complete copy, that contained in the Bodleian MS. Rawl. B. 502, but
no part of it has hitherto been published in English. The present
translation of the sections dealing with the Creation and with the
life of Adam and Eve is purely tentative; the poem presents great
difficulties, and we suffer from the lack of a second copy with which
to compare it.[10] Miss Eleanor Knott has read the translations and has
helped me with many difficulties; and I had the advantage of reading
parts of the poem in class with Dr. Kuno Meyer. For the errors which
the translation must undoubtedly contain, I am myself, however, alone
responsible.
FOOTNOTES:
[9] In _Anecdota Oxoniensia_ (Med. and Mod. Series), vol. i.
part iii.
[10] The Lebar Brecc gives poem x., and a prose version of
portions of poems ii., iv., vi., viii., ix., xi.
THE SALTAIR NA RANN, OR PSALTER OF THE VERSES
_Attributed to Oengus the Culdee, ninth century; but the date is
probably the close of the tenth century._
I. THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
My own King, King of the pure heavens,
without pride, without contention,
who didst create the folded[11] world,
my King ever-living, ever victorious.
King above the elements, surpassing the sun,
King above the ocean depths,
King in the South and North, in the West and East,
with whom no contention can be made.
King of the Mysteries, who wast and art,
before the elements, before the ages,
King yet eternal, comely His aspect,
King without beginning, without end.
King who created lustrous heaven,
who is not arrogant, not overweening,
and the earth, with its multitudinous delights,
strong, powerful, stable.
King who didst make the noble brightness,
and the darkness, with its gloom;
the one, the perfect day,
the other, the very perfect night.
King who fashioned the vast deeps
out of the primary stuff of the elements,
who ...
the wondrous formless mass.
King who formed out of it each element,
who confirmed them without restriction, a lovely mystery,
both tempestuous and serene,
both animate and inanimate.
King who hewed, gloriously, with energy,
out of the very shapely primal stuff,
the heavy, round earth,
with foundations, ... length and breadth.[12]
King who shaped within no narrow limits
in the circle of the firmament
the globe, fashioned
like a goodly apple, truly round.
King who formed after that with fixity
the fresh masses about the earth;
the very smooth currents above the world
of the chill watery air.
King who didst sift the cold excellent water
on the earth-mass of the noble cliffs
into rills, with the reservoirs[13] of the streams,
according to their measures, with moderation.
CREATION OF THE WINDS WITH THEIR COLOURS
King who ordained the eight winds
advancing without uncertainty, full of beauty,
the four prime winds He holds back,
the four fierce under-winds.
There are four other under-winds,
as learned authors say,
this should be the number, without any error,
of the winds, twelve winds.
King who fashioned the colours of the winds,
who fixed them in safe courses,
after their manner, in well-ordered disposition,
with the varieties of each manifold hue.
The white, the clear purple,
the blue, the very strong green,
the yellow, the red, sure the knowledge,
in their gentle meetings wrath did not seize them.
The black, the grey, the speckled,
the dark and the deep brown,
the dun, darksome hues,
they are not light, easily controlled.
King who ordained them over every void,
the eight wild under-winds;
who laid down without defect
the bounds of the four prime winds.
From the East, the smiling purple,
from the South, the pure white, wondrous,
from the North, the black blustering moaning wind,
from the West, the babbling dun breeze.
The red, and the yellow along with it,
both white and purple;
the green, the blue, it is brave,
both dun and the pure white.
The grey, the dark brown, hateful their harshness,
both dun and deep black;
the dark, the speckled easterly wind
both black and purple.
Rightly ordered their form,
their disposition was ordained;
with wise adjustments,[14] openly,
according to their position and their fixed places.
The twelve winds,
Easterly and Westerly, Northerly and Southerly,
the King who adjusted them, He holds them back,
He fettered them with seven curbs.
King who bestowed them according to their posts,
around the world with many adjustments,
each two winds of them about a separate curb,
and one curb for the whole of them.
King who arranged them in habitual harmony,
according to their ways, without over-passing their limits;
at one time, peaceful was the space,
at another time, tempestuous.
MEASUREMENTS OF THE UNIVERSE
King who didst make clear the measure of the slope[15]
from the earth to the firmament,
estimating it, clear the amount,
along with the thickness of the earth-mass.
He set the course of the seven Stars[16]
from the firmament to the earth,
Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars,
Sol, Venus, the very great moon.
King who numbered, kingly the space,
from the earth to the moon;
twenty-six miles with a hundred miles,
they measure them in full amount.
This is that cold air
circulating in its aerial series(?)
which is called ... with certainty
the pleasant, delightful heaven.
