loud clamor

In Gbaya, the notion of loud clamor of many voices is emphasized with mgbasi-mgbasi, an ideophone thst refers to a loud clamor, when many voices shout discordantly.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

complete verse (Psalm 137:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 137:1:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “In the banks of the rivers of Babylon we sat down and cried
    when we remembered Zion.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “Sitting on the bank of the river of Babylon
    remembering Zion, we wept.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “We (excl.) sat beside the rivers of Babilonia and wept when we (excl.) remembered Zion.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “We sat down by the rivers of Babylon, and we cried,
    when we remembered Zion.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Pembeni mwa mito ya katika Babeli ndiko tuliko kaa,
    tukalia wakati tumekumbuka kwetu katika Sayuni.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “When we had been taken to Babylonia, far from Jerusalem,
    we sat down by the rivers there, and we cried when we thought about the temple on Zion Hill in Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Ps 137:1)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai translation uses the exclusive pronoun. The Adamawa Fulfulde translation uses the inclusive pronoun.

Translation commentary on Psalm 137:1 - 137:2

In verse 1 the waters of Babylon include not only the Tigris and the Euphrates and their tributaries, but also the extensive irrigation canals in the country. The picture is that of a group of people seated on the ground and mourning. Zion here is probably the Temple or the city of Jerusalem, not the land of Israel as such (see also comments at 2.6). The use of the plural “By the rivers” will mean in many languages that the event took place many times beside many rivers, and require that the verb “sat down” reflect this. Babylon may have to be adjusted as “the country called Babylon,” or in languages with a name for the country, “Babylonia,” that is different from the name of the city, “Babylon.” In languages in which first person plural shows exclusion or inclusion, here we sat down will be exclusive if the psalm was composed after the exile, for the exiles are then speaking to people who were not with them in Babylon. However, if the psalm was composed in Babylon, the exiles are speaking to each other, and the pronoun is inclusive. In cases where it is not sufficiently clear that the weeping was caused by the sad memory, it may be necessary to say, for example, “when we thought about the destruction of Zion, we cried.” It is important that the verb “remember” not suggest that the people had forgotten, but then suddenly recalled it.

There is a difference of opinion whether the trees named in verse 2 are willows (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible) or poplars (New Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Dahood). New American Bible says the tree (whose Latin name is populus euphratica) is the Mediterranean aspen. For harps see “lyre” and comments on 33.2. The figure of hanging the harps on the trees is metaphorical; it meant, of course, that their owners were setting them aside and did not plan to play them again. If the translator finds that hanging an instrument on a tree does not express the idea of ceasing to play, it will be better to say, for example, “We never played our harps (or, musical instruments) again,” or “We never made any more music with our instruments,” or “We put away….”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .