Ode IV

David said: ‘O Lord, since thou hast no need of us,
Say, then, what wisdom was there in creating the two worlds?’
God said to him: ‘O temporal man, I was a hidden treasure;
I sought that that treasure of lovingkindness and bounty should be revealed.
I displayed a mirror — its face the heart, its back the world —
Its back is better than its face — if the face is unknown to thee.
When straw is mixed with clay, how should the mirror be successful?
When you part the straw from the clay, the mirror becomes clear.
Grape-juice does not turn to wine, unless it ferment awhile in the jar;
Would you have your heart grow bright, you must take a little trouble.
The soul which issued forth from the body — my king saith to it:
‘Thou art come even as thou wentest: where are the traces of my benefactions?’
Tis notorious that copper by alchemy becomes gold:
Our copper has been transmuted by this rare alchemy.
From God’s grace this sun wants no crown or robe:
He is cap to a hundred bald men and cloak to ten naked.
Child, Jesus sate on an ass for humility’s sake:
How else should the zephyr ride on the back of an ass?
O spirit, make thy head in search and seeking like the water of a stream,
And O reason, to gain eternal life tread everlastingly the way of death.
Keep God in remembrance till self is forgotten,
That you may be lost in the Called, without distraction of caller and call.