Opening the text

The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia

History

The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia

World history

9) Seeing that I will _cut off
                                               from_ thee the _righteous_
                                               and the _wicked_.
     The flaming fire _shall not be        Therefore shall my _sword_ go
         quenched_,                            forth out of its sheath
     And all faces shall _be burnt             against all flesh
         thereby_.
     _From the north to the south._        _From the north to the south._
  4) _And all flesh shall see_         10) _And all flesh shall know_
     _That I, the Lord_, have              _That I the Lord_ have drawn
         _kindled_ it:                         forth my _sword_ out of its
                                               _sheath_;
     _It shall not be quenched._           _It shall not return any more._


THE SONG OF THE SWORD

One of Ezekiel’s grandest poems is the Song of the Sword. The sword
from the North in the hand of Nebuchadrezzar comes forth against
Jerusalem and destroys the last remnant of life in the perishing
city. The introduction to the Song of the Sword is an allegory such
as Ezekiel loves; he looks in prophetic trance towards the south and
sees a fire approaching from thence which seizes upon the forest of
the south and devours the green tree and the dry. Then he solves the
riddle, thus interpreting the vision. By placing the riddle and the
interpretation in parallel columns, we obtain a classic example of
strict responsion.

As a third example of the responsion I select Matthew vii. 13, 14,

                Enter ye in by the narrow gate:

  For _wide_ is the _gate_,            For _narrow_ is the _gate_,
  And _broad_ is the _way_,            And _straitened_ the _way_,
  That _leadeth to destruction_        That _leadeth unto life_,
  And _many_ be they that enter in     And _few_ be they that find it.
      thereby.

In order to grasp the fundamental idea, that of the responsion, let us
once more clearly define that of the strophe and antistrophe.


STROPHE AND ANTISTROPHE DEFINED

The strophe consists of a number of verses combined so as to form a
larger whole; it contains a sheaf of ideas which express a _single_
idea, just as a sheaf of rays unites to form a single light.

The antistrophe represents an analogous or contrasting idea, which is,
like the former, the sum or product of _another_ sheaf of ideas, and
answers to the former _in some or all of its component parts_.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia

World history

9) Seeing that I will _cut off
                                               from_ thee the _righteous_
                                               and the _wicked_.
     The flaming fire _shall not be        Therefore shall my _sword_ go
         quenched_,                            forth out of its sheath
     And all faces shall _be burnt             against all flesh
         thereby_.
     _From the north to the south._        _From the north to the south._
  4) _And all flesh shall see_         10) _And all flesh shall know_
     _That I, the Lord_, have              _That I the Lord_ have drawn
         _kindled_ it:                         forth my _sword_ out of its
                                               _sheath_;
     _It shall not be quenched._           _It shall not return any more._


THE SONG OF THE SWORD

One of Ezekiel’s grandest poems is the Song of the Sword. The sword
from the North in the hand of Nebuchadrezzar comes forth against
Jerusalem and destroys the last remnant of life in the perishing
city. The introduction to the Song of the Sword is an allegory such
as Ezekiel loves; he looks in prophetic trance towards the south and
sees a fire approaching from thence which seizes upon the forest of
the south and devours the green tree and the dry. Then he solves the
riddle, thus interpreting the vision. By placing the riddle and the
interpretation in parallel columns, we obtain a classic example of
strict responsion.

As a third example of the responsion I select Matthew vii. 13, 14,

                Enter ye in by the narrow gate:

  For _wide_ is the _gate_,            For _narrow_ is the _gate_,
  And _broad_ is the _way_,            And _straitened_ the _way_,
  That _leadeth to destruction_        That _leadeth unto life_,
  And _many_ be they that enter in     And _few_ be they that find it.
      thereby.

In order to grasp the fundamental idea, that of the responsion, let us
once more clearly define that of the strophe and antistrophe.


STROPHE AND ANTISTROPHE DEFINED

The strophe consists of a number of verses combined so as to form a
larger whole; it contains a sheaf of ideas which express a _single_
idea, just as a sheaf of rays unites to form a single light.

The antistrophe represents an analogous or contrasting idea, which is,
like the former, the sum or product of _another_ sheaf of ideas, and
answers to the former _in some or all of its component parts_.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia

The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia

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