The Judgment Day II

Lo! I lonely sat within a bower,
With shade bedecked, amidst a wood,
Where the water-burns murmured and ran,
Amid an inclosure, all as I say.
There also pleasant plants waxed and bloomed,
Amid the gathering in a peerless meadow;
And the trees of the wood waved and rustled,
Through roaring of the winds the welkin was desolated,
And my sad mind was all troubled.
Then I suddenly, fearful and sad,
This gloomy verse began to sing,
All such as thou mayest speak of, mindful of sins,
Of the faults of life, and the long tide
Of the coming: of dark death on earth.
I trembled for myself eke at that great doom,
For my sinful deeds upon earth.
And I likewise trembled for myself at that eternal ire,
And for each sinful one from God himself,
And how the mighty Lord, all men's kin
Will sever and doom through his secret might.
I minded me eke of the glory of the Lord,
And of those holy-ones in heaven's kingdom:
Likewise of the wretched, their evil and punishment.
I minded this with myself, and I mourned greatly,
And murmuring I spake, troubled in mind.
Now, ye veins, I bid you all
That ye open well the wellsprings
Hot on my face quickly for tears.
Then I, sinful, strike strongly with fist,
Beat my breasts in the place of prayer;
And my body I lay on the earth,
And as deserved I invoke all pains.
I bid you now with prayers
That ye slack not at all for tears;
But dreary face vex ye with weeping,
And with salt drops soon overshed,
And open your sin to the Eternal Lord.
Let there no whit remain within,
In heart cave, of grievous guilts,
So that it be not day-clear that which was secret,
With open words all laid bare,
Of breast and tongue and flesh also.
This is only salvation of a poor soul,
And to the sorrowful best of hopes:
That he his wounds here by weeping make known
To the leech on high. He only may
The offenders in guilt with good heal,
And the prisoners quickly unbind,
He truly will not bruise with his right hand
Thoughtless heart, ruler of angels:
Nor the faint smoke of weak flesh
Will Christ the ruler with water quench.
Did not the thief warn thee sharply with example,
Who with Christ was slain on the cross,
How much avails, and how grand is,
That true sorrow for sins and offences?
The thief was on the cross, guilty and sinful,
With wrongdoings all laden:
He to the Lord, nevertheless, nigh unto death,
His prayer bade with heart-thoughts:
He with few words, but full of faith,
His salvation obtained, and help speedily,
And fared in at the peerless gates
Of Paradise, with the Redeemer.
I ask thee, O poor mind,
Why lingerest thou so long, that thou showest not thyself to the leech?
Or why art thou silent, sinful tongue,
Now thou for forgiveness hast ready time?
Now thee, the Almighty, with attentive ears,
Ward of heaven's kingdom, will hear with pleasure;
But the day cometh when God will doom
The circuit of earth. Thou by thyself shalt
Give account with words to God the Creator,
And to the mighty Lord rightly account.
I rede thee that thou be beforehand with penitent tears,
And that anger prevent of the Eternal Judge.
Why liest thou in dust with offences filled,
O Flesh! with sins? Why dost thou not cleanse away,
With flood of tears, grievous sins?
Why askest thou not for thyself bathings and plaster,
Life's leechdoms, of life's Lord?
Now shouldst thou greet, tears pour forth,
While time is, and weeping-tide.
Now is it beneficial that man here weep,
And penance do at the Lord's will.
Glad is the Son of God if thou sorrow bearest,
And thyself judgest for sins on earth.
Ne'er heaven's God wrongs and guilts
Above one time will wreak on any man;
Nor shouldst thou despise wailing and weeping,
And of forgiveness the ready time.
Think also in soul how great is the punishment,
That to the wretched shall be for former sins.
Either how aweful and how dreadful
A King in his majesty here will judge
Each man by his former deeds.
Or what tokens begin to fare,
And Christ's coming show on earth.