The distance from the moon to the sun
King who measured clearly, with absolute certainty,
two hundred miles, great the sway,
with twelve and forty miles.
This is that upper ethereal region,
without breeze, without greatly moving air,[17]
which is called, without incoherence,
the heaven of the wondrous ether.
Three times as much, the difference is not clear(?)
between the firmament and the sun,
He has given to calculators;[18]
my King star-mighty! most true is this!
This is the perfect Olympus,
motionless, immovable,
(according to the opinion of the ancient sages)
which is called the Third Holy Heaven.
Twelve miles, bright boundary,
with ten times five hundred miles,
splendid the star-run course, separately
from the firmament to the earth.
The measure of the space
from the earth to the firmament,
it is the measure of the difference
from the firmament to heaven.
Twenty-four miles
with thirty hundred miles
is the distance to heaven,
besides the firmament.
The measure of the whole space
from the earth to the Kingly abode,
is equal to that from the rigid earth
down to the depths of hell.
King of each Sovereign lord, vehement, ardent,
who of His own force set going the firmament
as it seemed secure to Him over every space,
He shaped them from the formless mass.
The poem goes on to speak of the division of the universe into five
zones, a torrid, two temperate, and two frigid zones, and of the earth
revolving in the centre of the universe, with the firmament about it,
"like a shell encircling an egg." The passage of the sun through the
constellations is then described, each of the twelve divisions through
which it passes being provided with six windows, with close-fitting
shutters, and strong coverings, which open to shed light by day. The
constellations are then named, and the first section of the poem ends
as follows:--
For each day five items of knowledge
are required of every intelligent person,
from every one, without appearance of censure,[19]
who is in ecclesiastical orders.
The day of the solar month, the age of the moon,
the sea-tide, without error,
the day of the week, the festivals of the perfect saints,
after just clearness, with their variations.
FOOTNOTES:
[11] Whitley Stokes gives "lawful."
[12] Comp. the parallel passage in Senchus mòr, _Ancient Laws
of Ireland_, vol. i. intro. p. 26.
[13] This is Dr. Whitley Stokes' reading. Dr. R. Thurneysen
reads "sextarii."
[14] It is not clear what the word _glés_, _gléssib_, which
occurs frequently in the following passage, means. In mod. Irish,
_gléas_, in one meaning, is a means or instrument for doing a thing.
The verb _gléasaim_ = "to harness." It seems to have some such meaning
here. The winds were apparently harnessed, curbed, or fettered two and
two, the whole being held together in one fetter. In another sense
_gléas_ means "harmony."
[15] Or "track."
[16] _i.e._ the Planets.
[17] Or "impure air"?
[18] _Cf._ the parallel passage in the Senchus mòr
astronomical tract, _Anc. Laws of Ireland_, vol. i., Introduction, p.
28.
[19] Perhaps "boasting."
II. THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM
[Sidenote: l. 337]
King who formed the pure Heaven,
with its boundaries, according to His pleasure,
a habitation choice, songful, safe,
for the wondrous host of Archangels.
Heaven with its multitude of hosts,
noble, durable, exceeding spacious,
a strong mighty city with a hundred graces,
a tenth of it the measure of the world.
Therein are three ramparts undecaying,
fixedly they surround heaven,
a rampart of emerald crystal,
a rampart of gold, a rampart of amethyst.[20]
A wall of emerald, without obscurity, outside,
a wall of gold next to the city,
between the two, with bright fair glory,
a mighty rampart of stainless purple.
There, with a strong-flowing sea (?)
is a spacious, perfect city,
in it, with the light of peace,[21]
is the eternal way of the four chief doors.
The measure of each door severally
of the four chief doorways,
(placed) side by side, by calculation,
is a mile across each single door.
In each doorway a cross of gold
before the eyes of the ever-shining host;
the King wrought them without effort,
they are massive, very lofty.
Overhead, on each cross, a bird of red gold,
full-voiced, not unsteady;
in every cross
a great gem of precious stone.
Every day an archangel
with his host from Heaven's king,
with harmony, with pure melody,
(gather) around each several cross.
Before each doorway is a lawn,
fair ..., of sure estimation,
I liken each one of them in extent[22]
to the earth together with its seas.
The circuit of each single lawn
with its silvern soil,[23]
with its swards, covered with goodly blossom,
with its beauteous plants.
Vast though you may deem
the extent of the spacious lawns,
a rampart of silver, undecaying,
has been formed about each several lawn.
The portals of the walls without
around the fortress on every side,
with its dwellings soundly placed,
affording abodes (?) for many thousands.
Eight portals in a series
so that they come together around the city,
I have not, in the way of knowledge,[24]
a simile for the extent of each portico.
Each portal abounding in plants,
with their bronze foundations,
a rampart of fair clay has been established
strongly about each portal.
Twelve ramparts--perfect the boundary (?)
of the portals, of the lawns,
without counting the three ramparts that are outside
around the chief city.
There are forty gateways in the heavenly habitation
with its kingly thrones;
three to each tranquil lawn,
and three to each portal.
[Sidenote: l. 409]
Gratings (or doors) of silver, fair in aspect,
to each gateway of that lawn,
gracious bronze doors
to the gateways of the portals.
The corresponding walls from the fortress outwards
of all the portals
are comparable in height[25]
(to the distance) from the earth to the moon.
The ramparts of the lawns, as is meet,
wrought of white bronze,
their height--mighty in brilliance--
is as that from the earth to the pure sun.
The measure of comparison of the three ramparts
which surround the chief city,
their height shows (a distance equal
to that) from the earth to the firmament.
[Sidenote: l. 465]
The entrance bridges[26] of the perfect gates,
a fair way, shining with red gold,
they are irradiated--pure the gathering--
each step ascending above the other.
From step to step--brave the progress,
pleasant the ascent into the high city;
fair is that host, on the path of attainment (?)
many thousands, a hundred of hundreds.
In the circuit of the ramparts--great its strength (?)--
in the interior of the chief city,
bright glossy galleries,
firm red-gold bridges.
Therein are flowering lands
ever fresh in all seasons,
with the produce of each well-loved fruit
with their thousand fragrances.
[Sidenote: l. 553]
The nine grades of heaven,
around the King of all causation,
without loss of glory, with vigour of strength,
without pride, without envy.
In abundant profusion (?) under the lawful King
this their exact number,
seventy-two excellent hosts
in each grade of the grades.
The number of each host, unmeasured gladness,
there is none that could know it,
except the King should know it
who created them out of nothing.
A majestic King over them all,
King of flowery heaven,
a goodly, righteous, steadfast King,
King of royal generosity in His regal dwelling.
King very youthful, King aged long ago,[27]
King who fashioned the heavens about the pure sun,
King of all the gracious saints,
a King gentle, comely, shapely.
The King who created the pure heavenly house
for the angels without transgression,
land of holy ones, of the sons of life,[28]
a plain fair, long, spacious.
He arranged a noble, peaceful[29] abode,
stable, under the regal courses,
a comely, clear, perfect, bright circuit,
for the wondrous folk of penitence.
My King from the beginning over the host,
"sanctus Dominus Sabaoth,"
to whom is chanted upon the heights, with loving guidance, (?)
the melody of the four-and-twenty white-robed saints.
The King who ordained the perfect choir
of the four-and-twenty holy ones,
sweetly they chant the chant to the host
"sanctus Deus Sabaoth."
King steadfast, bountiful, goodly, noble,
abode of peace, ... (?)
with whom is the flock of lambs
around the Pure Spotless Lamb.
Bright King, who appointed the Lamb
to move forward upon the Mount (of Sion)[30]
four thousand youths following Him,
(with) a hundred and forty (thousand) in a pure progress,
A perfect choir, with glories of form,
of the stainless virgins,
chants pure music along with them
following after the shining Lamb.
Equal in beauty, in swiftness, in brightness,
across the Mount surrounding the Lamb;
the name inscribed on their countenances, with grace,
is the name of the Father.
The King who ordained the voice
of the heavenly ones by inspiration,
full, strong-swelling,
as the mighty wave of many waters;
Or like the voice of sound-loving harps
they sing, without fault, full tenderly,
(like) multitudinous great floods over every land,
or like the mighty sound of thunder.[31]
King of the flowering tree of life,
a way for the ranks of the noble grades;
its top, its droppings, on every side,
have spread across the broad plain of heaven.
On which sits the splendid bird-flock
sustaining a perfect melody of pure grace,
without decay, with gracious increase
of fruit or of foliage.
Beauteous the bird-flock which sustains it, (_i.e._ the melody)
each choice bird with a hundred wings;
they chant without guile, in bright joyousness,
a hundred melodies for every wing.
King who created many splendid dwellings,[32]
many comely, just, perfect works,
through (the care of) my rich King,[33] over every sphere,
no lack is felt by any of the vast array.
His are the seven heavens, perfect in might,
without prohibition, without evil, whitely moving
around the earth, great the wonder (?)
with the names of each heaven.
Air, ether, over all
Olympus, the firmament,
heaven of water, heaven of the perfect angels,
the heaven where is the fair-splendid Lord.
