Hi, Anton!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

 AH>  This version says "inspired *by* the woods and hills"

 AS>  They hay surely smelleth of that weed,


           Or somebody's brain slipped a cog because it was Friday afternoon &
the deadline was uncomfortably close?  I've often noticed an increasing number
of errors as I read +/- the last third of a book....  ;-)



 AS>  for the parallel phrase that follows does have "by".


           Yes.  The writers of the day would have understood parallelism, and
used it to maximum effect when such an opportunity presented itself.  :-)



 AS>  Yet "inpired of" is not ungrammatical, and the bible,
 AS>  for example, is often said to be inspired of God, but
 AS>  how different it is from being "inspired by God" is
 AS>  not a simple matter.


           I was thinking along much the same lines, and eventually managed to
track down a few examples using "beloved of".  This construction is not one we
use often, however... and I don't see it as a simple matter either.  If we say
"required of", e.g., the meaning is very different from that of "required by".
With "inspired" or "beloved" the difference (if any) is less clear AFAIC.  :-)



 AS>  When I thought so hard that the ridges of my brain rubbed
 AS>  and my skull creaked, I have come to the conclusion that
 AS>  "of" implies a passive source of inspiration, whereas "by"
 AS>  refers to an active agency.  Do you agree?


           Re "inspired" it is difficult to be sure without more examples, but
you may have a point.  Some folks seem to believe that every word of the Bible
(i.e. the version they're used to) was dictated by God in English.  Others say
the Great Outdoors is their church & derive their own spiritual inspiration in
ways which make words unnecessary, although they may be reminded of a familiar
hymn or a passage from Scripture.  By my reckoning these groups have different
preferred learning styles... and may handle such a task as writing about their
perceptions quite differently.  FWIW, I've had a few experiences with doggerel
which came to mind all at once & which I had to write down immediately because
otherwise it would be lost forever.  I didn't feel I could take credit for the
invention of this material... I was just the scribe.  In most cases, though, I
find that writing involves conscious effort on my part.  And I can relate when
Jesus suggests pondering the birds of the sky & the flowers of the field.  :-)

           I find the terms "active" and "passive" somewhat confusing, in this
context, because from a grammatical standpoint I see "inspired" as a verb when
folks say "inspired by"... yet they're using the verb in the passive voice.  I
think when they say "inspired of" it may be their way of recognizing that Help
from Above manifests itself both directly & indirectly.  If I were on the roof
of my house during a major flood praying for help I'd accept it from the first
person who arrived in a kayak or a rowboat & offered it.  But I've heard a lot
of sad stories about others who wanted God to appear in a blaze of glory.  ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)