Bronze Age Queen Bee quatrains

[David Olson]

Dear Song-smiths,

Below please find a metrical retelling of the Song of Deborah (Shirat Devorah) 

(Judges chapter 5) 

6 quatrains, 11,8,11,8

These verses are not for congregational worship; merely describes Bronze Age hospitality. 

the music needs to work with verse 5 (Tent Peg Verse). 

(other verses will then fall into place: strictly metrical)

a Hebraic and a Gentile version of verse 6 are provided. 

Note that "Deborah" = Bee in Hebrew, and the context indicates she is definitely a Queen Bee.

The stanzas in Lilypond format

stanzaOne = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "1."

Queen Bee, De -- bo -- rah, Moth -- er of Is -- ra -- el,
Mus -- tered all the tribes to re -- sist,
''A -- gainst Si -- se -- ra and his char -- iots re -- bel,
Je -- ho -- vah shall march in our midst.''

}



stanzaTwo = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "2."

Sev'n tribes swarmed with spears on Mount Ta -- bor en -- raged,

Then down to the gates marched with screams,

Heav'ns stars from their cour -- ses the char -- iots  en -- gaged,

And swept them down Kish -- on's fast stream.

}


stanzaThree = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "3."

How bless -- ed is Ya -- el, hos -- pit -- a -- ble wife

Who wel -- comed her hus -- band's old friend

When Si -- se -- ra from bat -- tle in desp -- 'rate flight,

sought ref -- uge where sore wounds could mend.
}


stanzaFour = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "4."

He thirst -- ed for wat -- er, and she gave him milk,
Serv'd curds in an e -- le -- gant bowl,
fleece brought for a bed, to pro -- tect him from chill,
Sweet lul -- la -- bies sang for his soul.
}



stanzaFive = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "5."

''You love my sweet tent, so I'll give of my home,
I'll an -- chor your dreams while you snore.''

Up root -- ed a peg, drove it through tem -- ple bone.
''Now you are my guest ev -- er -- more!''

}



stanzaSix = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "6g."

O tell of this gore rid -- ers of don -- keys white,  
And loun -- gers on car -- pets so plush,
Let lyr -- es and voic -- es pro -- claim: ''Is -- rael -- ites!
Je -- ho -- vah our al -- ly we trust.''

}




Stanza 6 with two Hebrew words. 

kinnor = lyre, ancestor of the guitar

dor-le-dor = generation-to-generation

stanzaSix = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "6h."

O tell of this gore rid -- ers of don -- keys white,  
And loun -- gers on car -- pets so plush,
kin -- nor pluck and strum, dor -- le -- dor, teach it right:
''Je -- ho -- vah our al -- ly we trust.''

}

Lyrics to six stanzas (including 6g and 6h) copyright ©2019 David Norman Olson

The text is very close to Book of Judges chapter 5.

Except the hospitality described in verse 4, which is from Homer's Odyssey.

(standard Late Bronze Age hospitality)

Note that the tribal symbol of Issachar is the donkey (Genesis 49:14) 

Best wishes,

David Olson

Los Angeles