99 Psalms (Paraclete Poetry)

99 Psalms (Paraclete Poetry)

SAID, Mark S. Burrows (Translated by)
$17.99
Publication Date: September 1st, 2013
Publisher:
Paraclete Press
ISBN:
9781612612942
Pages:
144

Description

 SAID’s 99 Psalms are poems of praise and lament, of questioning and wondering. In the tradition of the Hebrew psalmist, they find their voice in exile, in this case one that is both existential and geographical. His decision to include 99 in this collection recalls the ancient Muslim tradition that ascribes 99 names to Allah, though the “lord”whom this psalmist addresses is not bounded by this or any other religious tradition. As psalms that turn to the “lord” with a lover’s vulnerability, they avoid every trace of sentimentality. Rather, they seek to open us to the mystery of human life, warning us of the difficulties we face in our attempts to live peaceably together in the midst of our differences.
 

About the Author

SAID was born in Tehran, and immigrated as a seventeen-year-old student to Germany; since then, he has lived in Munich. A prominent figure in the German literary scene, he’s been honored with the coveted Goethe-Medal as well as the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize. His publications include eight volumes of poetry and five collections of essays, all in German, as well as children’s books and two memoirs.

Mark S. Burrows is scholar, poet, and teacher, known internationally for his work on theology and spirituality, mysticism and poetics. For more than two decades he taught in several graduate theological schools in the US and Germany. He is also a translator of German poetry and prose into English, and currently lives and teaches in Germany. Recent publications include his widely-celebrated translation of Rilke, Prayers of a Young Poet (Paraclete), and Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart (Hampton Roads).

Praise for 99 Psalms (Paraclete Poetry)

“These are prayers for passionate seekers and confounded believers alike, Muslim, Jewish or Christian. Taut-lined cries to God evoke the Hebrew psalms, yet their voice is from our world – speaking fiercely to what our current world forces upon us: the pierced and anguished heart in exile, wrestling Jacob-like with God while taking human flesh seriously to call our religious clichés into account. I know of no other prayer collection that propels us to such intimacy with the absence and presence of God.” —Don E. Saliers, Wm. R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship, Emory University

“Names for God introduce the 99 Psalms by the Iranian poet SAID which Burrows has also translated from the German: “and I ask you to o lord/ reveal all your names to me/ even the last/ the hidden.” SAID writes as an exile, outside punctuation, and using capital letters only for his name, ambiguous about who the “lord” might be. He is a god “who belongs to us,” who is urged to pray to us, and also to accompany the poet beyond “prayers and precepts.” There are “psalms” for the wanderer and the stranger, seeking to resume “the conversation” with this mysterious “lord.”’—Martyn Halsall, Church Times

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