A throng of warriors thirsting after blood, 1270
With clamor loud unto the prison mirk.
They gave command to lead the noble saint,
That steadfast man, into his foemen's grasp;
And once again he suffered all day long,
Beaten with grievous blows; his blood welled out
In streams o'er all his body....
...Worn with wounds
He scarce felt any pain. Then from his breast
The sound of weeping issued faintly forth,
A stream welled up, and thus he spake in words:-- 1280
"O God, my Lord, behold now mine estate,
Ruler of hosts, Thou who dost understand
And know the misery of every man;
I trust in Thee, Thou Author of my life,
That, in Thy mercy and Thy glorious power,
O Savior of mankind, Thou never wilt
Forsake me, everlasting God of might;
So while my life shall last I ne'er will leave,
O God, Thy gracious teachings! Lo, Thou art 1290
A shield against the weapons of the foe
For all Thy saints, eternal Source of joy.
Let not man's foe, the first-born child of sin,
Revile me now, nor by his fiendish craft
Cover with woe the men who spread Thy praise."
Then in their midst the ugly fiend appeared,
That wicked traitor damned to torments sharp;
Before the host he taught the warriors,
The Devil of hell, and this word did he speak:--
"Come, smite the wicked wretch upon his mouth, 1300
The foeman of this folk; too much he talks!"
Then was the strife stirred up once more anew,
And violence arose, until the sun
Went to his setting 'neath the gloomy earth;
Night shrouded all, and spread o'er mountains steep,
A dusky brown. Then to the prison mirk
Once more the brave and righteous saint was led,
And all night long that true man had to dwell
Within his wretched den, the house unclean. 1310
Then came unto the hall with other six
That demon vile, mindful of evil deeds,
The lord of murder, shrouded in deep gloom,
The Devil fierce, bereft of majesty,
And to the saint he spake reviling words:--
"Andrew, why didst thou plan thy coming here,
Into the power of foes? Where is that fame
Which in thy arrogance thou didst set up,
When thou wouldst overthrow our gods' renown?
Thou hast claimed all things for thyself alone, 1320
The land and people, as thy master did;
He set up royal power upon the earth,
As long as it might stand--Christ was his name.
Herod, the king, deprived him of his life,
He overcame the King of the Jews in war,
Robbed him of power, and nailed him on the rood,
That on the cross he might give up his life.
So now I bid my sons, my mighty thanes,
To vanquish thee, his follower, in the fight.
Let javelin-point and arrow poison-dipped 1330
Pierce his doomed breast! Advance, ye bold of heart,
That ye may humble low this warrior's pride!"
Fierce-souled were they, and quickly rushed they on
With greedy hands; but God defended him,
Guiding him steadfast by His own strong might.
Soon as they recognized upon his face
The glorious token of Christ's holy cross,
They all were terrified in the attack,
Sorely afraid, thrown headlong into flight. 1340
The ancient fiend, the prisoner of hell,
Began once more to sing his mournful song:--
"What happened, O my warriors so bold,
My shield-companions, that ye fared so ill?"
An ill-starred wretch, a fiend of wicked heart,
Gave answer then, and to his father said:--
"We shall not quickly work him any harm,
Nor slay him by our wiles; go thou to him;
There wilt thou surely find a bitter fight,
A savage battle, if again thou dar'st 1350
To risk thy life against that lonely man.
Much better counsel in the play of swords
We easily can give thee, lord beloved:
Before thou shalt resort to open war
And battle-rush, see to it how thou fare
In that exchange of blows; but let us go
Again, that we may mock him fast in bonds,
And taunt him with his misery; have words
Ready devised against that wicked wretch."
Then with a mighty voice cried out that fiend 1360
Weighed down with torments, and this word he spake:--
"Long time, O Andrew, hast thou been well versed
In arts of sorcery; thou hast deceived
And led astray much people; but thou shalt
No longer now have power upon such works,
For grievous torments are decreed for thee
According to thy deeds. With weary heart,
Joyless, degraded, thou shalt suffer woes,
The bitter pangs of death. My warriors
Are ready for the battle; they will soon
Deprive thee of thy life by valiant deeds. 1370
What man on earth so mighty that he may
Release thee from thy bonds, if I oppose?"
Straightway did Andrew answer him again:--
"Almighty God with ease can rescue me
From all my grief--He who in days of yore
Fettered thee fast with fiery chains in woe.