Earth all shaketh, and likewise the mountains
Perish and fall,
And the doors of the graves bend and melt;
And the fearful noise of the boisterous sea
All men's hearts much affrighteth,
Utterly also is heaven above
Swart and cloudy, quickly it waxeth
Dark and dim-hued, and a swart chaos.
Then stedless stars fall,
And the sun grows dark early in the day,
Nor has the moon aught of any might
That she the night's clouds may disperse.
Also then shall come hither, down from heaven,
Death-tokenings, affright the miserable:
Then shall come on high mighty hosts,
A strong power stirred they hurry around.
The hosts of all angels surround the Eternal
The great Creator, with might and host.
There shall sit, sun-bright, the firmament's ruler
On high throne with crown honoured,
We shall be suddenly brought before him,
From all sides coming to his presence;
That each may receive doom for his deeds from the Lord himself.
I bid, O man, that thou remember how great will be the terror
Before the Lord's judgment-seat then.
He stands heartless and timorous,
Amazed and disturbed, powerless, terrified;
Then together will come from the firmament's shade
All the hosts of angels, the Eternal surround.
At once will be a loud proclamation, and called thither
All Adam's race, of earth inhabitants,
That on earth have been supported ever,
Or mother bare in human form,
Or those that we're or should be,
Or who were at all about to be reckoned.
Then to all will be of all disclosed
The secret thoughts, on the day -tide,
All that the heart of harm devised,
Or the tongue for injustice spake,
Or man's hand of evil framed,
In dark caves, of things on earth;
All that any one shamed of sins in the world
That he to any man should open or tell,
Then will be to all open altogether,
Alike set free that man long hid.
Beside all this, also will be filled
All the lofty lift with poisonous fire.
Fire will fare over all, nor will be there any hindrance:
Nor himself by any means may man forewarn.
All that we think empty also of boundary,
Under the roaring of the sky with red blaze,
Will be all alike therewith utterly filled.
Then the flame of the fire will blow and crackle,
Red and angry, will rush and hurry
How it for the sinful torture might prepare.
Nor will the punishing flame forbear,
Or towards any there act with favour;
Unless he be here from filth cleansed,
And then thither come throughly clean.
Then many races, of folks without number,
Their sinful breasts strongly will beat,
Fiercely with fist, for their gross luxury.
There will be the needy, and kings of people,
Poor and rich all will be affrighted.
There will have one law, poor and the wealthy.
Therefore they will have fear all alike.
That angry flood will rush with fire,
And bitterly burn the poor souls:
And the hearts, savagely worms,
Of sin-guilty ones, will carve and tear.
Nor may there any man, by works of merit,
Bold become in presence of the Judge;
But terror will run alike through all,
Thoughts of the heart, and the bitter weeping.
And there will stand, stiffened most like to stone,
All the wicked troop, in expectation of evil.
What doest thou, O flesh? what actest thou now?
How might thou on that tide bewail thy trouble?
Woe! thou servest now thyself,
And here gladly livest in lust,
And thyself with keen goads there urgest to luxury.
Why wilt thou not fear the fiery terror,
And for thyself dread greatly the punishments
Which for devils of yore the Lord prepared
To cursed souls for wages of woe?
These overpass thought and speech,
Of every man for greatness.
No speech may be with tidings to recount
To any on earth the wretched penalties,
Filthy places of fire in the depth,
That was mid fierce torment in hell.
There be for sorrow together mingled
The flame of vapours, and the weariness of cold,
Very heat and cold, in midst of hell.
One while there the eyes without measure will weep;
For the scorching of the furnace, he is all full of misery;
One while too the teeth of men for great cold there will gnash.
This foul vicissitude, miserable men,
For ever and ever, will wend therein:
Amid dark black night
And the woe of boiling pitch and vapour.
There no sound stirreth, save stark hard
Weeping and lamenting, naught else.
Nor will be any appearance seen of any wight,
But of the torturers (which) punish the miserable.
