Book II

Now when my song of wisdom God restrained,
Much I implored, and in my breast again
He put the charming voice of words divine.
Trembling at every form I follow these,
For what I speak I do not comprehend,
But God commands each thing to be declared.
But when on earth shocks, and strong thunderbolts,
Thunder and lightning, and mildew of earth,
Madness of wolves, and slaughter of mankind,
And ruin both of men and bellowing bulls,
Four-footed cattle, and laborious mules.
And goats and sheep, even then the barren field
Shall become much abandoned from neglect,
And fruits shall fail, and license shall abound
Among most men, and temple robbery.
And then of men the tenth race will appear,
When the earth-shaking Thunderer will break
The zeal of idols, and will shake the people
Of seven-hilled Rome, and all their treasured wealth
Will perish, burned by Vulcan's fiery flame.
And then shall bloody signs from heaven descend.
But the whole world of men, enraged, will kill
Each other, and in tumult God will send
Famines and plagues and thunderbolts on men
Who without righteousness condemn the just.
And of men will the whole world be deserted.
So that, if any one beholds a trace
Of man on earth, he will be wonderstruck.
But then will the great God who dwells in heaven
Devout men's Saviour in all things become
And then shall peace profound and union be,
And the fruit-bearing earth shall yield again
Abundant fruits, nor shall it longer be
Divided, nor with toilsome service tilled.
But every port and harbor shall be free
To all men, even as they were before.
And brazen impudence shall be destroyed.
Then a great sign will God thereafter show.
A star will shine forth like a lustrous crown,
Bright, all-resplendent, from the radiant sky.
Days not a few; for then will he from heaven
Display the victor's garland unto men
Who struggle for the prize; and then will be
That mighty contest of triumphal march
Into the heavenly city, and all earth
Having the fame of immortality
Shall be all men's possession, and all people
In the immortal contests will contend
For glorious victory. Nor shamefully
Can any then with silver buy a crown,
For to them will the holy Christ assign
The righteous things, and crown the ones approved,
And give his martyrs the immortal pledge,
And such as waged the contest unto death.
And he will give the incorruptible prize
Of contests unto virgins who strove well;
And to all men the right things will he grant.
And to strange nations that live righteously,
And know one God. And such as love the bonds
Of marriage, and adulterous acts despise,
Will he give rich gifts and eternal hope.
For every soul of man is God's own gift,
And men should not stain it with any woes.
[Become not rich unjustly, but be pure
In all thy life. Assist those near to thee.
And stand aloof from strangers. Speak no lies.
But guard all true things. Reverence not thou
Vain idols, but the everlasting God
Hold first in honor, and thy parents next.
Dispense all righteous things, but do not come
Into unrighteous judgment. Cast not off
The poor unjustly, nor judge outwardly.
If thou judge wickedly, God will judge thee.
False witness fly, and righteous things make known.
Keep thy virginity, and in all things
Guard love. Unrighteous measure do not give;
But beautiful is measure full to all.
Strike not the scales outside, but draw them equal.
Swear not in ignorance, nor willingly;
God hates false oaths, whatever one may swear.
Never receive in hand a gift that came
From unjust works. Seeds steal thou not; accursed
Through countless generations will he be,
Whoever takes it, for he scatters life.
Yield not to vile lusts, slander not, nor kill,
Give to the toil-worn laborer reward;
The poor afflict not. Hold thy tongue with care.
And secret things fast in thy heart restrain.
To orphans, widows, and the needy give.
Will not to act unjustly, nor allow
Unrighteous things. Give to the poor at once.
And say not, Come to-morrow. Of thy grain
Give to the toilsome with a ready hand.
Know, he that gives alms lendeth unto God.
Mercy from death frees when the judgment comes;
Not sacrifice, but mercy God desires
Rather than sacrifice. Clothe therefore thou
The naked; with the hungry share thy bread.
Him without shelter in thy house receive,
And lead the blind. On shipwrecked mariners
Have thou compassion, for the sailor's art
Is perilous. To the fallen give a hand.
And save the man that stands all unassisted.
Suffering is common; life is as a wheel;
Riches uncertain. If thou hast wealth, reach
Thy hand unto the poor, and of the things
Which God gave thee bestow thou on the needy.
Common is all the life of mortal men,
But it comes out unequal. When thou seest
A poor man, never banter him with words,
Nor rudely accost a man that should be blamed.
The life in death is tested; if one did
The unlawful or just, it shall be discerned
When he comes into judgment. Injure not
The mind with wine, nor drink excessively.
Eat not blood, and from idol offerings keep.
Gird not the sword around thee 'gainst a friend,
But for defense; would that thou use it not
Unjustly or justly; for if thou put to death
An enemy thou hast defiled thy hand.
Keep from thy neighbor's field, and cross it not.
Each boundary is just, and troubles come
By trespass. Wealth is profitable
Unto the upright, but to the unjust an evil.
Harm not the growing produce of the field.
Let foreigners be equally esteemed
Among the citizens; for all should break
A painful hospitality, as guests
Of one another; but let no one be
A stranger with you, since of one blood all
Ye mortals are, and for mankind no realm
Affords a permanent abiding place.
Wish not nor pray to be rich, but pray this:
To live of few things, and possess no thing
Unjustly. Mother of all wickedness
Is love of gain. Yearn not for gold or silver.
But be assured that in them there will be
A deadly two-edged instrument of iron.
Gold and silver are ever a snare to men,
O gold! source of all evils, bane of life,
Full of vexation, would that thou wert not
To mortals such a longed-for misery.
For through thee come wars, plunders, homicides,
Children with parents in a bitter strife,
And brethren hating those of their own blood.
Plot no deceits, and do not arm thy soul
Against a friend. Conceal not in thy heart
Another thing from what thou speakest forth,
Nor change with place even as a polypus
Grown to a rock. But be thou frank with all.
And those things which are of the heart declare.
Whoever willfully commits a wrong,
An evil man is he; but he that sins
Under constraint, his end I do not tell;
But let the will of every man be right.
Boast not of wisdom, nor of power, nor wealth;
God only is wise and mighty, and abounds
In riches. Do not wear thy heart away
With evils that are past, for what is done
Can never be undone. Send not thy hand
Forth in a hasty deed, but curb wild wrath.
For often as one strikes he may commit
Unwittingly a murder. Let there be
A common suffering, neither great nor strong.
Excess of good has not been wont to yield
Profit to mortals, but much luxury
Brings on excessive lusts. Great wealth puffs up,
And waxes into wanton insolence.
Desire, obtaining mastery, effects
Destructive madness. Anger is a lust.
And when it passes further, it is wrath.
The zeal of good men is a noble thing.
But of the vile is vile. Destructive is
The boldness of the wicked; glory crowns
That of the good. The love of virtue holds
Deserved esteem, but Cyprian loves and shame.
Agreeable is the amiable man
Among his fellows. Moderately he eats,
Drinks, and discourses; moderation is
Of all things best; excess brings many a pain.
Nor envious nor distrustful be, nor be
A railer, nor a man of evil thoughts,
Nor yet a false deceiver. Exercise
Prudence, and keep thyself from shameful works.
Follow not malice, but by righteousness
Put out revenge; for useful is persuasion,
But strife engenders strife. Do not believe
Too quickly, ere thou truly see the end.]
This is the contest, this is the reward,
This is the prize, this is the gate of life,
And entrance into immortality.
Which God in heaven to righteous men appointed
As victory's reward. They that obtain
The crown shall enter gloriously by this.
But when this sign appears through all the world,
Children are born gray-haired, then human woes,
Famines and plagues and wars, and change of seasons
And many tearful sorrows will abound.
Alas! How many children in the lands
Will mourn, and sadly for their parents weep,
And, wrapped in shrouds, bury the flesh in earth,
The mother of the peoples, mingling them
With blood and dust. O miserable men
Of the last generation, evil-doers,
Cruel and foolish; nor perceiving this,
That when the tribes of women cease to bear,
The harvest-time of mortal men is come.
And ruin threatens when impostors come
Instead of prophets speaking on the earth.
And Beliar will come, and many signs
Will work for men. And then of holy men
Elect and faithful there will be confusion.
And a plundering of them and of the Hebrews.
And there will come fierce wrath, when from the East
Shall come a people of twelve tribes, and seek
A people, whom the Assyrian branch destroyed,
Tribe-kinsmen of the Hebrews; and with them
Shall nations perish. Afterward again
Will they rule over the surviving men,
Elect and faithful Hebrews, and subject
Them as before, since their power will not fail.
The Most High, all-surveying, who abides
In the pure heaven, will scatter sleep on men,
Covering their eyelids round. O blessed servants,
Whom when the Master comes he finds awake.
Awaken all, and watch with sleepless eyes;
For he will come at morning, or at eve,
Or in midday; but he will surely come,
And it will be as I say; it will be
To those at ease, that from the radiant heaven
The stars to all at midday will appear,
With the two luminaries; and the time
Is pressing on. And then will light on earth
The Tishbite, drawing from the heaven above
His heavenly chariot, and three signs will show
To all the world, of life to be destroyed.
Alas! How many women in that day
Will be found with a burden in the womb;
How many infant children at the breast;
How many will be dwelling on the waves.
Alas! How many that day will behold.
For a dark mist will wrap the boundless world,
East, west, and south, and north; and from the heavens
Will flow a mighty stream of burning fire,
And every place consume — earth, ocean, sky.
And sea, and pools, and rivers, and harsh Hades,
And heaven's axis. And the lights of heaven
Will rush together, and take on a form
All-desolate. For all the stars will fall
Into the sea, and all the souls of men
Gnash their teeth, burning in the stream below.
That burns with brimstone and the force of fire.
And then the elements of all the world
Shall be forsaken — air, earth, sea, light, heaven,
And days and nights. No longer through the air
Will fly the insatiate birds, nor swimming beasts
Pass through the sea, nor vessels sail the waves,
Nor cattle plow the field, nor sound of trees
Under the winds; but all things then will melt
Together, and will come out purified.
Then will the angels of the immortal God
Come, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel,
Who know whatever evil things men do,
And from the dark and murky gloom below
Up to the judgment will lead forth all souls,
To the tribunal of the immortal God.
For One alone imperishable is.
Himself the Almighty; he shall judge mankind.
And then to nether realms, souls, spirit, and voice,
The heavenly God will give, and also bones
Fitted to joints, and made divinely fair.
And flesh and sinews in all parts will join,
And veins and skin; and afterward the hair
Will spring forth as aforetime. So one day
Shall earthly bodies moved with breath be raised.
And then will Uriel, mighty angel, break
The bolts of harsh and lasting adamant.
Which, monstrous, hold the awful gates of hell,
And hurling them aside, to judgment bring
All the sad forms exceeding sorrowful.
Chiefly the phantom forms of Titans old,
And giants, whom the deluge swept away;
And such as perished in the billowy seas,
And all that furnished banquet for the beasts,
And creeping things, and winged fowls — all these
Uriel will summon to the judgment-seat;
And also those whom flesh-devouring fire
Destroyed in flame, even these shall rise and stand
Assembled at the judgment-seat of God.
And when the dead are raised, and fates resolved,
And the high fulminating Lord of hosts
Is seated on his heavenly throne, and sets
The mighty pillar, then amid the clouds
In the glory of Christ, with blameless angels thronged,
The Incorruptible himself will come
Unto him who is incorruptible.
And on the right hand of the great tribunal
Sit, judging lives of just and unjust men.
Moses will come, great friend of the Most High,
And Abraham, himself also great, will come,
Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Daniel,
Elijah, Habakkuk, and Jonah, all.
And those whom persecuting Hebrews slew.
But all those Hebrews after Jeremiah,
At the tribunal judged, he will destroy;
That they may worthy recompense receive.
And pay for what in mortal life they did.
And then all through the burning stream shall pass
Of fire unquenchable; but all the righteous
Shall be saved. But the ungodly to all ages
Shall be undone, who erst wrought wickedness,
And knowingly committed murders vile;
Liars and thieves and ruiners of home,
Crafty and terrible; and parasites,
And marriage-breakers, pouring slanders forth;
The fearful, insolent idolators;
Those who, forsaking the immortal God,
Become blasphemers; robbers of the just.
Destroyers both of faith and holy men;
Presbyters, priests, and ministers revered.
Who practiced with a double face their guile.
And shamelessly perverted others' rights;
Impostors, credulous, but more destructive
Than wolves and leopards, vilest of the vile;
Also the arrogant, and usurers.
Who pile up compound interest at home.
And wrong the widow and the fatherless;
And such as give to widows and to orphans
The product of unrighteous deeds, and such
As, giving out of hardships, cause reproach;
All who forsake their parents in old age.
Not reverencing or requiting them,
But disobedient, contradicting sires
With harsh words; those who take assurances
And then deny; and servants who have turned
Against their masters; also the impure.
Who by lasciviousness defile the flesh
And loose the maiden's girdle secretly;
And such as having burdens in the womb
Produce abortion, and their offspring cast
Unlawfully away; and sorcerers
And sorceresses — all these will the wrath
Of the immortal God cause to approach
The pillar, where around a circle flows
The river inexhaustible of fire.
Then will the angels of the immortal God,
Who ever liveth, direly punish them
With flaming scourges and with fiery flames,
Bound from above with ever-during bonds.
Then in Gehenna, in the midnight gloom,
Will they be to Tartarean monsters cast,
Many and fierce, where darkness is supreme.
But when all punishments have been entailed
On all whose hearts were evil, then straightway
From the great river will a fiery wheel
Circle them round, pressed down with wicked works;
And then in many a way most piteously
Will fathers, mothers, nursing children wail;
Nor will there be satiety of tears,
Nor will the piteous cry of those who mourn
Be heard elsewhither, but worn down afar
Amid the darkening shades of Tartarus
They cry aloud, and pay the penalty
Threefold for all the wicked works they did,
Burning in fire; and they shall gnash their teeth,
All consumed by devouring thirst and force.
And wish to die, but death shall flee from them,
For nevermore will death nor night give rest.
Much will they vainly pray to God most high,
But he will turn his face away from them.
[For seven ages a day of penitence
Gave he to men by a pure virgin's hand.]
But others, with whom right and good works weighed,
Most upright in their piety and thoughts,
The angels, bearing through the burning stream,
Shall lead to light and life exempt from care.
There is the immortal way of the great God,
And fountains three, of honey, wine, and milk.
The land, alike for all, divided not
By wall or fence, shall bear abundant fruit
Indigenous; the means and modes of life
Common will be, and riches without lot.
For there no longer will be poor nor rich,
Tyrant nor slave, nor great, nor small, nor kings,
Nor chieftains, but all share a common life.
No more will any say the night has come.
Or morrow comes, or yesterday has been.
They have no trouble about many days.
Spring, summer, autumn, winter will not be
[Marriage nor death, nor will they buy and sell,
Nor will there be sunset or sunrise more].
For he will make it one long, lasting day.
Then to the pious will the almighty God
Grant yet another thing, when they shall pray
For men to be saved from devouring fire
And lasting torments; and this he will do.
For having plucked the steadfast from the flame
That rests not, and removing them elsewhere.
He for his people's sake will send them on
Unto another and eternal life,
In fields Elysian, where are the great waves
Of the deep-bosomed Acheronian lake.
Ah, wretched I! what shall I in that day?
For, ill-disposed and anxious for all things,
I sinned and had no care for marriage-bonds,
Nor reason. But within my sumptuous halls
I shut the needy out, and knowingly
Aforetime did unlawful things perform.
Thou, Saviour, rescue me, the shameless one,
From my tormentors, me who did the shame.
I pray thee, let me rest a while from song,
Holy Giver of manna. King of the great realm.