There, shorn of glory, bound with torments fierce,
In exile hast thou dwelt e'er since the day 1380
When thou didst set at naught the word of God,
Of Heaven's King; then did thy woe begin,
And to thy exile there shall be no end;
But thou shalt still heap up thy wretchedness
To everlasting life, and evermore
Thy lot shall grow yet harsher day by day."
Then fled that fiend who in the years long past
Began a deadly feud against his God.
Then at the dawning, when the day first broke,
A troop of heathens came to find the saint,
A mighty throng, and gave command to lead 1390
That valiant-hearted thane a third time forth.
They wished straightway to overcome the soul
Of that bold saint--but it was not to be.
Then was the battle stirred up once again,
Cruel and very fierce. The holy man,
Bound fast with cunning skill, was sorely scourged,
Pierced through with wounds, until the daylight failed;
And, sad of heart, he cried aloud to God
Bravely from prison with his holy voice;
Weary of soul, he spake these words with tears:-- 1400
"Ne'er have I suffered by God's holy will
A lot more grievous under heaven's vault,
In lands where I have had to preach His law!
My limbs are wrenched apart, my body sore
Is broken, and my flesh is stained with blood;
My thews are torn and bloody. Lo, Thou too,
Ruler of victory, Redeeming Lord,
Wast filled with grief among the Jews that day
When from the cross, Thou, everlasting God,
Glory of kings, creation's mighty Lord, 1410
Called to the Father, and thus spake to him :--
'Father of angels, source of light and life,
Oh why hast Thou forsaken me, I pray?'
Torments most cruel I have had to bear
For three long days. I beg thee, Lord of hosts,
That I may give my soul into Thy hands,
Thy very hands, Thou Nourisher of souls!
For Thou didst promise by Thy holy word,
When Thou didst stablish us, the chosen Twelve,
That we should ne'er be scathed by foeman's sword, 1420
No member of our bodies be destroyed,
No bone nor sinew left beside the way;
That no lock should be lost from off our heads,
If we would keep Thy teachings faithfully.
My sinews now are loosed, my blood is spilled
My hair lies scattered wide upon the ground,
And death were dearer far than this sad life."
Then spake a voice unto that steadfast man;
The King of glory's words resounded clear:-- 1430
"Weep not, O man beloved, at this thy woe;
Too hard it is not for thee; with My aid,
With My protection, I will hold thee up,
And compass thee about with My great might.
All power is given to Me upon this earth,
And glorious victory. Full many a man
Shall bear Me witness at the judgment day,
That all this beauteous world, the heavens and earth,
Shall fall in ruin, before a single word
Which I have spoken with My mouth shall fail. 1440
Look now where thou hast walked, and where thy blood
Was spilled, where from thy wounds the path was stained
With spots of blood. No more harsh injury
Can they do unto thee by stroke of spears
Who most have harmed thee by their cruel deeds."
Then looked behind him that dear champion,
Even as the glorious King commanded him;
Fair flowering trees beheld he standing there,
With blossoms decked, where he had shed his blood.
Then spake in words that shield of warriors:-- 1450
"Ruler of nations, thanks and praise to Thee
And glory in heaven both now and evermore,
For that Thou didst not leave me in my woe,
Alone, a stranger, Lord of victory!"
So to the Lord that doer of great deeds
Gave praise with holy voice until the sun
In glorious brightness went beneath the waves.
Then yet a fourth time those fierce-hearted foes,
The leaders of the folk, brought back the prince
Unto his prison; for they hoped to turn 1460
In the dark night the hero's mighty soul.
Then came the Lord unto that prison-house,
Glory of warriors, and with words of cheer
The Guide of life, the Father of mankind,
Greeted His thane and bade him once again
Soundness enjoy:--"From henceforth and for aye
Thou shalt no more bear woe from armed men."
Freed from the bondage of his grievous pains, 1470
The mighty saint arose and thanked his God.
His beauty was not marred, nor was the hem
Loosed from his cloak, nor lock from off his head;
No bone was broken, and no bloody wounds
Were in his body, and no injured limb
Wet with his blood through wounding stroke of sword;
But there he stood by God's most noble might
Whole as before, giving to Him the praise.
Lo, I awhile the story of the saint--
The song of praise of him who did the deeds--
Have set forth here in words, a tale well known, 1480
Beyond my power; much is there yet to tell--
A weary task--what he in life endured,
From the beginning on! A wiser man
Upon the earth than I account myself
Must in his heart invent it, one who knows
From the beginning all the misery
Which bravely he endured in cruel wars.