[Sidenote: l. 649]
The amount of good which our dear God,
has for His saints in their holy dwelling,
according to the skill of the wise(?)
there is none who can relate a hundredth part of it.
The Lord, the head of each pure grade,
who gathered (?) the host to everlasting life,
may He save me after my going out of the body of battles,
the King who formed Heaven.
King who formed the pure Heaven.
FOOTNOTES:
[20] Lit. "green," "gold," and "purple," but they seem to
imply special stones.
[21] Or peaceful light.
[22] This is the L. B. reading; the text gives "excellence" or
"fertility," which does not make good sense.
[23] The L. B. reading is _fond d'argut futhib_, which seems
to point to some such meaning as "base," "foundation."
[24] Reading uncertain.
[25] This is the L. B. reading; our text seems to mean "in
renown."
[26] Or "thresholds."
[27] Perhaps Ancient of Days.
[28] _Mac bethad_ may mean "a sinless man," as _mac ódis_,
"son of death," means a sinful man.
[29] We take _síd_ to be an adjective; it might also mean "a
fairy mound," but this is hardly applicable here.
[30] Rev. xiv. i.
[31] "I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of
harpers harping with their harps" (Rev. xiv. 2).
[32] "In my Father's house are many mansions" (John xiv. 3).
[33] _Rogmar_ (mod. Ir. _roghmhar_) means "bulky" or
"fortunate" or "fat"; here it refers to God as possessor of all.
III. THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT. (vii.)
[Sidenote: l. 1081]
Prince who gave a clear admonition to Eve and to Adam,
that they should eat of the produce of Paradise
according to God's command:
"Eat ye of them freely,
of the fruits of Paradise--sweet the fragrance--
many, all of them (a festival to be shared)[34]
are lawful for you save one tree.
"In order that you may know that you are under authority,
without sorrow, without strife,
without anxiety, without long labour,
without age, evil, or blemish;
"Without decay, without heavy sickness;
with everlasting life, in everlasting triumph
on your going to heaven (joyous the festival)
at the choice age of thirty years."
A thousand years
and six hours of the hours,
without guile, without danger, it has been heard,
Adam was in Paradise.[35]
O God our help, whom champions prove,
who fashioned all with perfect justice,
not bright the matter of our theme (?)[36]
the King who spake an admonition with them.
Prince who gave a clear admonition.
(The figures in brackets after the title of the chapters are the
numbers of the poems or cantos in the text.)
FOOTNOTES:
[34] Lit. "share of a festival"; this is one of those
chevilles which are frequent in this poem, often introduced without
much sense to fill out a line, or to give a rhyming word. We have
omitted a few of them in the translation.
[35] There seems to be some error here. According to Gen. v.
3, Adam lived altogether nine hundred and thirty years, as the poet
states further on (p. 43).
[36] The meaning of this line is not clear. The above is
conjectural.
IV. THE FALL AND EXPULSION FROM PARADISE. (viii.)
[Sidenote: l. 1105]
The Devil was jealous thereat
with Adam and his children,
their being here, without evil,
in their perfect bodies (on their passage) to heaven.
All the living creatures in the flesh
my Holy King has created them,
outside Paradise without strife
Adam it is who used to order them.
At the time when out of every quarter
the hosts of the seven heavens used to gather round my High King,
every fair corporeal creature
used to come together to Adam.
Each of them out of this place cheerfully,[37]
at his call to adore him;
to Adam, joyous the custom,
they used to come to delight him.
From heaven God ruled
all the living things
that they should come out of every district without fierceness[38]
till they arrived before (the gate of) Paradise.
Then they would return right-hand-wise
without seed of pride or any murmuring,
each of them to its very pure abode
after taking leave of Adam.
The very fierce, double-headed beast,
was subtle and watchful, with (his) twenty hosts,
how under heaven he shall find a way
to bring about the destruction of Adam.
Lucifer, many his clear questions,[39]
went amongst the animals,
amongst the herds outside Paradise
until he found the serpent.
"Is it not useless (_i.e._ unworthy of you) thy being outside?"
said the Devil to the serpent;
"with thy dexterous cunning,
with thy cleverness, with thy subtlety?
"Great was the danger and the wickedness
that Adam should have been ordained over thee;
the downfall[40] of him, the youngest of created things,
and his destruction, would be no crime to us.
"Since thou art more renowned in warfare,
first of the twain thou wast created,
thou art more cunning, more agreeable in every way (?)
do not submit to the younger!
"Take my advice without shrinking,[41]
let us make an alliance and friendship;
listen to my clear reasoning:
do not go forth to Adam.
