Sonnets for the Psalms of Ascent - Shir Hamalot
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Sonnet for Psalm 120
How does one ascend to transcend ourselves?
To reach above, beyond our physical selves,
To what we could become, more than we are;
Higher than the moon, sun and highest star.
In human frailty, but so very low,
Yet, in soulful unity, one with the L- rd,
Above the chaotic fray to sow and grow;
To fight and win over, not with sword.
To plant the deeds for the L-rd’s garden,
For the Sanctity of his Regal Presence.
The eyes, will then see; and the heart, never harden;
Only in G-d's constant presence, can we have transcendence.
Our King and Father, over our every sense,
We bring about Tikkun Olam, recognized as recompense.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 121
The Lord is my security at my right.
I am protected by his constant sight.
What trepidation? How can there be fear?
When the Master Seer is forever near.
The L-rd is my perpetual protector,
In every avenue of life and sector.
I must but continue to work on me;
And G-d, Alm-ghty will work through me.
The mountains surround me as a fortress.
What then can assist and is my buttress?
The L-rd is vigilant and does address
Danger and peril with ultimate success.
How can I remove any fear with trust?
My soul is at one, my body just dust.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 122
Pray for the city of Jerusalem;
Let us ascend to the house of the L-rd.
Up through the hills of Jerusalem,
Together, we gather, that in itself, a reward,
With David who is amongst us in spirit.
With lyre and harp, we sing his Psalms to the Lord.
Before his God-given throne of judgment,
To ensure that truth permeates his ward.
So that not alone do towers and walls
Give the people security in each gate.
Rather peace through judgments of truth send calls
To prevent aggression and an untoward fate
For the sake of all my brothers and friends,
This song of peace, to all, brings amends.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 123
I lift my eyes towards the One and Only,
Through injustice, suffering, all challenges.
There is only You to whom to turn, solely,
Our only One redeeming hope in the trenches.
Where is mercy for our crestfallen life.
When there is no one to turn to, but you, L-rd.
I set my eyes to the heavens to survive.
My link, L-rd, is our umbilical cord.
Compassion in Your mercy, is our prayer.
As ultimately, You are the Savior.
Our cup of bitterness from hatred and contempt,
Needs Your embracing arm and hand as we are so bent
Only, then, can we, finally, fully heal
And shed the wounds inflicted, to whole again feel.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 124
Our souls sing, vindicated, as we ascend
In full knowledge, only G-d’s intent
Allowed us to return for us to send
Our eternal message of hope in G-d, to transcend
Whatever history has projected our way
As temporary enemies came and went.
G-d will forever send a new day
That augurs a novel era, permanent
A challenge to breathe, yet we did not drown;
The Divine heard our sigh, as we could not groan.
Exiled as hostages, aside, we were thrown;
Our freedom pre-ordained, our lives, not on loan.
The Master of the universe, King of King’s, crown
Guarantees our future by His everlasting throne.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 125
Mount Zion stands impervious to destruction;
The L-rd encompasses us with protection;
The mountains above Jerusalem make us fragile,
Where enemies can stand above us, hostile.
Not influenced by negative forces,
The righteous conduct themselves with mitzvah sources .
They shun evil negative impulses;
Praying the Divine sets their journeys’ courses.
The L-rd Is entreated by prayer for good;
Thus, every act, a gift from the Divine.
In all we do, G-d's sparks are in our thoughts’ food.
Our lives connected by a direct line.
For those whose evil intentions overtake them,
Dear Lord, withdraw them from our very midst, then .⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 126
A new beginning with a new dawn,
Carries our history from captivity to Zion.
The sound of laughter heard, not in a dream
But of returnees in song, and harmony within their stream.
The nations of the world will then proclaim,
What wonders has the Lord on this people wrought !
Our return to the land and its desert has brought
Us to a land of sand and rock to reclaim .
Its original promise of milk and honey,
With hopes for a future that augurs It sunny,
Awaiting harvests, in anticipation
Of G-d's promise of transformation.
Thousands of years, we await this season,
Where all is witnessed in rhyme and reason.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 127
As we ascend, further, and more and more,
Life experience teaches us, at its core:
Our efforts alone do not bring results ;
G-d's hand builds the Temple, removing our faults.
Jerusalem is not secure by guards alone;
Only G-d's vigilance keeps safe our home.
Our daily toil does not achieve success
Without G-d's blessing to give us rest.
