International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) |Volume IX, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2321-2705
Interpretation of one verse of Byron’s cycle of “Jewish Melodies”
Tinatin Sikharulidze
The Faculty of Humanities, PhD Candidate in Translation Studies, TSU, Georgia
Abstract: The presentation of the historical aspects of the material created on this or that topic contributes to the thematic-fable complexes and the so-called: visual representation of the evolution of “wandering” stories. The story of the “wanderer” in the work of art appears against the background of intercultural relations. Therefore, in comparative discussion, translation studies further clarifies the essence of the original text. To clarify this thesis, we have selected the poem “By the Rivers of Babylon We Sat Down and Wept” written by the romantic poet, George Gordon Byron in 1815, which artistically, based on the Jewish story paradigm, generalizes and presents the traditions of Milton, Burns, Blake and the Blessed Nation.
The melodies created in the Jewish exile were echoed in the works of Haydn, Mozart, Paganini, and Liszt. However, their compilation and arrangement are linked to the English composer Isaac Nathan (1790-1864), who selected Byron’s texts for the melodies compiled in 1808. Although earlier this was tried by John Moore, but Nathan gave preference to Byron, whose first twelve songs were included in the collections of Hebrew melodies. Byron, who was interested in biblical subjects from the very beginning, deeply explored the issue of the fate of the Jews and, without regard to the basic principles of the Anglican Church and without disturbing them, developed a Jewish theme based on the Psalms. It is worth mentioning that he was sometimes opposed by publishers, composers or critics, but his poetic efforts could not be stopped and the theme of the oppressed nation took its place in his poetry. His interest in such topics and his sympathy for the oppressed nations of Europe earned him the title of Poetry Fighter for Freedom.
Byron analyzes the biblical, rigorous spirit and at the same time gives it a plain, simple text and artistic perfection. Two verses from the cycle of “Hebrew Melodies” are significant for us: “Oh! Weep for Those! ‘, “By the Rivers of Babylon We Sat Down and Wept”, whose Georgian translations belong to Ilia Chavchavadze and Akaki Tsereteli. Both poems are translated from an intermediate language and it should not be difficult to understand the translators’ interest – the shared fortunes of the oppressed Georgian and Jewish nations. Byron was not limited to the biblical story, he also paid attention to the oriental color, which further ensured the high artistry of the poems. With an artistic depiction of compassion for the oppressed and their sad fate, Byron always echoed the fate of his modern-day Italy and Greece.
The purpose of our article is to discuss the extent to which the Bible text in the poem “For the Hebrew Melodies” entitled “In the Valley of the Waters” was included in the 1815 volume of “Hebrew Melodies”. The second variant, which Isaac Nathan preferred, stood closer to Psalm 136 (137th in the Hebrew texts). Therefore, the second version in the cycle of “Hebrew Melodies”