Psalm inspired literature

Psalm 137 has the line:

"By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept"

Paulo Coelho has a book titled "By The River Piedra I sat down and Wept".

The blurb on the book says this about it:

In all stories of love there is always something that moves us closer to eternity and the essence of life because the stories of love hold within all the secrets in the world.

But what happens when shyness prevents an adolescent love affair from developing? And what happens when, 11 years later, destiny brings the lovers together again? In the meantime, life has taught her to be strong and to hide her feelings. As for him, he is now a handsome spiritual teacher – with a reputation for performing miracles – who has turned to religion as a refuge from his inner conflicts.

Together they take a journey that is initially fraught with difficulty as blame and resentment resurface after years of being hidden. But by the River Piedra, in a small village in the French Pyrenees, they find a way to discuss many of life's big questions and re-evaluate their won special relationship.

By The River Piedra is a wonderful novel, with a poetic and transcendent narrative, that reflects all the mysteries of love and life.

Similarly the psalm contains the line:

"If I forget you, O Jerusalem"

Arthur C Clark has a great short story called "If I Forget Thee, O Earth" about a post apocalpse people living in exile on the Moon, dreaming of a day when heir future generations will be able to return and reclaim the planet.


It's worth seeking out both stories and reading them.