Nor will there be therein aught found
But fire, and cold, and loathsome filth.
They with nose may naught smell
Save immensity of stench.
There will be the wretched lips filled
With flame-vomiting blaze of loathly fire,
And the cruel worms will tear them,
And will gnaw their bones with burning tusks.
Above all this will be that wretched breast
With bitter care frightened and troubled.
For why luxurious flesh in the perilous tide
For himself so many sins wrought,
That it in prison became destroyed;
There are the dreadful everlasting punishments,
There not any little spark of light shineth
To the miserable. There neither goodness
Nor peace, nor hope, nor quiet delighteth,
Nor the number of the men at all.
Consolation will fly away, nor will there be any help
That against the bitter circumstances may frame a protection:
Nor will there appearance be found of any bliss: but terror,
There will be horrid fear and terror,
And violent sorrowful gnashing of teeth.
There will be everywhere cruel sadness,
Eld and anger and weariness, and sin.
And there too sin. Souls in fire
In the dark cave will burn and wander.
Then will perish from hence the fatal
Joys of this world; they will depart all together.
Then drunkenness will cease with feasts,
And laughter and play will leap together.
And lust also will depart hence,
And greed will far depart,
Wickedness away, and each luxury,
Guilty to hasten into the shade.
And the wretched helpless sleep will fly,
Slack with slumber, to slink behind.
Then in dark bitter fire saw
The poor at last, that which forbidden is now;
That most loved in life, loathed will be then,
And the guilts will turn that weary heart
Verily among sorrows and among misery.
Oh! he will be happy, and more than happy,
And world-without-end of men the happiest,
He that with prosperity, such overthrow,
And with understanding, may well escape,
And likewise blessed in all the world
Serve his lord, and then may have
Heaven's kingdom, that is of joys the best.
There night nor darkness overclouds
The sheen of heavenly light.
There cometh not sorrow nor pain, nor toilworn eld,
Nor happeth there ever any toil;
Either hunger, or thirst, or miserable sleep.
There is not fever, nor decay, nor sudden plague,
Crackling of no fire, nor the loathsome cold,
There is not mourning, nor there weariness,
Nor ruin, nor care, nor fierce torment.
Nor is there lightning, nor loathsome storm,
Winter, nor thunder shower, nor a whit of cold;
Nor there are mighty hail-showers with snow,
Nor is want there, nor loss, nor terror of death,
Nor misery, nor sorrow, nor any mourning.
But there together reigneth peace with prosperity,
And virtue, and eternal good,
Glory and honour,
Likewise praise, and life, and faithful concord.
Beside all this the Eternal Lord to them of all
Goods any gladly serveth,
And in presence honoureth and receiveth all of them;
And the Father likewise blesseth, glorifieth, and well-regardeth (them),
Beautifully decks, and liberally loveth,
And on heaven's throne on high adorneth
His kind Son, lord of Victory,
Gives to each one everlasting meed,
Heavenly glories, that is a splendid gift.
Among the beautiful host of angels,
And in troops and throngs of the holy ones,
There shall they be associated among nations,
Amidst the patriarchs and holy prophets.
In blissful mood among the cities,
There be the apostles of Almighty God.
And amid the stores of roses red
There ever shall they shine.
There of the white ones shall wander a maiden throng
With blossoms hung. Brightest of the hosts,
Who them all will lead, God's peerless dear one,
The woman who for us the Lord conceived,
Creator on earth: virgin the pure,
That is MARY, of maidens most blessed.
She will lead through those bright shining kingdoms
(Blessedest she of all) of the glorious father,
Betwixt father and son, a goodly host,
And mid eternal heavenly peace,
In the kingdom of the wise heavenly ruler.
What of hardship can there be here in life,
If thou wilt say sooth to him that asketh thee
To set against this, that thou mayest, among that host,
Live unchanging through eternity,
And in the happy seats of the saints above
Enjoy bliss henceforth without end.