— Psalm 137 (Vulgate / Hebrew)
Super flumina Babylonis
By GRAHAM JOHN
A psalm of exile and memory, articulating grief, cultural dislocation, and the moral shock of unassimilated trauma.
9 verses total
VERSUS 1–9 (LATIN + LITERAL ENGLISH + WORD NOTES)
1
Super flumina Babylonis, illic sedimus et flevimus, dum recordaremur Sion.
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, when we remembered Zion.
Word Notes
- super — by, beside
- flumen, fluminis (n.) — river
- sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessum — to sit
- flēō, flēre, flēvī, flētum — to weep
- dum — while, when
- recordor, recordārī, recordātus sum — to remember
- Sion — Zion (indeclinable)
2
In salicibus in medio ejus suspendimus organa nostra.
On the willows in its midst we hung up our instruments.
Word Notes
- salix, salicis (f.) — willow
- in medio — in the midst
- suspendō, suspendere, suspendī, suspensum — to hang
- organum, organī (n.) — musical instrument, harp
3
Quia illic interrogaverunt nos, qui captivos duxerant nos, verba cantionum:
For there those who had taken us captive asked us for words of songs;
Word Notes
- interrogō, interrogāre, interrogāvī, interrogātum — to ask
- captīvus, captīvī (m.) — captive
- dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductum — to lead
4
Et qui abduxerant nos, hymnum cantate nobis de canticis Sion.
And those who carried us away said: sing to us a hymn from the songs of Zion.
Word Notes
- abducō, abducere, abdūxī, abductum — to carry away
- hymnus, hymnī (m.) — hymn
- canticum, canticī (n.) — song
5
Quomodo cantabimus canticum Domini in terra aliena?
How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land?
Word Notes
- quōmodo — how
- cantō, cantāre, cantāvī, cantātum — to sing
- terra, terrae (f.) — land
- alienus, aliena, alienum — foreign, чужд
6
Si oblitus fuero tui, Jerusalem, oblivioni detur dextera mea.
If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand be given over to forgetfulness.
Word Notes
- oblivīscor, oblivīscī, oblītus sum — to forget
- Jerusalem — Jerusalem (indeclinable)
- dextera, dexterae (f.) — right hand
7
Adhæreat lingua mea faucibus meis, si non meminero tui:
Let my tongue cling to my throat, if I do not remember you;
Word Notes
- adhæreō, adhærēre, adhæsī, adhæsum — to cling
- lingua, linguae (f.) — tongue
- fauces, faucium (f. pl.) — throat
8
Si non proposuero Jerusalem in principio lætitiæ meæ.
If I do not set Jerusalem at the head of my joy.
Word Notes
- prōpōnō, prōpōnere, prōposuī, prōpositum — to set before
- principium, principiī (n.) — beginning
- lætitia, lætitiae (f.) — joy
9
Beatus qui tenebit et allidet parvulos tuos ad petram.
Blessed is the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.
Word Notes
- beātus, beāta, beātum — blessed
- teneō, tenēre, tenuī, tentum — to seize, hold
- allīdō, allīdere, allīsī, allīsum — to dash, smash
- parvulus, parvulī (m.) — little child
- petra, petrae (f.) — rock
MORPHOLOGY EXERCISES (5)
Identify tense, voice, mood, and principal parts:
- sedimus
- recordaremur
- cantabimus
- oblitus fuero
- allidet
MORPHOLOGY EXERCISES — KEY
sedimus
- Verb: sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessum
- Tense: perfect
- Voice: active
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: we sat
recordaremur
- Verb: recordor, recordārī, recordātus sum
- Tense: imperfect
- Voice: deponent
- Mood: subjunctive
- Meaning: when we were remembering
cantabimus
- Verb: cantō, cantāre, cantāvī, cantātum
- Tense: future
- Voice: active
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: we shall sing
oblitus fuero
- Verb: oblivīscor, oblivīscī, oblītus sum
- Tense: future perfect
- Voice: deponent
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: if I shall have forgotten
allidet
- Verb: allīdō, allīdere, allīsī, allīsum
- Tense: future
- Voice: active
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: he will dash
TRANSLATION EXERCISES (5)
Translate into Latin:
- We sat by the rivers.
- They asked us for songs.
- How shall we sing in a foreign land?
- If I forget Jerusalem.
- Let my tongue cling to my throat.
TRANSLATION EXERCISES — KEY
- Super flumina sedimus.
- Interrogaverunt nos verba cantionum.
- Quomodo cantabimus in terra aliena?
- Si oblitus fuero Jerusalem.
- Adhæreat lingua mea faucibus meis.
SUMMARY (≈120 words)
Psalm 137 is the Bible’s most unfiltered articulation of exile. Memory here is not consoling but agonising: to remember Zion is to weep. The psalm refuses cheap reconciliation; song itself becomes impossible when severed from place and meaning. The closing verse shocks modern readers, yet it must be understood as the raw speech of trauma, not a moral prescription. Violence is imagined, not enacted — a cry shaped by powerlessness and grief. Scripture here does not sanitise suffering; it preserves it. The psalm insists that faith must make room for rage, silence, and unresolved loss, or it ceases to be honest.
REFLECTION QUESTION
Where have you experienced memories that cannot yet be transfigured into song — and what might it mean simply to let them speak?