Old English Poems Part 12

[Critical edition: Cook, _The Dream of the Rood_, Oxford, 1905.

Author: "Making all due allowance, then, for the weakness of certain arguments both pro and con, the balance of probability seems to incline decidedly in favor of Cynewulfian authors.h.i.+p."--Cook.

Translations: English Prose: Kemble. Verse: Stephens, 1866; Morley, 1888; Miss Iddings, 1902.

The poem has much in common with _Elene_, especially the intimate self-a.n.a.lysis. Portions of it are on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriess.h.i.+re.

It is claimed as Cynewulf's, but there is nothing to indicate this except the beauty of style, which has caused it to be called "the choicest blossom of Old English Christian poetry."]

Lo, I shall tell you the truest of visions, A dream that I dreamt in the dead of night While people reposed in peaceful sleep.

I seemed to see the sacred tree 5 Lifted on high in a halo of light, The brightest of beams; that beacon was wholly Gorgeous with gold; glorious gems stood Fair at the foot; and five were a.s.sembled, At the crossing of the arms. The angels of G.o.d looked on, 10 Fair through the firmament. It was truly no foul sinner's cross, For beholding his sufferings were the holy spirits, The men of the earth and all of creation.

Wondrous was that victory-wood, and I wounded and stained With sorrows and sins. I saw the tree of glory 15 Blessed and bright in brilliant adornments, Made joyous with jewels. Gems on all sides Full rarely enriched the rood of the Savior.

Through the sight of that cross I came to perceive Its stiff struggle of old, when it started first 20 To bleed on the right side. I was broken and cast down with sorrow; The fair sight inspired me with fear. Before me the moving beacon Changed its clothing and color. At times it was covered with blood Fearful and grimy with gore. At times with gold 'twas adorned.

Then I lay and looked for a long time 25 And saw the Savior's sorrowful tree Until I heard it lift high its voice.

The worthiest of the wood-race formed words and spoke: "It was ages ago --I shall always remember-- When first I was felled at the forest's edge, 30 My strong trunk stricken. Then strange enemies took me And fas.h.i.+oned my frame to a cross; and their felons I raised on high.

On their backs and shoulders they bore me to the brow of the lofty hill.

There the hated ones solidly set me. I saw there the Lord of Mankind Struggling forward with courage to climb my st.u.r.dy trunk.

35 I dared not then oppose the purpose of the Lord, So I bent not nor broke when there burst forth a trembling From the ends of the earth. Easily might I Destroy the murderers, but I stood unmoved.

"The Young Hero unclothed him --it was the holy G.o.d-- 40 Strong and steadfast; he stepped to the high gallows, Not fearing the look of the fiends, and there he freed mankind.

At his blessed embrace I trembled, but bow to the earth I dared not, Or forward to fall to the ground, but fast and true I endured.

As a rood I was raised up; a royal King I bore, 45 The Lord of heavenly legions. I allowed myself never to bend.

Dark nails through me they drove; so that dastardly scars are upon me, Wounds wide open; but not one of them dared I to harm.

They cursed and reviled us together. I was covered all over with blood, That flowed from the Savior's side when his soul had left the flesh.

50 Sorrowful the sights I have seen on that hill, Grim-visaged grief: the G.o.d of mankind I saw And his frightful death. The forces of darkness Covered with clouds the corpse of the Lord, The s.h.i.+ning radiance; the shadows darkened 55 Under the cover of clouds. Creation all wept, The king's fall bewailed. Christ was on the rood.

Finally from afar came faithful comrades To the Savior's side, and I saw it all.

Bitter the grief that I bore, but I bowed me low to their hands; 60 My travail was grievous and sore. They took then G.o.d Almighty, From loathsome torment they lifted him. The warriors left me deserted, To stand stained with blood. I was stricken and wounded with nails.

Limb-weary they laid him there, and at their Lord's head they stood.

They beheld there the Ruler of heaven; and they halted a while to rest, 65 Tired after the terrible struggle. A tomb then they began to make, His friends in sight of his foes. Of the fairest of stone they built it, And set their Savior upon it. A sorrowful dirge they chanted, Lamented their Master at evening, when they made their journey home, Tired from their loved Lord's side. And they left him with the guard.

