Beauty of the Creation (Sena Fetrat).

• Author: Devens, Monica S.

This creation is a beauty, the kind of book one simply has to hold and touch, its mottled blue-and-white rough-textured cover a delight. The slim volume contains the text of the Sena Fetrat in both Geez and Old Amharic, with each in turn accompanied by notes and an English translation. The notes are extensive and instructive, and the translation is ably accomplished, balanced between literal renditions and comfortable English flow. One would expect no less from a project involving Dr. Getatchew. Still one of the joys of reviewing a book like this is having the opportunity to pose some questions, and so I will.

Naturally there are a few places where I would prefer a slightly different English translation as, for example, The Beauty of the Creation for the title of the work. Similarly I would suggest "his renown" rather than "the remembrance of him" for zekru (p. 77, para. 1).

In a few places I would argue for a somewhat different understanding of the text, such as "master" for bal (p. 77, para. 4) rather than "wealthy." Admittedly bal appears in a string of adjectives, and ideally that consistency of syntax should be maintained. More important, however, the referent is God, and "wealthy" has strong, inappropriate connotations.

Another such case concerns the lessons taught by the author of the Sena Fetrat, in which he compares the creation to the world we inhabit (e.g., p. 42, para. 7; p. 78, para. 7; p. 79, para. 15; p. 80, para. 16). He claims, for example, that God created light after darkness to teach us that the Kingdom of Heaven, the light-filled world that comes later, is preferable to our present world of darkness. In all these lessons, amsal is rendered as "example," e.g., the creation of light after darkness is "an example of the Kingdom of Heaven." I think the concept is, rather, "model" or "symbol."

The origin and transmission history of the Sena Fetrat are discussed, but would benefit...