“EVEN NOW THAT CARE,” which dedicates the collection
to Queen ELIZABETH I.
The TRANSLATION TRADITION was strong in the 16th
century, and translating the Psalms was particularly
popular. The Psalms have traditionally been ascribed
to king David of Israel as a series of ejaculatory poems
praising God, though they include a variety of forms:
praise poems, supplications, hymns, and liturgy. His-
torically, of course, David could not have been the
author of the Psalms, but that traditional belief has
shaped the way people have approached them for cen-
turies. For instance, Protestant theologians believed
that through David’s lineage they could be traced for-
ward to Jesus. Moreover, during the Reformation and
the years following, the Psalms held particular political
signifi cance for the Protestant community. Like David,
they felt afraid and overwhelmed and cried out to God
for political and spiritual assistance. Translations and
versions of the Psalms were so popular that by the
mid-17th century, more than 300 versions existed.
The Sidneian Psalms are considered a superior exam-
ple for a variety of reasons. First, they manage to both
capture the spirit of the original Psalms, often using
almost literal translations of the Hebrew while simulta-
neously creating unique and memorable imagery. Schol-
ars continue to debate whether Mary Sidney knew
Hebrew or received outside assistance (it is generally
assumed that Philip did not know Hebrew). At mini-
mum, both Sidneys used a variety of sources—the
Geneva Bible, the Vulgate, various commentaries,
Hebrew texts (perhaps)—for their translation. In com-
pleting the collection, Herbert used 126 verse variants,
displaying incredible literary prowess. In at least one
case, for example, she changes the Psalm into a SONNET.
The Psalms themselves are considered a monumental
achievement in the establishment of Protestant religious
discourse and infl uenced John Donne and George Her-
bert, among others. While a few critics have looked into
the possible crypto-Catholicism of Sir Philip Sidney and
the possible ramifi cations for the Psalms, a great deal of
scholarship has examined the Sidneian Psalms as refl ect-
ing a Calvinist sprit, wherein humanity is incomplete
and ineffectual without the grace of God for assistance.
The dedication to Queen Elizabeth takes on political
dimensions in this light—she becomes “David,” defender
of the true faith. The Sidneian Psalms also had an impact
on later British literature, not only on other psalm col-
lections, but also on general poetry: John Donne wrote a
poem in celebration of them, for example.
See also “TO THE THRICE-SACRED QUEEN ELIZABETH,”
WHOLE BOOK OF PSALMS COLLECTED INTO ENGLISH METER,
THE.
FURTHER READING
Clarke, Danielle, ed. Isabella Whitney, Mary Sidney, and
Aemilia Lanyer: Renaissance Women Poets. New York: Pen-
guin Books, 2000.
Hamlin, Hannibal. Psalm Culture and Early Modern English
Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Hannay, Margaret P. “ ‘Wisdome the Wordes’: Psalm Trans-
lation and Elizabethan Women’s Spirituality.” Religion and
Literature 23, no. 3 (1991): 65–81.
———, ed. Philip’s Phoenix: Mary Sidney, Countess of Pem-
broke. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
———, ed. Silent But for the Word: Tudor Women as Patrons,
Translators, and Writers of Religious Works. Kent, Ohio:
Kent State University Press, 1985.
———, Noel J. Kinnamon, and Michael G. Brennan, eds.
The Collected Works of Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of
Pembroke. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998.
Rathmell, J. C. A. The Psalms of Sir Philip Sidney and the
Countess of Pembroke. New York: New York University
Press, 1963.
Rienstra, Debra K. “Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke,
Psalmes.” In A Companion to Early Modern Women’s Writ-
ing, edited by Anita Pacheco, 110–124. Malden, Mass.
and Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.
Sidney, Mary, Countess of Pembroke. The Sidney Psalms.
Edited by R. E. Pritchard. Manchester: Carcanet, 1992.
Slavitt, David R. “Shine in the dreadful dark: The Sidnean
Psalms.” Hudson Review 52, no. 4 (2000): 563–576.
Steinberg, Theodore L. “The Sidneys and the Psalms.” Stud-
ies in Philology 92, no. 1 (1995): 1–17.
Swaim, Kathleen M. “Contextualizing Mary Sidney’s Psalms.”
Christianity and Literature 48, no. 3 (1999): 253–273.Sidneian Psalms: Psalm 50 (“Deus Deor um,”
“The ever living God the mighty lord”) MARY
SIDNEY HERBERT, COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE (1599)
MARY SIDNEY HERBERT’s version of Psalm 50 addresses
both the Protestant spirit of reformation and the
emphasis on faith rather than works. Her version of
Psalm 50 emphasizes the contrast between idolatrySIDNEIAN PSALMS: PSALM 50 403