Donald Traxler's Poetry

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

PSALM 5

Hear my words, O Lord,

consider the sound of my prayer,

my King and my God,

for to you I pray.

In the morning you will hear

my voice, O Lord,

at daybreak I will plead

my case, and wait.

For you are not a God

who desires iniquity,

nor can evildoers

dwell with you.

The wicked shall not stand

in your sight.

You have hated all

who practice injustice,

you destroy those who lie.

The Lord will abhor

the bloodthirsty and

the deceitful.

But I, by your great mercy,

will enter into your house,

I will worship

in your holy temple

in awe of you, O Lord.

Lead me in your righteousness

on account of those who lie in wait for me,

and make straight your way

before me.

For in the mouth of these

there is no sincerity,

their heart is full of malice,

their throat is an open grave,

their tongue smooth.

Condemn them, O God,

let them fall by their own counsels.

Drive them out for their many crimes,

for they have provoked you.

But let all those rejoice

who take refuge in you,

may they forever give praise,

and protect them.

May all those rejoice in you

who love your name.

For you bless the just, O Lord,

you surround them

with your favor

like a shield.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

PSALM 4

Hear me when I call upon you,

O God of my righteousness,

who raised me up

in my anguish.

Have mercy on me

and hear my prayer.

People, how long

will you turn my glory

into shame?

Why do you love vanity

and follow lies?

But know that the Lord

has set apart

his devout ones.

The Lord will hear me

when I call upon him.

Tremble, and do not sin,

commune with your own hearts,

upon your beds,

and be silent.

Make offerings

of righteousness,

and trust

in the Lord.

Many say,

"Who has shown us good things?"

Raise over us the light

of your face, O Lord!

You have given joy

to my heart;

in their time,

grain and wine

have multiplied.

In peace I will lie down

and sleep,

for you, O Lord,

have made me safe.

Monday, January 23, 2023

PSALM 3

O Lord, why have my enemies

so multiplied?

Many rise up

against me.

Many say of me,

"there is no salvation

for that one in God."

But you, O Lord,

are my shield,

my glory,

He who lifts

my head high.

My voice cried out

to the Lord,

and He heard me

from his holy mountain.

I lay down, and slept.

I rose again,

for the Lord supported me.

I shall not fear

the thousands of people

who have surrounded me.

Rise up, O Lord!

Save me, my God!

For you have struck

the cheek of every

enemy, and broken

the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation is the Lord's:

may your blessing

be upon

your people.

Sunday, January 22, 2023

PSALM 2

Why do nations conspire,

and peoples occupy

themselves with vain things?

The kings of the earth

ally themselves

and the princes conspire

against the Lord and

his anointed one.

Let us break their chains,

and cast off from us

their nooses.

The One who lives

in Heaven laughs,

the Lord mocks them.

Then He speaks to

them in his anger,

and in his fury

He terrifies them.

But I was established

King by Him,

on Zion his holy

mountain.

I will declare the decree

of the Lord:

The Lord said to me,

"You are my son,

I have fathered you

this day.

Ask it of me,

and I will give you

the nations

as your heritage,

and the ends of the earth

as your possession."

You shall shepherd them

with an iron staff,

and shatter them

like a potter's jar."

Understand then,

O kings,

be instructed,

O judges

of the earth.

Serve the Lord

in fear, and trembling

rejoice in Him.

Pay homage to Him

with a pure heart,

lest He become angered

and you soon perish

from the way,

in the flash of his wrath.

Happy are all

who take refuge

in Him.

Saturday, January 21, 2023

PSALM 1

Happy are they

who do not follow

the counsel of the wicked,

nor start down the path

of sinners,

nor sit in the seats

of mockers.

But their joy is in

the law of the Lord,

and on his law they

meditate day and night.

They are like a tree

planted by flowing waters,

that produces its fruit in season,

whose leaves do not wither,

and all their works will prosper.

Not so the wicked,

but like chaff blown

by the wind.

Therefore the wicked

will not rise up in the judgment,

nor sinners in the

assembly of the just.

For the Lord knows the way

of the just,

but the path of the wicked

will perish.

Friday, January 20, 2023

Monday, January 16, 2023

150,000 Views, Many Books, and Some Aging

A few days ago we passed the milestone of 150,000 page-views (what I used to refer to as "visits") in this poetry/writing/photography blog. This was largely due to a single user accessing almost 1,700 of my blog posts, in an automated way, in a period of about twenty minutes. This is serious interest, indeed. It represents slightly more than half of my database of 2,962 total posts in the blog. I used to associate such activity with planned piracy of my work, but since no pirate publications have come to my attention, I'm really not sure. In any case, I hope that s/he enjoys all those poems, articles, and photos. I hope that all my loyal readers, in more than 100 countries, enjoy them, too.

Lately I've been writing more on Bible translation, especially concerning the Psalms. Most recently I wrote quite a lengthy and detailed post about a translation problem with Psalm 2:12, a verse whose translation from Hebrew has generated a large amount of controversy.

Just SOME of the books that I needed in writing about a single verse of Psalm 2.

For several months now, I've also been doing a series called "Aging Project," illustrated with my own photography. Here's a sample, Aging Project XXIII:

I also have a future project in mind, involving a fresh approach to translation of some of our oldest poetry, the Book of Psalms. Not wanting to take the wind out of my own sails, I'll say no more about it for now.

As always, thank you, my loyal readers, for your continued interest and enthusiasm.