hal·le·lu·jah /ˌhæləˈluyə/ [hal-uh-loo-yuh]
1. Praise ye the Lord!
2. an exclamation of “hallelujah!”
3. a shout of joy, praise, or gratitude.
4. a musical composition wholly or principally based upon the word “hallelujah.”
Also, hal·le·lu·iah.
[Origin: 1525–35; < Heb halălūyāh praise ye Yahweh; cf. alleluia]
Hallelujah is a word you can't say without singing. I know the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah has been done to death, but I really think Handel was on to something. According to the Bible, this is THE WORD (or at least, a translation of that word) the angels chose to announce their jubilation at the birth of Jesus. Whether you're Christian or not, you've got to admit, that's a powerful word. I can't think of any expression that better encapsulates a feeling of pure joy. In fact, I challenge you to say it and not be happy.
Actually, my challenge is masterfully met by that haunting Hallelujah song by Jeff Buckley (my sources tell me the song was originally written and performed by Leonard Cohen). You know, the one that has appeared in every movie, hospital drama, and "very special episode" of TV ever produced. Basically, in any scene where somebody is or might be dying. Love that song. After hearing it a million times, this line still makes me weepy:
"I've seen your flag on the marble arch
But love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah"
On a totally different note, the song You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon contains one of my favorite lines of poetry ever:
"He looks around and around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity.
And he says hey, Hallelujah!"
Love it. Wish I wrote it. Hallelujah, indeed.
(stained glass by Marc Chagall)
4 comments:
Don't forget my dear, when you write, "Whether you're Christian or not" that the word Hallelujah is used a lot in the Jewish religion - go figure, it was their word first!
You're right, of course. What I meant to say was that it must have been a pretty great word (in the original Hebrew, or Aramaic I suppose) that the choir of angels chose it over all the other words in existence to get their message across. I never meant to imply that the word is of Christian origin. Oh, the vagaries of language.
I would have to agree that Hallelujah is a hard word to top, and I love it too...and the paul simon, we have so much in common, it's like we're sisters...oh wait..
I have to mention that I also enjoy the Arabic version of hallelujah (in my mind) alhumdulilaay!! They say it in Senegal after everything! I did too when I lived there...you should try it. I'm not saying it's better than hallelujah, just an equally fun and powerful counterpart:) Alhumdulilaay!
Hey sister, thanks for the comment! I actually wanted to mention alhumdulilaay in my post but couldn't figure out how to spell it.
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