OY VEY

I THINK I READ IT SOMEWHERE

BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE

I’VE CHECKED THE RESEARCH BOOKS

AND CANNOT FIND IT

THE THOUGHT THAT ASPERGES

AND ASPARAGUS

ARE LINKED

OY VEY

ASPERGES

AS IN ASPERGES ME

THE NAME OF A BLESSING RITE

WHERE THE FAITHFUL ARE SPRINKLED    

WITH WATER

AS A SIGN OF THEIR BAPTISM

WHILE THE WORDS FROM PSALM 50:9

OR PSALM 51:7

ARE SAID

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

 AND I SHALL BE CLEAN

 WASH ME

AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW

THE JEWS AND THE CATHOLICS

HAVE PSALM 50

PROTESTANTS HAVE PSALM 51

OY VEY

THE HISTORY OF THE WORD ASPARAGUS

GOES FROM MIDDLE LATIN

TO GREEK

TO PERSIAN

WITH THE BASIC MEANING

OF SHOOT OR STEM

DESCRIBING ITS GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS

BUT IT’S ITS MEDICINAL QUALITIES

THAT INTEREST US

IT IS BOTH A DIURETIC

BLOOD CLEANSER

LAXATIVE

IT CLEANSED THE BODY OF IMPURITIES

HYSSOP MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE

WAS A CLEANSING AGENT

USED TO CLEANSE THE TEMPLE

AND HOMES

IT WAS ALSO USED AS A PURGATIVE

IN THE MIGRATION OF WORDS

FROM CULTURE TO CULTURE

A NAME OFTEN CARRIES WITH IT

NO ONLY A NAME OF A THING

BUT ALSO ITS ACTIONS

SO WHEN THE AUTHOR OF PS 50(51)

CRIES OUT IN REMORSE

HE USES CONCEPTS

CURRENT IN HIS TIME

HE ASKS FOR A DIURETIC

BLOOD CLEANSER

LAXATIVE

THIS IS NOT A GOD TEA PARTY EXPERIENCE

BUT A GUT WRENCHING CRY OF SORROW

HE SAYS IN THE KJV

WHICH THE JEWS FIND CLOSER TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

HE SAYS

⁶BEHOLD

 THOU DESIREST TRUTH

 IN THE INWARD PARTS

AND IN THE HIDDEN PART

 THOU SHALT MAKE ME

TO KNOW WISDOM.

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

AND I SHALL BE CLEAN:

WASH ME,

AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW

THE WORD FOR WASHING

IS THE SAME AS USED FOR CLOTHING

WHICH WERE CLEANED USING STONES

THE SINNER WANTS THE EXTERIOR MAN

PUNISHED FOR HIS SINS

HE ALSO WANTS THE INTERIOR MAN PURGED

SO WHEN JEROME

TRANSLATED THE BIBLE

INTO COMMON LATIN

NOT THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOLARS

BUT THE PLEBIAN CLASS

HE USED COMMON IMAGERY

SO WHEN HE SAID

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

HE ENCOMPASSED ALL I’VE MENTIONED ABOVE

SO HE TRANSLATED THE PSALM

AS SUCH

Asparges me hysopo et mundabor lavabis me et super nivem dealbabor

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

 AND I SHALL BE CLEAN

 WASH ME

AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW

FRANK A VOLLMER