"Give me a place in thy body,
with my own laws, with my own intellect,
so that we both may go from the plain
unexpectedly[42] to Eve.
"Let us together urge upon her
the fruit of the forbidden tree,
that she afterwards may clearly
press the food upon Adam.
"Provided that they go together
beyond the commandment of his Lord,
God will not love them here,
they will leave Paradise in evil plight."[43]
"What reward is there for me above every great one?"
said the serpent to the devil;
"on my welcoming thee into my fair body,
without evil, as my fellow-inhabitant?
"For guiding thee on that road
to destroy Eve and Adam,
for going with thee truly to the attack
whatever act thou mayest undertake?"[44]
(LUCIFER _replies_)
"What greater reward shall I give to thee
according to the measure of our great crime
(than that) our union in our habits, in our wrath,
shall be for ever spoken of?"
When he found a place for the betrayal
in the likeness of the serpent's shape,
slowly he went tarrying[45]
directly to the gate of Paradise.
The serpent called outside,
"dost thou hear me, O wife of Adam?
come and converse with me, O Eve of the fair form,
beyond[46] every other."
"I have no time to talk with anyone,"
said Eve to the serpent;
"I am going out to feed
the senseless animals."
"If you are the Eve whose fame was heard
with honour in Paradise,
wife of Adam, beautiful, wide-minded,
in her I desire[47] my full satisfaction."[48]
(EVE _speaks_)
"Whenever Adam is not here,
I am guardian of Paradise,
without weariness, O smooth, pale creature,
I attend to the needs of the animals."
(_The_ SERPENT _speaks_)
"How long does Adam go from thee,
on which side does he make his fair circuit,
when at any time he is not here
feeding the herds in Paradise?"
"He leaves it to me, bright jewel;
I feed the animals,
while he goes with pure unmeasured renown
to adore the Lord."
"I desire to ask a thing of thee,"
said the slender, very affable serpent,
"because bright and dear is thy clear reasoning,
O Eve, O bride of Adam!"
"Whatever it be that you contemplate saying,
it will not vex me, O noble creature;
certainly there will be no obscurity here,
I will narrate it to thee truthfully."
"Tell me, O glorious Eve,
since it chances that we are discoursing together,
in your judgment, is the life in Paradise,
with your lordship here, pleasant?"
(EVE _replies_)
"Until we go faultless in our turn, (or "ranks")
in our bodies to heaven,
we do not ask here greater lordship
than what there is of good in Paradise.
"Every good thing,[49] as it was heard,
that God created in Paradise,
save one tree, all without reserve,
is thus under our control.[50]
"It is He, the dear God, who committed to us,
O pale, bashful creature,
Paradise as a solace[51] for His people (?)
except the fruit of the one tree.
"'Let alone the very pure tree,'
He cautioned myself and Adam,
'the fruit of the rough tree, if thou eatest of it
against my command, thou shalt die.'"
(_The_ Serpent _speaks_)
"Though on the plain[52] you be equal,
yourself and Adam, O Eve,
you are not more intelligent, O gentle, pure one,
than any of the beasts.
"However great be the host under you outside
it is lamentable that you are without minds,
like to any of the ignorant animals;
thus you are under one law (with them).[53]
"Except as regards possessions only,
your lordship has not been complete;
since nothing of evil has been sent to you,
the worse is your understanding.
"Great is the lack of wisdom;
God is deceiving you:
because it is of the one tree of good and evil,
that you are not permitted to eat.
"For this purpose the brave tree was invented,
in order that it should not be allowed you;
that you should not have the intelligence
to distinguish between good and evil.
"Do not hesitate, go to the tree,
to test it as regards one apple;
the discernment between good and evil
will be as the High Prince instructed you."
(EVE _speaks_)
"How good soever thy intelligence,
however favourable[54] and gracious thy counsel,
to go to the tree I dare not,
lest we die.
"Go thou thyself to the tree, O serpent,
and bring from it one apple;
but if that apple come to me
I shall share it between myself and Adam.
"Before all the multitudes we shall be endowed with knowledge,
if we but eat the apple,
(this is) thy tale without mockery;
perchance what thou sayest is true."
(_The_ SERPENT _speaks_)
"O Eve, untrammelled light,
open before me the gate of Paradise;
provided I arrive without misfortune yonder
I will bring from the tree the apple."
(EVE _speaks_)
"Though I open before thee that thou mayest go yonder,
though from the tree you bring me an apple,
there will be no delay on thee here,
(by) thy lingering in Paradise?"
(SATAN _speaks_)