The treasure of children is God's reward,
If we educate them with direction, not to be jarred.
The children, then, as guarantors, guard
Values and principles, thus, never marred.
The partnership between G-d and all of us
Is the surety for our life's compass.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 128
Immersed in Torah, steadfast is our ascent;
The work of our hands includes the journey’s ascent;
All of life in sphere and dimension ascends ;
One’s wife and children adorn the home’s ascent.
The awe of the L-rd brings blessing to our ascent;
From Zion, blessings reign during our assent;
G-d’s grace gives Jerusalem its ascent,
Bestowing its gifts on all who live in ascent.
The prophecies live eternity's ascent;
Heads high, backs straight, proud is our ascent;
It stems from the strength of faith in our ascent;
The L-rd our G-d eternally guides our ascent.
From whence then comes our strength for the ascent,
The Alm-ghty carries us during the ascent.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 129
The wounds of my youth as painful, as they were,
They have not scarred my hopes and aspirations;
They caused pain but my faith they could not deter.
The grace of the L-rd has no limitations.
Any hurt that they intended to inflict,
They could not succeed with any harm they sicced.
Any weapon against us in Zion,
Was met by the Jerusalem symbol of the lion.
Humiliated and defeated, they were;
And, eventually, no more evil could they stir.
Their plans and strategies were all defeated,
And, with our brethren in Zion, we were seated.
In the name of the L-rd, we bless you from Zion.
As all that has come to pass bears God's sign.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 130
Dear L-rd, I call upon you to forgive
Me for all the wrongs, I have committed.
Allow me and all whom I love, to live.
The tapestry of your promise unfolds remitted.
For you, dear L-rd, past, present and future
Are all one; nothing is new under the sun.
May the moment of eternity, so pure
Arrive within this, our present life’s run.
All of Israel, its people and history,
Await redemption, its never- ending- story.
Only in You, dear L-rd and King is our glory,
When we transform all from which we are sorry.
In G-d is our ultimate salvation
Who accepts repentance, our liberation.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 131
(Recognizing King David's humility, how much greater should be our own!)
O L-rd, I recognize my errors before You.
So much to become in Your image, true.
I can only be proud that I emanate from You.
How much more, I must do, to be worthy of You.
Have patience with me, dear L-rd,
As there is so much For me to work toward ;
I trust in you, my Creator, Supreme.
Thank you, L-rd, my help, to become of that which I dream .
Dear G-d, Judge and my Maker, I leave to You
All that is in your realm, that I cannot do.
In complete faith and trust, all will ensue,
Under Your guidance, protection and view.
My all encompassing faith, forever, in You,
Remains my steadfast pillar and redeemer, true.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 132
Dear L-rd and King, Your servant, David, did vow
Not to give himself Serenity,
Until he found a Sanctuary
For Your dwelling place, in which all would bow.
To You, dear L-rd, before your sacred Ark.,
Where Your anointed priests would hark
To all Your commandments in righteousness
And with humble devotion serve, in holiness.
Dear L-rd, You had promised David, in sum,
That his earthly throne would be kept
By his descendants for all time to come,
If they served in truth, all those who longed and wept
For Your presence, dear L-rd, to always abide
In their midst, in security, by their side.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 133
When brothers and sisters dwell in harmony,
Their families reside in homes of serenity.
The glue that holds the world together
Is G-d's love, in spirit and letter.
To fully appreciate the creation of G-d
Is to work and thereby always laud,
By repairing the world of the damage wrought
And, thus, bring the Messianic age sought .
Unity crowns life with dignity;
Based on prophecy from the hem of eternity,
Anointing priests with heavenly oil,
If they constantly recall that they walk on soil.
The age old blessing of forever more,
Is the Divine gift, everlastingly, in store.⬢
Sonnet for Psalm 134
As we ascend to the summit in prayer,
In gratitude for the Almighty's care,
We travel the journey, layer upon layer
In baring our hearts and souls, as fare.
The ascent is physical and spiritual,
As we undertake the pilgrimage ritual,
To transcend, who we were, to whom we would be,
With the ultimate goal, to become ego- free.
As we enter the Holy Sanctuary,
Every river crossed was a tributary
Every prior journey, a preparation,
For this our most treasured destination.
God's blessing from Zion, the precious gift,
Bestowed to give each soul, the ultimate lift.⬢