Paris Psalter--psalms 51-53

These psalm adaptations stick out: so far, for the most part, the vocabulary strays pretty far from the shared heroic lexicon of OE poetry--a lot of strange words I've never seen elsewhere pop up pretty frequently. It would be hard to say that the diction is homiletic, but there is unique psalmic vocabulary about vexation and enemies, help and comfort, prayer and entreaty. It's early days so far with the Psalter, but my mania for compounds hasn't been fed very much: man-sceatt (54.10.2) "crime-wealth" (meaning "usury") is the most unusual, though hæft-nyd (52.7.3) "prison-pain" or "fetter-suffering" is pretty wonderful. On the whole, though, poetic compounds don't seem to come into play as often. There might be a unique translation aesthetic at work here. Getting the translations to carry the weight of this intimate poetry is tough. Looking over this rough translation of Psalm 52 (with lots of notes to self), I'm not sure it transmits the power of the OE poem:

Psalm 52

¹In his heart , a certain heedless (one) said,

unwisely/ungraciously, that there was no God;

they have become shunning/hateful

and their pleasures polluted with cruelty.

5          ² Then there was not a single good-doer who knew God,

            nor was there even one at all.

            ³ Then from the heavens the holy Lord looked

            over the children of men, (to see) whether anyone at all

            had an inkling of his might,

10       or wanted eagerly to seek God.

            ⁴ They all looked around?? (beseon?)

constantly in a daze; then there was no faithful man

who wanted eagerly to do good;

nor was there even one at all.

15       ⁵ But can they both have an understanding of it at all

            --(those) who act with the zeal of injustice--

            and (at the same time) gobble up my people like fine bread?

            Nor do they want to call upon God;

            Where they were terrified, they had no need

20       of any fear of danger.

            ⁶ Therefore the mighty Lord will scatter

            the bones of men who please themselves?? (or, them; i.e., such men??);

            Those that God despises will be damned.

            ⁷ Who will grant the eternal salvation of Israel

25       out of Zion unless (it be) God himself,

            when he will mercifully release his people

            from prison-pain (i.e., imprisonment), holy Lord?

            ⁸ Then Jacob will live in joyful prosperity

            and all the Israelites (will be) happy.