Yet in small parts we further must relate
A portion of that tale. It has been told
Already how he suffered many woes 1490
From grievous warfare in the heathen town.
Beside the prison-wall set wondrous fast
He saw great pillars, work of giants old,
All beaten by the storms. With one of these
He converse held, mighty and bold of heart;
Prudent and wondrous wise, he spake these words:--
"Give ear, thou marble stone, to God's command,
Before whose presence all created things--
The heavens and earth--stand trembling, when they see
The Father with a countless multitude 1500
Visit the race of men upon the earth!
Let streams well forth from out thy firm support,
A gushing river; for the King of heaven,
Almighty God, commands thee that straightway
Upon this stubborn-hearted folk thou send
Water wide-flowing for the people's death,
A rushing sea. Lo, thou art better far
Than gold or treasure! for the King Himself,
The God of glory, wrote on thee, and showed 1510
His mysteries forth in words; Almighty God
In ten commandments showed His righteous law,
Gave it to Moses, and true-hearted men
Kept it thereafter, mighty warriors,
Joshua and Tobias, faithful thanes,
God-fearing men. Now dost thou truly know
That in the days of old the angels' King
Decked thee more fair than all the precious stones.
Now at His holy bidding thou shalt show 1520
If thou hast any knowledge of thy God!"
Then was there no delay; straightway the stone
Split open, and a stream came rushing out
And flowed along the ground; at early dawn
The foaming billows covered up the earth;
The ocean-flood waxed great; mead was outpoured
After that day of feasting! Mail-clad men
Shook off their slumbers; water deeply stirred
Seized on the earth; the host was sore dismayed
At terror of the flood; the youths were doomed, 1530
And perished in the deep; the rush of war
Snatched them away with tumult of the sea.
That was a grievous trouble, bitter beer;
The ready cup-bearers did not delay;
From daybreak on each man had drink to spare.
The might of waters waxed, the men wailed loud,
Old bearers of the spear; they strove to flee
The fallow stream; they fain would save their lives
And seek a refuge in the mountain caves,
Firm earth's support. An angel drove them back, 1540
Compassing all the town with gleaming fire,
With savage flames. Wild beat the sea within;
No troop of men could scape from out the walls.
The waves waxed, and the waters thundered loud;
The firebrands flew; the flood welled up in streams.
Then easy was it in that town to find
The song of sorrow sung, and grief bemoaned,
And many a heart afraid, and dirges sad.
The dreadful fire was plain to every eye, 1550
Fierce pillager, the uproar terrible;
And rushing through the air the blasts of fire
Hurled themselves round the walls; the floods grew great.
There far and wide was lamentation heard,
The cries of helpless men. Straightway began
One wretched warrior to collect the folk
Humble and sad, he spake with mournful voice:--
"Now may ye truly know that we did wrong
When we o'erwhelmed this stranger with our chains,
With bonds of torment, in the prison-house; 1560
For Fate is crushing us, most fierce and stern--
That is full clear!--And better is it far,
So hold I truth, that we with one accord
Should loose him soon as may be from his bonds,
And beg the holy man to give us help,
Comfort and aid! Full quickly we shall find
Peace after sorrow, if we seek of him."
Then Andrew knew the purpose of the folk
Within his heart; he knew the warriors' might, 1570
The pride of valiant men, was humbled low.
The waters compassed them about, and fierce
The rushing torrent flowed, the flood rejoiced,
Until the welling sea o'ertopped their breasts,
And reached their shoulders. Then the noble saint
Bade the wild flood subside, the storms to cease
About the stony cliffs. Straight walked he out
And left his prison, valiant, firm of soul,
Wise-hearted, dear to God; for him forthwith
A way was opened through the spreading stream; 1580
Calm was the field of victory, the earth
Was dry at once where'er he placed his foot.
Blithe-hearted waxed the dwellers in that town,
And glad in soul; for help was come to pass
After their grief. The flood subsided straight,
And at the saint's behest the storm was stilled,
The waters ceased. Then was the mountain cloven--
A frightful chasm--into itself it drew
The flood, and swallowed up the fallow waves,
The struggling sea--the abyss devoured it all. 1590
Yet not the waves alone it swallowed up;
But fourteen men, worst caitiffs of the throng,
Went headlong to destruction with the flood
Under the yawning earth. Then sore afraid
Was many a heart at that calamity;
They feared the slaughter both of men and wives,
A yet more wretched season of distress,
When once those sin-stained cruel murderers,
Those warriors fierce, plunged headlong down the abyss. 1600
Straightway then spake they all with one accord:--
"Now is it plain to see that one true God,
The King of every creature, rules with might--
He who did hither send this messenger
To help the people! Great is now our need
That we should follow righteousness with zeal."
