From my previous study of the Psalms, I was aware that ancient Hebrew poetry employed certain devices not so frequently used in English poetry--like parallelism--and did not employ certain devices common in English poetry, like rhyme or meter. Also, there is some wordplay in the original Hebrew that is not captured in the English translation. This sort of situation is perhaps inevitable given the limitations of translating literature from one language to another. Nevertheless, what really strikes me is how well the Psalms in translation work as poetry. I suspect that this is in large part due to the powerful metaphors--a characteristic of poetry in most languages--that the Psalms contain.
For example, this morning I read Psalm 46. At the beginning of the psalm, the poet speaks of God as "our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (NIV). This striking image, emphasizing the poet's confidence in God's protection, apparently inspired Martin Luther's much-beloved hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Later (in verse 4), the poet speak of a "river whose streams make glad the city of God." This is interesting, as Jerusalem ("the city of God") actually had no river. In fact, it is a quite effective metaphor for the outflowing of divine blessings on the city where God chose "to put His name." The little phrase "makes glad" seems to make the metaphor even more effective, as it, in effect, personifies the city of Jerusalem. A little earlier in the psalm, the poet speaks of how "we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (vv. 2-3)--a very powerful description of chaos threatening to undo the very created order of things.
What all of this suggests to me is that while we should not simply view the Bible as part of the canon of world literature--thus robbing it of its unique status as the very words of God to man--we can come to a much, much deeper appreciation of the Scripture if we allow ourselves to appreciate its wonderful literary qualities--qualities to shine through even when we are unable to read it in its original language.
Image from pts.edu