Prayers of the Cosmos

I attended a workshop/talk with author Susan G. Wooldridge this week. She wrote the books Poem Crazy and Foolsgold (which I posted an excerpt from just a few days ago. It was a wonderful workshop, though much, much too short. I could have spent a much longer time hearing more from Susan about writing and it would have been delightful to have had more time to play more with words and learn more about the other attendees.

Susan spoke of many things last night in the short time frame and in my notes I jotted down several titles of books that were recommended. There was one in particular that drew my attention. It was called Prayers of the Cosmos.

Susan shared briefly how the author had gone back to find the original Lords Prayer in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus and the people of his time in that part of the land.

Susan knew part of the prayer in Aramaic by heart and it simply sounded so beautiful to hear the words spoken aloud. I went in search of finding the whole prayer and it was available for viewing on Amazon.com.

First I will share here the Aramaic version, then the translation direct from Aramaic and lastly the King James Version. Comparing the King James version side by side with the Aramaic translation is fascinating. One would think that they couldn't possibly be translations from the same document. Yet that is the case.

The Lords Prayer in Aramaic

Abwoon d 'bwashmaya

Neth qadash shmakh

Teytey malkuthakh

Nehwey tzevyanach aykanna
d'bwashmaya aph b'arha

Hawrlan lachma d ' sunquanan yaomana

Washboglan khaubayn (wakhtahayn) ay kana
daph khnan shboqan l ' khayyabayn

Wela tahlan l'nesyuaa

Ela patzan min bisha

Metol dilakhie malkutha urahayala

wateshbukhta l'ahlam almin.

Ameya

Aramaic to English Translation

~ Our Birth In Unity ~

O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos,
you create all that moves in light.

O Thou! The Breathing Life of all Creator
of the Shimmering Sound that touches us.

Respiration of all worlds, we hear you
breathing - in and out - in silence.

Source of Sound in the roar and the whisper in the
breeze and the whirlwind, we hear your name.

Radiant One: You shine within us out side us
- even darkness shines - when we remember.

Names of names our small identity unravels
in your, you give it back as a lesson.

Wordless Action - Silent Potency -- where
ears and eyes awaken - there heaven comes.

O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos!

King James Version

Our Father which are in heaven

Hallowed be they name.

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, for ever.

Amen

What do you think?