Proverbial poetry: its settings and syntax
Yüklə 6,58 Mb.
|
|
Thus, this group has five proverb pairs (10:23-24, 25-26, 27-28; 29-30, 31-32) which are bounded by singular proverbs (10:22 and 11:1) containing divine responses (cf. 10:1-12). Bostrom sees the initial י's in the first stich as sound echoes. He reads the sequence as a sound link between 10:26 and 27 ( לַשִּׁנַיִם [to the teeth]; כֶטָשָׁן [as smoke]; שְׁנוֹת [years]).1 The parallel between יָמִים (days) and שְׁנוֹת (years) is accented in that it is the long years of the wicked which are cut short. The fear of the Lord (a quality) being contrasted with the wicked (persons, plural) is not too unusual (cf. 10:2). Structurally it is ____________________ 1Ibid. interesting that יָמִים (days) and שְׁנוֹת (years) are juxtaposed between the stichs in a front flip chiastic ordering.1 Proverbs 10:28 תּוֹחֶלֶת צַדִּיקִים שִׁמְחַה The prospect of the righteous is joy, וְתִקְוַת רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. Proverbs 10:28 is connected to the preceding proverb by two patterns: (1) the repetition of the catch-word רְשָׁעִים (wicked); and (2) the תק sequence in the terms juxtaposed to רְשָׁעִים; ( תִּקְצֹרְנָה [cut off]; תִקְוַת [expectations]).2 Thematically, a discussion on the hopes and desires of contrasting groups (righteous, wicked) ties back to 10:24, which is a further confirmation that the sectional division should not come at 10:25. The five-fold repetition of is significant both in terms of the number of times it occurs and its position in the initial words of both stichs (תּוֹחֶלֶת [hopes]; תִקְוַת [expectations]). Thus again there is a correlation of sound and sense bringing paralleled words together. The order of the proverb is the normal ABC/ABC type with the usual contrast between the righteous and the wicked--both of which are plural and constructed with a word for "expectation." Thus the pair (10:27 and 28) is ____________________ 1O'Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure, p. 393. 2Bostrom, Paronomasi I den Aldre Hebreiska Maschalliteraturen, p. 126. sound-bound and thematically reflective, with both pointing back to former proverbs (10:27 to 10:22 and 10:28 to 10:24) although they are thematically diverse. Proverbs 10:29 מָעוֹז לַתֹּם דֶּרֶךְ יוהוָה The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, וּמְחִתָּה לְפֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן but it is the ruin of those who do evil. The lack of thematic linking is made up for in the next proverbial pair (10:29, 30) in which both verses elaborate on the stability/transientness of the good/evil. This theme is picked up from 10:25, which, as pointed out above, shows that the sectional division between 10:25 and 10:29-30 is ill-placed. The three-fold repetition of מ is significantly located as the initial letter of both stichs. The use of the divine name ties 10:29 to the preceding pair (10:27, 28). The word מְחִתָּה (destruction) was repeated in both 10:14 and 15, although a structural link between those verses and 10:29 does not seem probable. This proverb is very well-knit around the central point דֶּרֶך יְהוָה (way of Yahweh), which is gapped in the second stich. The ל marks the contrasting characters which are being commented on ( תֹם [man of integrity]; פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן [workers of iniquity]), with the initial words of the stich telling the state of those individuals in terms of the way of Yahweh. Proverbs 10:30 צַדִּיק לְעוֹלָם בַּל־יִמּוֹט The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land. Proverbs 10:30 is thematically paired to 10:29. Its explicit use of the word עוֹלָם (forever) solidifies the connection with verse 25.1 The four-fold repetition of ל within the proverb may be significant. The fact that it begins and ends with a צ is probably insignificant. The use of the preposition ל before עוֹלָם (forever) may help draw together the pair, which may be sound-bound via the seven-fold repetition of ל, which is often in word initial positions. The explicit contrast between the righteous (singular) and the wicked (plural) is obvious. The use of a double reversal technique, whereby the righteous are בַּל־ (not moved) and the wicked will לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ (not dwell), is also of interest. Thus 10:29 and 30 are closely bound by theme and by sound. Proverbs 10:31 פִּי־צַדִּיק יָנוּב חָכְמָה The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, וּלְשׁוֹן תַּהְפֻצוֹת תִּכָּרֵת but a perverse tongue will be cut out. Proverbs 10:31 and 32 provide perhaps the most ____________________ 1The fact that Brown, who normally uses such word repetitions