The exile and the revenge: psalm 137 in the versions of Guido Ceronetti and Davide Brullo

Abstract

«E se la letteratura occidentale moderna fosse già implicita, prevista […] nei Salmi? Un solo esempio per tutti: il salmo 137». Brullo (1978) while translating the book of Psmals perceives Israel’s obsessive request to be heard by God, after the temple destruction by the Babylonians and the deportation. On the other hand, Ceronetti (1927-2018) writes: «La morale, nei Salmi, è perfettamente guerriera». The present study aims to examine the ways the war is expressed in the psalm 137, through Ceronetti’s and Brullo’s poetic translations and different interpretations: one highlights the avenging fury of the Jewish people and the other one their desperation of being war victims. This dichotomy shows how the war distinguishes both the Bible language and the poetic language originated from the Bible.