Then did the saint give comfort to those men,
He cheered the throng of warriors with his words:--
"Be not too fearful, though the sinful race
Sought ruin, suffered death--the punishment 1610
Due to their sins. A bright and glorious light
On you is risen if ye but purpose well."
His prayer he sent before the Son of God,
And begged the Holy One to give His aid
Unto those youths who in the ocean-stream
Had lost their life within the flood's embrace,
So that their souls, forsaken by the Lord,
Shorn of their glory, had been borne away
To death and torments in the power of fiends.
Saint Andrew's prayer was pleasing unto God, 1620
Almighty One, the Counselor of men;
He bade the youths, those whom the flood had slain,
Rise up unscathed in body from the ground.
Then straightway stood there up among the throng
Many an ungrown child, as I have heard;
Body and soul were joined again in one,
Though but a short time gone in flood's fierce rush
They all had lost their lives. Then they received
True baptism and the covenant of peace, 1630
The pledge of glory, God's protecting grace,
Freedom from punishment. The valiant saint,
The craftsman of the King, then bade them build
A church, and make a temple of the Lord
Upon the spot where those young men arose
By baptism, even where the flood sprang forth.
From far and wide the warriors of that town
Gathered in throngs; both men and women said
That they would faithfully obey his word,
Receive the bath of baptism joyfully 1640
According to God's will, and straightway leave
Their devil-worship and their ancient shrines.
Then noble baptism was exalted high
Among that folk, the righteous law of God
Established 'mong those men--a mighty boon
Unto their country--and the church was blessed.
The messenger of God appointed one,
A man of wisdom tried, of prudent speech,
To be a bishop in that city bright
Over the people, and he hallowed him
By virtue of his apostolic power 1650
Before the multitude for their behoof,--
His name was Platan. Strictly Andrew bade
That they should keep his teachings zealously,
And should work out salvation for their souls.
He told them he was eager to depart,
And fain would leave that city bright with gold,
Their revelry and wealth, their bounteous halls,
And seek a ship beside the breaking sea.
Hard was it for the multitude to bear
That he, their leader, would no longer dwell 1660
Among them there. But as he journeyed forth
The glorious God straightway appeared to him,
The Lord of hosts, and to His thane He said:--
"[Why dost thou leave this people in such haste?
For hardly have they turned them from their sin],
This nation from their crimes. Their minds for death
Are longing, sad of heart they go about,
Their grief bemoaning, men and women both;
Weeping has come among them, woful hearts,
[Since thou across the floods in thy sea-bark]
Wilt haste away. Thou shalt not leave this flock
In joy so new, but in My holy Name 1670
Fast stablish thou their hearts! Within this town,
Abide, O shield of warriors, in their halls
Richly adorned, the space of seven nights,
Then with My favor thou shalt go thy way."
So once again that brave and mighty saint
Returned to seek the Mermedonian town.
In wisdom and in speech the Christians waxed,
After their eyes beheld the glorious thane,
The noble King's apostle. In the way
Of faith he guided them; with glory bright
He made them strong; a countless multitude 1680
Of glorious men he led to blessedness,
Toward that most holy home in Heaven's realm,
Where Father, Son, and Holy Comforter
In blessed Trinity hold mighty rule,
World without end, within those mansions fair.
Likewise the saint attacked their idol-shrines,
Banished their devil-worship, and put down
Their errors. Mighty grief and hard to bear
Was that for Satan, when he saw them turn 1690
With hearts of gladness from the halls of hell
At Andrew's teaching to that land more bright,
Where fiends and evil spirits never come.
Then was the number of the days fulfilled
Which God had set, and had commanded him
That he should linger in that wind-swept town;
And quickly he made ready for the waves
With joyful heart; he wished once more to seek
Achaia in his ocean-coursing ship; 1700
(There was he doomed to lose his life and die
A death of violence. This deed was fraught
With little laughter for his murderer;
To the jaws of hell he went, and since that day
No solace has that friendless wretch e'er found.)
Then in great companies, as I have heard,
They led unto his ship their master dear,
Men sad of soul; the heart of many a one
Was welling hot in grief within his breast.