to establish structure, ignores this word and theme connection only again underscores his poor methodological base ("Structured Parallelism in the of Composition and Formation of Canonical Books," p. 9. interesting pair yet discussed. Thematically there is a return to the speech motif (cf. 10:18-21). Proverbs 10:31 is a simple antithesis, with the "synonymous" pair פִּי (mouth)/ לְשׁוֹן (tongue) being reversed by the usual construction with opposites ( צַדִּיק [righteous]/ תַּהְפֻצוֹת [perverse]). The verbs do not provide clear antitheses, but contrast more in terms of endurance than opposition of action. There is no detectable sound play which has been so common in and between the other proverbs. It is only with the addition of verse 32 that the interactive beauty of each proverb is truly appreciated. Proverbs 10:32 שִׂפְתֵי צַדִּיק יֵדְעוּן רָצוֹן The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, וּפִי רְשָׁעִים תַּהְפֻכוֹת but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. Proverbs 10:32 has the common צַדִּיק (righteous)/ רְשָׁעִים (wicked) contrast. The plural use of wicked and singular righteous are quite ordinary, as seen above (cf. 10:3, 7, 11, 30, etc.). Likewise the pairing of שִׂפְתֵי (lips) and (mouth) to the antithetical quality traits is also standard (cf. 10:11, 21). The final ון's on שִׂפְתֵי (know) and רָצוֹן (pleasing) may provide a sound link. By themselves, both proverbs are quite jejune, until one begins to discover the inter-proverbial relationships. A chiastic AB/BA effect is triggered by the mouth parts ( פִי [mouth]/ לְשׁוֹן [tongue]// שִׂפְתֵי [lips]/ פִי [mouth]). The sound binding of the ון supports this chiasm in לְשׁוֹן (tongue),
end position. An AB/AB structure results from the repetition of דַדִּיק (righteous) in the first stich of each proverb. This structure is corroborated by the repetition of the rare word תַּהְפֻכוֹת (perverse) in both second stichs, which repetition makes it extremely unlikely that mere chance is involved. Thus, this may be termed a complex chiasm, having both chiastic (AB/BA) features and normal bifid (AB/AB) patterns. This is the best example of an intentional pairing of proverbs in chapter 10. The syntactical ordering of the first stichs of each verse is identical and provides another link. Note how the recognition of this pairing feature enhanced the appreciation for these proverbs which are otherwise very normal. Such aesthetic enhancement is another argument for the need to observe collectional, cohesional features. This completes the discussion of the cohesional features in chapter 10. The incompleteness of the discussion is obvious. How does the section which began in 10:22 end? Is 10:32 a fitting end or may a better closing be found? When one looks to Proverbs 11:1 as a possible closing several things are immediately apparent. Proverbs 11:1 מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה תּוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה The LORD abhors dishonest scales, וְאֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה רְצוֹנוֹ but accurate weights are his delight. The first and most obvious is the connection with 10:32 in the repetition of the word רָצוֹן (pleasing). It should be observed that here and 10:32 are the only places this word has occurred. Such cultic terminology is not overly abundant in Proverbs (14 times). The proverb is well constructed, balancing מֹאזְנֵי (weights) and אֶבֶן (stone) in construct with antithetical nouns ( מִרְמָה [deceitful], שְלֵמָה [complete, fair]) which are then respectively coordinated with divine rejection ( תּוֹעֲבַת [abomination]) and acceptance ( רְצוֹנוֹ [pleasing]). The pronominal suffix link back to the first stich's reference to Yahweh further syntactically ties the two stichs together. Having observed the frequency of the pairing phenomenon, one naturally looks to the next proverb (11:2) to pair with 11:1. The next proverb is obviously not to be paired with 11:1. One reflects that the section began with a singular proverb, so it is not odd that it should end thus (cf. 10:1-12). Upon looking back to 10:22, one notes another connection: the presence of the divine name. Thus, if 11:1 is included in this section, the divine name occurs in the first, middle, and last parts of this section (cf. also 10:29). Therefore, this writer is suggesting that 11:1 be read as the closing for the section 10:22-11:1, which is composed of an initial, single, YHWH-proverb, five proverbial pairs, and closed by a single YHWH-proverb. While it may be just coincidental, the consonantal similarity between שְׁלֹמֹה (10:1) and שְׁלֵמָה (11:1) nicely frames these thirty-three proverbs. Conclusion