Giving Voice to the Psalms in the Alfredian Metre 4 of Boethius
Giving Voice to the Psalms in the Alfredian Metre 4 of Boethius

Summary/Abstract: This article will read the Alfredian Boethius Metre 4 as a lamentation, spoken in the voice of Mod (Mind) and recited by the inner voice of the reader. The voice of Mod is mingled with the Alfredian voice, which is given a further authority by the voices of king David and the Psalter itself. The aim of this article is to highlight the echoes of Old English Psalms in the thought and rhetoric of the Alfredian Boethius Metre 4. The Old English translation of the Psalms embraces the Old English Prose Psalms (represented by Psalms 1–50) and the Old English Metrical Psalms (represented by Psalms 51–150). The Old English translation of the Prose Psalms traditionally ascribed to King Alfred the Great of Wessex (c. 871–899) is of particular interest for the present study. Yet, the inner space of Metre 4 is redolent of the vernacular voice of the selected Old English Psalms both in prose and verse.

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