A translation of the psalms of David attempted in the Spirit of Christianity, and adapted to the divine service. By Christopher Smart |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
| XLI. |
| XLII. |
| XLIII. |
| XLIV. | PSALM XLIV. |
| XLV. |
| XLVI. |
| XLVII. |
| XLVIII. |
| XLIX. |
| L. |
| LI. |
| LII. |
| LIII. |
| LIV. |
| LV. |
| LVI. |
| LVII. |
| LVIII. |
| LIX. |
| LX. |
| LXI. |
| LXII. |
| LXIII. |
| LXIV. |
| LXV. |
| LXVI. |
| LXVII. |
| LXVIII. |
| LXIX. |
| LXX. |
| LXXI. |
| LXXII. |
| LXXIII. |
| LXXIV. |
| LXXV. |
| LXXVI. |
| LXXVII. |
| LXXVIII. |
| LXXIX. |
| LXXX. |
| LXXXI. |
| LXXXII. |
| LXXXIII. |
| LXXXIV. |
| LXXXV. |
| LXXXVI. |
| LXXXVII. |
| LXXXVIII. |
| LXXXIX. |
| XC. |
| XCI. |
| XCII. |
| XCIII. |
| XCIV. |
| XCV. |
| XCVI. |
| XCVII. |
| XCVIII. |
| XCIX. |
| C. |
| CI. |
| CII. |
| CIII. |
| CIV. |
| CV. |
| CVI. |
| CVII. |
| CVIII. |
| CIX. |
| CX. |
| CXI. |
| CXII. |
| CXIII. |
| CXIV. |
| CXV. |
| CXVI. |
| CXVII. |
| CXVIII. |
| CXIX. |
| CXX. |
| CXXI. |
| CXXII. |
| CXXIII. |
| CXXIV. |
| CXXV. |
| CXXVI. |
| CXXVII. |
| CXXVIII. |
| CXXIX. |
| CXXX. |
| CXXXI. |
| CXXXII. |
| CXXXIII. |
| CXXXIV. |
| CXXXV. |
| CXXXVI. |
| CXXXVII. |
| CXXXVIII. |
| CXXXIX. |
| CXL. |
| CXLI. |
| CXLII. |
| CXLIII. |
| CXLIV. |
| CXLV. |
| CXLVI. |
| CXLVII. |
| CXLVIII. |
| CXLIX. |
| CL. |
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 | A translation of the psalms of David |  |
PSALM XLIV.
O God, our ancestors have told
Of thy stupendous fame,
What deeds thou didst of old,
And we have seen the same.
Of thy stupendous fame,
What deeds thou didst of old,
And we have seen the same.
For thou didst Canaanites expell,
And planted Jacob's race;
And how the heathen fell,
Or fled before thy face.
And planted Jacob's race;
And how the heathen fell,
Or fled before thy face.
For they gat Canaan to possess,
By prowess not their own,
Nor could maintain success
By human force alone.
By prowess not their own,
Nor could maintain success
By human force alone.
But thy right hand their sword renown'd,
And smiles benignly bright;
As they acceptance found
And favour in thy sight.
And smiles benignly bright;
As they acceptance found
And favour in thy sight.
Almighty God, thou art my king,
To my redemption speed;
Give strength to David's sling,
And succour Jacob's seed.
To my redemption speed;
Give strength to David's sling,
And succour Jacob's seed.
Through Thee we soon shall overturn
Our foes and their allies,
And in thy name shall spurn
Their armies as they rise.
Our foes and their allies,
And in thy name shall spurn
Their armies as they rise.
For when th'assailants give the word
I will not trust my bow,
Nor vaunt the sword I gird,
Or glitt'ring spear I throw.
I will not trust my bow,
Nor vaunt the sword I gird,
Or glitt'ring spear I throw.
But 'tis that all-sufficient might
Of God the good and great
Saves us, and puts to flight
The sons of sin and hate.
Of God the good and great
Saves us, and puts to flight
The sons of sin and hate.
41
In praising God we make the most
Of every lengthned day,
And will for ever boast
The name, to which we pray.
Of every lengthned day,
And will for ever boast
The name, to which we pray.
But now thy glory is remote
From our embattl'd bands;
And headless ranks denote
The weakness of our hands.
From our embattl'd bands;
And headless ranks denote
The weakness of our hands.
Thou mak'st our standard to give back,
Nor front the brave dispute;
So that our foes attack,
And take our goods to boot.
Nor front the brave dispute;
So that our foes attack,
And take our goods to boot.
Like younglings to the glutton's tooth
We're giv'n to be devour'd;
And midst the foes of truth
Are scatter'd and o'erpow'r'd.
We're giv'n to be devour'd;
And midst the foes of truth
Are scatter'd and o'erpow'r'd.
Thine own free men are sold and bough
And from their homes estrang'd,
Nor is there profit brought,
Or purchase money chang'd.
And from their homes estrang'd,
Nor is there profit brought,
Or purchase money chang'd.
Each neighbour licens'd to contest
Our bounds, his venom spurts,
And we are made the jest
Of those that haunt our skirts.
Our bounds, his venom spurts,
And we are made the jest
Of those that haunt our skirts.
We are a laughing-stock become,
And hear our ill report
From heathen dregs and scum,
That shake their heads in sport.
And hear our ill report
From heathen dregs and scum,
That shake their heads in sport.
Day after day I am confus'd
While wretches taunt and hiss,
And blush to be abus'd
At such a shame as this,
While wretches taunt and hiss,
And blush to be abus'd
At such a shame as this,
And for the voice of them that bear
False witness and blaspheme,
For foes unus'd to spare,
And thirst of blood extream.
False witness and blaspheme,
For foes unus'd to spare,
And thirst of blood extream.
And tho' thy people are beset
With woes they cannot stave;
Yet do we not forget
Thy laws, or misbehave.
With woes they cannot stave;
Yet do we not forget
Thy laws, or misbehave.
Our hearty purpose was not shook
But to thy truth has stood,
Nor have our steps forsook
The narrow way to good.
But to thy truth has stood,
Nor have our steps forsook
The narrow way to good.
No, not when wrath was ripe to tread
Our souls where dragons hide,
And darkness overspread
Where death and night reside.
Our souls where dragons hide,
And darkness overspread
Where death and night reside.
If we thy truth have disbeliev'd
Or gone to idol fanes,
God cannot be deceiv'd,
Which tries the heart and reins.
Or gone to idol fanes,
God cannot be deceiv'd,
Which tries the heart and reins.
For we die daily for thy sake,
And our precarious life
Is every hour at stake,
Like fatlings for the knife.
And our precarious life
Is every hour at stake,
Like fatlings for the knife.
Up, Lord, in our behalf arise,
Thy mercy-beams disclose,
And when thy saint applies,
No more indulge repose.
Thy mercy-beams disclose,
And when thy saint applies,
No more indulge repose.
Why dost thou hide thee, and neglect
Our perils to confront,
And will not recollect
Our wretchedness and want?
Our perils to confront,
And will not recollect
Our wretchedness and want?
For to the ground our spirits fall,
And rancle with disgust,
And on our hands we crawl
With bowels in the dust.
And rancle with disgust,
And on our hands we crawl
With bowels in the dust.
Arise, O Lord, and help us now
Thy honour is at stake:
Save us and hear our vow,
And that for Christ his sake.
Thy honour is at stake:
Save us and hear our vow,
And that for Christ his sake.
| A translation of the psalms of David | |