70 We crosses stood there streaming with blood, And waited long after the wailing ceased Of the brave company. The body grew cold, The most precious of corpses. Then they pulled us down, All to the earth --an awful fate!

75 They buried us low in a pit. But the loved disciples of Christ, His faithful friends made search and found me and brought me to light, And gorgeously decked me with gold and with silver.

"Now mayst thou learn, my beloved friend, That the work of the wicked I have worthily borne, 80 The most trying of torments. The time is now come When through the wide world I am wors.h.i.+pped and honored, That all manner of men, and the mighty creation, Hold sacred this sign. On me the Son of G.o.d Death-pangs endured. Hence, dauntless in glory, 85 I rise high under heaven, and hold out salvation To each and to all who have awe in my presence.

"Long ago I was the greatest and most grievous of torments, Most painful of punishments, till I pointed aright The road of life for the race of men.

90 "Lo, a glory was given by the G.o.d of Creation To the worthless wood --by the Warden of heaven-- Just as Mary, his mother, the maiden blessed, Received grace and glory from G.o.d Almighty, And homage and wors.h.i.+p over other women.

95 "And now I bid thee, my best of comrades, That thou reveal this vision to men.

Tell them I am truly the tree of glory, That the Savior sorrowed and suffered upon me For the race of men and its many sins, 100 And the ancient evil that Adam wrought.

"He there tasted of death; but in triumph he rose, The Lord in his might and gave life unto men.

Then he ascended to heaven, and hither again Shall the Savior descend to seek mankind 105 On the day of doom, the dreaded Ruler Of highest heaven, with his host of angels.

Then will he adjudge with justice and firmness Rewards to the worthy whose works have deserved them, Who loyally lived their lives on the earth.

110 Then a feeling of fear shall fill every heart For the warning they had in the words of their Master: He shall demand of many where the man may be found To consent for the sake of his Savior to taste The bitter death as He did on the cross.

115 They are filled with fear and few of them think What words they shall speak in response to Christ.

Then no feeling of fright or fear need he have Who bears on his heart the brightest of tokens, But there shall come to the kingdom through the cross and its power 120 All the souls of the saved from the sorrows of earth, Of the holy who hope for a home with their Lord."

Then I adored the cross with undaunted courage, With the warmest zeal, while I watched alone And saw it in secret. My soul was eager 125 To depart on its path, but I have pa.s.sed through many An hour of longing. Through all my life I shall seek the sight of that sacred tree Alone more often than all other men And worthily wors.h.i.+p it. My will for this service 130 Is steadfast and st.u.r.dy, and my strength is ever In the cross of Christ. My comrades of old, The friends of fortune, all far from the earth Have departed from the world and its pleasures and have pa.s.sed to the King of Glory, And high in the heavens with the holy G.o.d 135 Are living eternally. And I long for the time To arrive at last when the rood of the Lord, Which once so plainly appeared to my sight, Shall summon my soul from this sorrowful life, And bring me to that bourne where bliss is unending 140 And happiness of heaven, where the holy saints All join in a banquet, where joy is eternal.

May He set me where always in after time I shall dwell in glory with G.o.d's chosen ones In delights everlasting. May the Lord be my friend, 145 Who came to earth and of old on the cross Suffered and sorrowed for the sins of men.

He broke there our bonds and bought for us life And a heavenly home. The hearts were now filled With blessings and bliss, which once burned with remorse.

150 To the Son was his journey successful and joyful And crowned with triumph, when he came with his troops, With his gladsome guests into G.o.d's kingdom, The Almighty Judge's, and brought joy to the angels, And the host of the holy who in heaven before 155 Dwelt in glory when their G.o.d arrived, The Lord Most High, at his home at last.

39. The lines that follow appear with some changes on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriess.h.i.+re.

44. This and the following line form the basis of an inscription on a reliquary containing a cross preserved in the Cathedral at Brussels.

JUDITH

[Critical edition: Cook, _Judith_, Boston, 1904.

Translation: _Hall, Judith, Phoenix and Other Anglo-Saxon Poems._

Ma.n.u.script: The same as the one containing _Beowulf_. It was injured by a fire in 1731. It had been printed by Thwaites in 1698 before the injury.

