us this way because he knows, first of all, that just a better way to communicate some it’s ideas. Secondly, a better way to communicate with some people. But he also knows it’s to communicate in this way is for our good. That it forces us to spend time thinking. That is, in the long run, you may say, I remember all these things you have been “Well, can’t talking about parallelism, structures, and genre, I just – can’t remember.” Okay, worry about any of it. Just do this. Write out the poem on a sheet of don’t paper with a blank line between every line, and then just look at it, read it out loud every day, two or three times a day for a month, or a week if you have the patience. And don’t then start making notes every time you see, this word sounds like that Use “Oh, word.” colored pencils, start drawing lines, start seeing connections, and what will happen is that you will see that the beauty of the text is the beauty also of its message. the That’s blessing, the great blessing, of being privileged to read and study, and seek to understand the word of God. Thank you. This is a poem that I have spent about three years reading on and off before I finally began to understand it, and actually only then when I had memorized it. I don’t have it in memory anymore. by William Butler Yeats: “The Second Coming,” Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
us this way because he knows, first of all, that it’s just a better way to communicate some ideas. Secondly, it’s a better way to communicate with some people. But he also knows to communicate in this way is for our good. That it forces us to spend time thinking. That is, in the long run, you may say, “Well, I can’t remember all these things you have been talking about – parallelism, structures, and genre, I just can’t remember.” Okay, don’t worry about any of it. Just do this. Write out the poem on a sheet of paper with a blank line between every line, and then just look at it, read it out loud every day, two or three times a day for a month, or a week if you don’t have the patience. And then start making notes every time you see, “Oh, this word sounds like that word.” Use colored pencils, start drawing lines, start seeing connections, and what will happen is that you will see that the beauty of the text is the beauty also of its message. That’s the blessing, the great blessing, of being privileged to read and study, and seek to understand the word of God. Thank you. This is a poem that I have spent about three years reading on and off before I finally began to understand it, and actually only then when I had memorized it. I don’t have it in memory anymore. “The Second Coming,” by William Butler Yeats: Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Putnam_Psalms_Lecture04.docx