on Cohesion The above analysis of Proverbs 10:1-11:1 has focused strictly on cohesional features present on the intra- and inter-proverbial levels. An attempt has been made to look at such features on three levels: phonetic, syntactic, and semantic. While syntax played a large part in binding the proverbial bi-colon together (vid. tagmemic analysis), phonetics and semantics were found to be very active both on the bi-colonic level and on the inter-proverb level. The phonetic analysis was probably the most foreign and most questionable as there have not been adequate studies to quantify this type of data. It was clear, however, that sound/sense repetitions were practiced both in the ancient Near East and in the text of Proverbs (Prov 10:5, 18; 11:9-11; 31:10ff). In many cases it was not possible to tell whether there was an intentional playing with sound or whether the sound patterns were a mere product of chance, determined more by the words selected than by a conscious effort to choose particular sounds. Whether originally intented or not, many times the similar sound patterns provided the proverb with its ring (vid. Prov 10:9; 11:2). Phonological features mostly operated within the bi-colon, but at points served to bind pairs (10:25, 26) and possibly strings together (11:9-11), although that was not prominent in chapter 10 (vid. a weak form in 10:23, 25-26). Very prominent was the catch-word principle. This pattern frequently was found in the ancient Near Eastern sources and clearly was used to link proverb to proverb. Though with high frequency words such as righteous, wicked, wise/wisdom, or fool/folly one may suggest that the juxtaposing of two proverbs containing these words may be merely accidental, with very low frequency words in neighboring proverbs the argument supporting catch words as an intentional, collectional consideration is clinched (10:14, 15; 10:31, 32). Similar positional location also verifies that catch word repetitions were indeed one important factor which the collector used in compiling his proverbs (10:2, 3). Repeated proverbial stichs--which some have used as an argument to support the idea that the collector merely is grabbing for proverbs rather than skillfully crafting his poem--have been shown to be helpful structural features which bind a section together (10:6b, 11b, and 10:8b, 10b) Finally, thematic links, contrary to the belief of many, provided cohesional factors for the obvious binding of pairs (10:2-3; 10:15-16; 10:29-30; 10:31-32). Thematic strings were also found (10:2-5 on wealth; 10:18-21 on speech). Thematic considerations are not felt to be as restrictive in these proverbs as in narrative. In fact, other cohesive factors may take precedence, thereby allowing for rapid fluctuations in theme which may, if one is unaware of the other factors involved, give the reader the feeling of disarray. Thus, because the ancient sages viewed the proverbs as "language" as well as "message," they creatively activated all levels to provide their collections with cohesion, rather than restricting themselves to mere commonality of theme. It has been the myopic dullness on the readers' part which has led many to conclude that this section of Proverbs is incoherent and haphazard. It is desired that this discussion, knowingly subjective and conjectural at points, will be of benefit in presenting a new manner of reading the text. As this study presents merely the initial frame-work and a brief inchoation of such an approach, it is hoped that others may take up the task and read the other chapters of this section (Prov 10:1-22:16) with this new set of glasses. While one may feel that it is a mere viewing of faces in the clouds--or as "Poor Alice! She was all alone in Wonderland where nothing was just what it seemed"--yet it has opened up new vistas of proverbial appreciation in a section which has borne the brunt of readers who, because they have not perceived the patterns, have proclaimed this portion of Proverbs to be a potluck of proverbial