Authors.h.i.+p and date: The mixture of dialect forms seems to indicate that a northern original pa.s.sed through one or more hands and that at least the last scribe belonged to the late West Saxon period. Cook thinks that it is not earlier than about 825 nor later than 937, and that it is possibly by Cynewulf.

Source: Apocryphal book of Judith.]

1. The Feast

. . . . . . . . . . She doubted [not] the gifts In this wide world. There worthily she found Help at the hands of the Lord, when she had the highest need, Grace from G.o.d on high, that against the greatest of dangers 5 The Lord of Hosts should protect her; for this the Heavenly Father Graciously granted her wish, for she had given true faith To the holy Ruler of heaven.

Holofernes then, I am told, Called his warriors to a wine-feast and a wondrous and glorious Banquet prepared. To this the prince of men 10 Bade the bravest of thanes. Then with bold haste To the powerful prince came the proud s.h.i.+eld-warriors, Before the chief of the folk. That was the fourth day Since the gentle Judith, just in her thoughts, Of fairy-like beauty, was brought to the king.

15 Then they sought the a.s.sembly to sit at the banquet, Proud to the wine-pouring, all his partners in woe, Bold burnie-warriors. Bowls large and deep Were borne along the benches; beakers also and flagons Full to the feasters. Fated they drank it, 20 Renowned s.h.i.+eld-knights, though he knew not their doom, The hateful lord of heroes. Holofernes, the king, Bestower of jewels, took joy in the wine-pouring, Howled and hurled forth a hideous din That the folk of the earth from afar might hear 25 How the stalwart and strong-minded stormed and bellowed, Maddened by mead-drink; he demanded full oft That the brave bench-sitters should bear themselves well.

So the h.e.l.lish demon through the whole of the day Drenched with drink his dear companions, 30 The cruel gold-king, till unconscious they lay, All drunk his doughty ones, as if in death they were slain, Every good gone from them.

1. Although the fragment begins in the middle of a line, it presents the appearance of being practically complete. Certainly, as it stands it makes an artistic whole: we begin and end the poem by showing how Judith was favored of G.o.d. Within a very short s.p.a.ce after the opening lines we are in the midst of the action: Judith has come from her beleaguered city of Bethulia and enchanted Holofernes by her beauty, and Holofernes has finished his great feast by summoning her to him.

All this is put before us in the first 37 lines. The rest of the poem is vividly conceived, from the slaying of the a.s.syrian king to the final victory and rejoicing.

2. The Slaying of Holofernes

He gave then commands To serve the hall-sitters till descending upon them Dark night came near. The ign.o.ble one ordered 35 The blessed maiden, burdened with jewels, Freighted with rings, to be fetched in all haste To his hated bedside. His behest they performed, His corps of retainers --the commands of their lord, Chief of the champions. Cheerfully they stepped 40 To the royal guest-room, where full ready they found The queenly Judith, and quickly then The goodly knights began to lead The holy maiden to the high tent, Where the rich ruler rested always, 45 Lay him at night, loathsome to G.o.d, Holofernes. There hung an all-golden Radiant fly-net around the folk-chief's Bed embroidered; so that the baleful one, The loathed leader, might look unhindered 50 On everyone of the warrior band Who entered in, and on him none Of the sons of men, unless some of his n.o.bles, Contrivers of crime, he called to his presence: His barons to bring him advice. Then they bore to his rest 55 The wisest of women; went then the strong-hearted band To make known to their master that the maiden of G.o.d Was brought to his bower. Then blithe was the chief in his heart, The builder of burg-steads; the bright maiden he planned With loathsome filth to defile, but the Father of heaven knew 60 His purpose, the Prince of goodness and with power he restrained him, G.o.d, the Wielder of Glory. Glad then the hateful one Went with his riotous rout of retainers Baleful to his bedside, where his blood should be spilled Suddenly in a single night. Full surely his end approached 65 On earth ungentle, even as he lived, Stern striver for evil, while still in this world He dwelt under the roof of the clouds. Drunken with wine then he fell In the midst of his regal rest so that he recked not of counsel In the chamber of his mind; the champions stepped 70 Out of his presence and parted in haste, The wine-sated warriors who went with the false one, And the evil enemy of man ushered to bed For the last time.

