms of joy and art do re-reveal / To us so sweetly and sincerely too, / That I must not rejoice as I would do, / When I behold that these Psalms are become / So well attired abroad, so ill at home, / So well in chambers, in Thy Church so ill, / As I can scarce call that reform'd until / This be reform'd; would a whole state present / A lesser gift than some one man hath sent? / And shall our Church unto our Spouse and King / More hoarse, more harsh than any other, sing? / For that we pray, we praise Thy name for this, / Which, by this Moses and this Miriam, is / Already done; and as those Psalms we call, / -Though some have other authors-David's all, / So though some have, some may some Psalms translate, / We Thy Sidneian psalms shall celebrate, / And, till we come th' extemporal song to sing / -Learn'd the first hour that we see the King, / Who hath translated those translators-may / These their sweet learned labours all the way / Be as our tuning, that when hence we part, / We may fall in with them, and sing our part!
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Genres
- Dedicatory Poetry — The work is explicitly composed to honor and celebrate Sir Philip Sidney and the Countess of Pembroke's translation of the Psalms, serving as commendatory verse for a specific literary achievement.
- Metaphysical Poetry — Donne employs signature metaphysical conceits (the organ metaphor for the translators, the geometric impossibility of squaring the circle to express God), intellectual wit, and paradoxical reasoning about language's inadequacy before the divine.
- Religious Poetry — The poem is saturated with theological content, invoking God, angels, heaven, the Church, the Psalms, and spiritual harmony, with the sacred as its central preoccupation throughout.
- Panegyric — The work functions as formal, elevated praise of the Sidneys' accomplishment, celebrating their skill, piety, and service to both divine truth and the Church.
Tags
poem · translation · psalms · Renaissance · Early Modern · commendatory verse · religious · biblical · 17th century · praise · dedicatory · metapoetic
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Upon the Translation of the Psalms by Sir Philip Sidney, and the Countess of Pembroke, his Sister is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1633 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Donne
- Date: 1633 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Dedicatory Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Religious Poetry, Panegyric, Devotional Poetry
- Length: 708 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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