It has been demonstrated that Proverbs 10:1-11:1 is a multifariously cohesive literary unit composed of three major sections (10:1-12; 10:13-21; and 10:22-11:1). The first section was divided into an initial, singular proverb (10:1), followed by two pairs on the topic of wealth (10:2-5), which were followed by three pairs (10:6-7; 10:8-9; and 10:10-11) structured by chiastic whole-stich repetitions in 10:6b, 11b and 10:8b, 10b. The section concluded as it began--with a singular proverbial hinge (10:12). The second section (10:13-21) began with a pair about proper speech (10:13-14) linked to a pair on wealth (10:15-16), which was followed by a singular proverb (10:17) marking the middle of the section. This section concluded with a two pair string (10:18-19 and 10:20-21) that returned to the speech motif. The section is perfectly balanced--that is, two pairs, a middle, and two pairs. The final section (10:22-11:1) began with a singular Yhwh-proverb (10:22) which was followed by a loose pair (10:23-24) and a initial pair (10:25-26). The middle of this section was marked by a Yhwh-proverb (10:27) which is parallel to 10:22. While 10:23-24 and 10:27-28 are two rather questionable pairs in this section, the next two are unquestionable pairs about the stability of the righteous/instability of the wicked (10:29-30) and proper/improper speech (10:31-32). The section finished with a single Yhwh-proverb (11:1, cf. 10:22, 27), which is linked by a clear catch word to the preceding pair. So the final section is also perfectly balanced, with an opening proverb, five pairs, and a closing proverb. The middle is marked by the divine name and verb used. There follow two types of charts which attempt to graphically simplify the rather desultory data presented in this discussion. It is proper to wonder why the collector so crafted these proverbs. Thompson has analyzed six reasons why the proverbs fail to reach our culture. The third reason he gives is: They are jumbled together willy-nilly into collections. Granted that much of the Bible lacks the kind of organization we might like to impose upon it, the phenomenon of a plethora of distichs, many having little or nothing in common with what precedes or what follows, is peculiar to this book, particularly to chapters 10-29.1
doggerel text, but from the prosaicness of the modern reader. Perhaps the blame can be placed on the translational process which cannot well transfer poetic and cohesional features. Several possible reasons may be offered to provide a rationale for the present order. First, the creative genius of the scribes led them to activate all levels of ____________________
thematic links. They often used literary devices common to other proverbial collections. Second, it is clear that the proverbial bi-cola are bonded together, which aids in memory by poetically triggering both hemispheres of the brain. This memorability fits well the pedagogical setting of the book. So, too, the collections exhibit small memory triggers which provide the student help in mastering larger groups of these sayings. Third, it is possible that the sage, in the quick shifts in topic, is presenting the student with a picture of reality. He calls the student to observe the apparent fragmented character of the empirical world, which the student must carefully piece together in harmony with what he knows about the character of the One who has ordered it. Thus, the fear of Yahweh not only lies at the entrance of the path of wisdom but hedges it from beginning to end. Simple cues in the student's situation should call forth these proverbs in his memory, thereby directing him to the God-fearing path of the righteous/wise. Williams well elaborates on this point, when he writes, "aphoristic thought does not proceed systematically, but empirically. It directs itself to the fragments of experience as they occur, so that the mind is compelled to make its own connections among phenomena."1 This study suggests that, ____________________ 1Williams, For Those Who Ponder Proverbs, pp. 70, 82.
actually quite at home in the cosmopolitan complex of diverse phenomena characterized by deranged commercials and deviating portrayals of reality which change by the turning of a dial. The apparent Pandemonium and lack of significance in perceived reality is the cry of post-modern man who staggers for meaning and yearns for coherence/congruence. Proverbs calls such wanderers to its pages and reveals the empirical cosmic unity via the cohesive slices of life capsulized in its sayings. Thus, its use of language reflects its Weltanschauung. 
CHAPTER X A LINGUISTIC SYNTHESIS OF THE SYNTAX OF PROVERBIAL POETRY
has generated a mass of syntactic trivia which now must be sorted for recurrent paradigms and non-recurrent or irregular patterns. Syntactic elements of equivalence and variation will be assessed as one of the fundamental building blocks of poetic structure. The analysis of this data base will allow for conclusions concerning preferences and conventions which the sages observed as they formulated their messages into the proverbial form. It may be that such "hard data" will allow one to specify a bit more precisely the rationale for drawing conclusions concerning authorship,1 genre,2 chronology (e.g. pre- or Yüklə 6,58 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|