Then the Lord's servant The mighty hand-maiden, was mindful in all things 75 How she most easily from the evil contriver His life might s.n.a.t.c.h ere the lecherous deceiver, The creature crime-laden awoke. The curly-locked maiden Of G.o.d then seized the sword well ground, Sharp from the hammers, and from its sheath drew it 80 With her right hand; heaven's Guardian she began To call by name, Creator of all The dwellers in the world, and these words she spoke: "O Heavenly G.o.d, and Holy Ghost, Son of the Almighty, I will seek from Thee 85 Thy mercy unfailing to defend me from evil, O Holiest Trinity. Truly for me now Full sore is my soul and sorrowful my heart, Tormented with griefs. Grant me, Lord of the skies, Success and soundness of faith, that with this sword I may 90 Behead this hideous monster. Heed my prayer for salvation, n.o.ble Lord of nations; never have I had More need of thy mercy; mighty Lord, avenge now Bright-minded Bringer of glory, that I am thus baffled in spirit, Heated in heart." Her then the greatest of Judges 95 With dauntless daring inspired, as he doth ever to all The sons of the Spirit who seek him for help, With reason and with right belief. Then was to the righteous in mind, Holy hope renewed; the heathen man then she took, And held by his hair; with her hands she drew him 100 Shamefully toward her, and the traitorous deceiver Laid as she listed, most loathsome of men, In order that easily the enemy's body She might wield at her will. The wicked one she slew, The curly-locked maiden with her keen-edged sword, 105 Smote the hateful-hearted one till she half cut through Severing his neck, so that swooning he lay Drunken and death-wounded. Not dead was he yet, Nor lifeless entirely: the triumphant lady More earnestly smote the second time 110 The heathen hound, so that his head was thrown Forth on the floor; foul lay the carca.s.s, Bereft of a soul; the spirit went elsewhere Under the burning abyss where abandoned it lay, Tied down in torment till time shall cease, 115 With serpents bewound, amid woes and tortures, All firmly fixed in the flames of h.e.l.l, When death came upon him. He durst not hope, Enveloped in blackness, to venture forth ever From that dreary hole, but dwell there he shall 120 Forever and aye till the end of time, In that hideous home without hope of joy.

52. Here begins a series of extended lines which some critics think are intended to lend an air of solemnity to the pa.s.sage. A study of the occurrence of these long lines in this and other poems, such as _The Wanderer_, _The Charms_, or _Widsith_, does not seem to bear out this contention. Usually these long lines have three accents in each half.

The rules for the alliteration are the same as for the short verses.

3. The Return to Bethulia

Great was the glory then gained in the fight By Judith at war, through the will of G.o.d, The mighty Master, who permitted her victory.

125 Then the wise-minded maiden immediately threw The heathen warrior's head so b.l.o.o.d.y, Concealed it in the sack that her servant had brought-- The pale-faced woman, polished in manners-- Which before she had filled with food for them both.

130 Then the gory head gave she to her goodly maid-servant To bear to their home, to her helper she gave it, To her junior companion. Then they journeyed together, Both of the women, bold in their daring, The mighty in mind, the maidens exultant, 135 Till they had wholly escaped from the host of the enemy, And could full clearly catch the first sight Of their sacred city and see the walls Of bright Bethulia. Then the bracelet-adorned ones, Traveling on foot, went forth in haste, 140 Until they had journeyed, with joy in their hearts, To the wall-gate.

The warriors sat Unwearied in watching, the wardens on duty, Fast in the fortress, as the folk erstwhile, The grieved ones of mind, by the maiden were counselled, 145 By the wary Judith, when she went on her journey, The keen-witted woman. She had come once more, Dear to her people, the prudent in counsel.

She straightway summoned certain of the heroes From the s.p.a.cious city speedily to meet her 150 And allow her to enter without loss of time Through the gate of the wall, and these words she spoke To the victor-tribe: "I may tell to you now Noteworthy news, that you need no longer Mourn in your mind, for the Master is kind to you, 155 The Ruler of nations. It is known afar Around the wide world that you have won glory; Very great victory is vouchsafed in return For all the evils and ills you have suffered."