They brought the zealous champion to his ship 1710
Beside the sea-cliffs, and upon the shore
They stood and mourned while they could still behold
The joy of princes sailing o'er the waves,
The path of seals. They praised the glorious King;
The throngs cried out aloud, and thus they spake:--
"One and eternal is the God who rules
O'er all created things; throughout the earth
His might and His dominion far and near
Are magnified. His glory over all
Shines on His saints in heavenly majesty 1720
Among the angels now and evermore
In splendor fair. He is a noble King!"
NOTES
38 f. Lit. "hay and grass oppressed them."
298. Reading /[=a]ra/ with Grein.
368. The MS. says /h[=i]e/ (they), with change of subject; for the
sake of clearness I have kept Andrew as the subject.
424. Reading /sund/ with Grein.
592. Adopting Siever's reading, /r[=e]onigm[=o]de/ (_Beitr._ X, 506).
656. "another house"; I am at a loss to explain this apparent
inconsistency.
713. That there are two images is shown by the Greek.
719. I omit /is/. The passage as it stands is meaningless.
746. Reading /g[=e] mon c[=i]gað/, with Cosijn.
826. Lit. "'Till sleep came o'er them weary of the sea"; but Andrew is
already asleep. The line is probably corrupt.
828. Something is apparently missing, though the MS. shows no break.
Without attempting an emendation I have supplied: "bade him seek," as
completing the obvious sense.
1024. At this point a page is missing in the manuscript. It must have
corresponded to the end of Chap. 19 and to Chap. 20 of the Greek, in
which Andrew and Matthew exchange short speeches, after which Andrew
utters a long tirade against the Devil as the author of this woe.
I have omitted lines 1023^b, 1024, and 1025, which are meaningless
without what has been lost.
1035. The number of men is uncertain. According to the Greek it is
270, but the Homily says 248. The manuscript reads: "two and a hundred
by number, also forty," but l. 1036 is evidently deficient. Wülker
emends to /swylce seofontig/. This is unsatisfactory, since the line
is metrically deficient, and since, moreover, the regular word for
seventy is not /seofontig/, but /hundseofontig/. Without venturing
an emendation, I have taken the number 248 from the Homily, as being
nearer the manuscript than the 270 of the Greek. This similarity is
an additional argument for a common Latin original of the poem and the
Homily.
1212. The poet has neglected to mention the circumstance, clearly
stated in the Greek, that Andrew was still invisible both to the Devil
and to the Mermedonians. This makes clear several passages, i.e., ll.
1203, 1212, 1223 f.
1242. Reading /untw[=e]onde/ with Grein and Cosijn. 1276. I have here
omitted two half-lines, of which the sense is very obscure. Grein
connects /lifrum/ with Germ. _liefern_="to coagulate" (cf. Eng.
_loppered milk_), instead of assigning it to /lifer/="liver," but this
interpretation is not very satisfactory. See also Cosijn's note (Paul
und Braune's _Beiträge_, XXI, 17).
1338. The Greek explains that God had put the sign of the cross on
Andrew's face.
1376. I have here ventured an emendation of my own. The sentence as it
stands is without a main verb, and 1377^a is metrically deficient. I
would read:--
Hwaet m[=e] [=e]aðe [mæg] ælmihtig God
n[=i]ða [generian], se ðe in n[=i]edum [=i]u.
See under /generian/ in Grein's _Sprachschalz_.
1478 ff. This passage is certainly ambiguous. That /h[=a]liges/ refers
to Andrew, and not to God, is shown by the use of /h[=e]/ in 1. 1482.
1493. I follow Grein's emendation, and read /sælwäge/ = "castle wall,"
although the word is not found elsewhere. If we read sælwange with
Wülker, the meaning of /under/ must be greatly stretched. Moreover,
the Greek says: "He saw a pillar standing in the midst of the prison."
1508. Reading /geofon/ with Grimm, Kemble, etc., as also in 393 and
1585.
1545. Reading /wadu/ with Kemble and Grein.
1663. Apparently a line or two is missing here, though there is
no break in the manuscript. I have translated in brackets Grein's
conjectural emendation, as supplying the probable meaning.
1667. I have again translated Grein's emendation.
1681. Reading /t[=i]r[=e]adigra/ with Kemble.
PROOFREADER'S COMMENTS
Text between slashes - e.g. /xxxxx/ - was originally BOLD.
Non-Ascii characters are marked e.g. [=o] for o with a Macron.
The line numbers are inconsistent, as in the original text.
End of Project Gutenberg's Andreas: The Legend of St. Andrew, by Unknown