If verse 1 speaks of a funeral song, verse 2 should sound like one. That is, it should have the style of a funeral song in the language of the translation. If song is not used in verse 1, then whatever is indicated there should be true of the style in verse 2, whether poem, statement, etc.
If verse 2 is to be a funeral song or poetry of any kind in translation, the translator will have to use imagination and creativity in restructuring into the patterns of the language, and still translate faithfully (see Translating Amos, Section 5).
Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel/Israel has fallen, never to rise again. This statement presents several translation problems. In many languages it is not possible to talk about a nation as though it were a person. Normally, in such cases, the translator tries to show the basis of the comparison. For example, one possibility is “The nation of Israel is like a young woman: in spite of her youth she has fallen and will not get up again.” But in this case there is no agreement about what the basis of comparison really is, as can be seen from the different commentaries.
In some languages the best solution is not to translate the picture at all and to say something like “the nation/people of Israel has/have fallen.” Such a translation loses something, but the loss may be more in feeling than in ideas.
Fallen. The Hebrew picture is one of violent death. It was commonly used in funeral songs with the meaning of “fallen by the sword” (compare 2 Sam 1.19,25,27; Lam 2.21; Jer 9.22). This meaning often has to be made clear in translation, or people will think that the fall is due to an accident. One way is to show what causes the fall: “killed by the sword, Israel has fallen.” Another is to use a different verb, such as “struck down” instead of “fallen.”
The Hebrew verb is in the perfect, indicating a past completed action. This means that what will happen to the hearers in the future is presented as an already accomplished fact and the effect on Amos’ hearers was something like someone reading in the newspaper that he is dead. In translation one may have to use future tenses to emphasize the absolute certainty that the message will come true.
Forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up/She lies abandoned on the ground, And no one helps her up. The meaning is “she lies abandoned on her own soil,” and it would be better to say “on her own soil” (or “in their own country,” if “the people of Israel” is used earlier), since this makes clear the invasion of the country by foreign armies.
Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan & Smalley, William A. A Handbook on Amos. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1979. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .