Anders Arrebo
Anders Christensen Arrebo (1587-1637) was a notable Danish theologian and poet, born in Ærøskøbing, Denmark. His early career included significant roles, such as serving as court chaplain at the Palace Church in Copenhagen and later at Fredriksborg. In 1618, he became the bishop of the Trondheim diocese in Norway, during which time he started to compose his translation of the Psalms of David, introducing a new metrical system that brought Danish poetry closer to Renaissance styles. Despite his contributions, Arrebo was removed from his bishopric in 1622 due to unproven charges of immorality, likely stemming from political conflicts. After his dismissal, he relocated to Malmö, where he published his popular psalm translations and continued to work on other literary projects. Notably, his translation of Guillaume de Salluste du Bartas's epic poem about creation, titled "Hexaëmeron rhytmico-danicum," was significant in transitioning Danish poetry from medieval forms to Renaissance influences. Arrebo passed away in Vordingborg in 1637, leaving a lasting impact on Danish literature and poetry.
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Anders Arrebo
- Born: June 2, 1587
- Birthplace: Ærøskøbing, Denmark
- Died: 1637
- Place of death: Vordingborg, Denmark
Biography
Anders Christensen Arrebo was born on June 2, 1587, in Ærøskøbing on the Danish island of Ærø, where his father, Christen Andersen Arrebo, was a pastor. Although his early history is unknown, Arrebo’s appointment in 1608 as court chaplain at the Palace Church in Copenhagen suggests that his abilities were substantial to gain him such early recognition. In 1610, he earned a master’s degree, and the following year he married Else Jørgensdatter. In 1613, he became court chaplain at Fredriksborg. From there, he was called as a pastor to Nicoli Church in Copenhagen in 1616, and in 1618 he was made bishop of the diocese in Trondheim, Norway, a territory that was then a part of Denmark.
It was during his time in Norway that he probably began to compose his rendering of the Psalms of David, arranged for song and set to traditional Reformation hymn tunes. His translation of the psalms marked his introduction of a new metrical system for Danish poetry, replacing the medieval system which had paired set numbers of stressed syllables with various numbers of unstressed ones in each rhymed line. Arrebo substituted a new system of set patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables, similar to the form of traditional English poetry of the Renaissance.
In 1622, Arrebo was removed from his position as bishop and charged with immoral and inappropriate behavior. The charges stemmed from political rivalries and were unproven, but Arrebo was forced from office and moved to Malmö, where he completed his work on the psalms. In 1623, he published his translation of the psalms,which was extremely popular, going through five editions in the next fifty years. In 1625, Arrebo was allowed to apply for another pastoral position, and in 1626 he was called as parish pastor to Vordingborg, where he remained for the rest of his life. Two of his sermons from that period were published posthumously by his son, exemplifying his mastery of baroque prose.
However, his most notable work from this period was a translation of the epic La Semaine: Ou, Creation du monde (1587), by French poet Guillaume de Salluste du Bartas. Du Bartas’s poem describes the creation of the world, but Arrebo’s translation went far beyond the French original. However, Arrebo died before he reached creation’s seventh day; when his son posthumously published the translation in 1661, he included a reference to “the world’s first week of six days” in the poem’s title. Arrebo used a hexameter rhyming scheme for the first day, thus the first three words of his own title, “Hexaëmeron rhytmico-danicum.” This translation began to move Danish poetry out of the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance and remained a touchstone of the new verse throughout the seventeenth century. Arrebo died in Vordingborg in 1637.