Mirth?

[dukealien]

Stream of consciousness on first reading, more or less, interleaved with comments on the whole after...

Mirth? No idea yet from the title, have to wait to the end...


Not at the court
or on the field,  this couplet suggests sports competition ("in the field" would suggest farming or war)

forget the merger,
any and all this seems a bit cliche... perhaps "bygone conflicts," perhaps?
great appointments,  at first reading, a modern business vibe (afterward a sinister shade to "merger" as in hostile takeover by Babylon and appointment of Hebrews to high office in their captivity)

just remember
those days  feeling the need for an adjective here - "those mournful days?"
when we surrendered: here's the darkening shade for "merger" - "surrender" suggests Islam

He made our peculiar a subtle trick here:  readers won't notice the capitalization here due to white space.  Nice!
into great artists, at this point, not yet feeling a Biblical vibe, thinking a Great Dictator - praise of Hitler, perhaps

the finest
composers, musicians,
painters, teachers,
eloquent orators, nice line, but not Hitler any more (tolerated only one Orator, him)

all for Him, ah, religion (from the capitalization) - or a really extreme dictatorship
all for His use.

We skipped about,
laughed,
happily sparked our lamps  very nice necessary roughness here for sparking and skipping ("gladly" would be too smooth)
atop the tallest hills;

shining ever so brightly
happy, alive,
in love...
those were our glory years: "glory years" a slight cliche, but tolerable

when the Joy of the Lord  "[J]oy may earn capitalization by being an Attribute, but may be a step too far toward KJVism
was our strength.


Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us
required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? And this is that song.  Instead, in exile, perhaps "The Hope."

Don't know about other readers, but this poem put me through some changes - especially that short detour toward Islam and the one through Nazi encouragement of art and (approved) letters.  This is not to say it should be edited to make it clearer:  the journey was its own reward.

Status of the scripture quotation is problematic.  Tempted to recommend placing it as a preface, but then the lovely ambiguity is lost.  Perhaps in italics?

That first "Him" (sic) could almost be delayed by adding a verse or two immediately before it.  Some readers might draw from this that God (JVH) was like a dictator encouraging things, even if voluntarily assumed ("surrender") - but, really, it shows that even the most apparently benevolent dictators have God-complex aspirations.

Nice, rewarding read.  Hope the above are of help.