Lines 1–123

Saturn spake.
Lo! of all the islands
I the books
have tasted,
have thoroughly turned over the letters,
the lore-craft have unlocked
of Lybia and Greece,
also the history
of the Indian realm.
Me the expounders
well directed
in the great books,
* * *
* * *
which I never in all
the ancient writings
might find
truly collected.
I sought yet
what were in respect of mood
or majesty,
of power or
in any respect of activity,
the palm-twigged
Pater Noster.
I will give thee all,
O Son of David,
King of Israel,
thirty pounds
of coined gold
and my twelve sons,
if thou wilt bring me
that I may be touched,
through the word of the canticle,
by Christ's line;
if thou truly reconcilest me,
and I depart in safety,
if I turn at my will
upon the water's back,
over the Coferflood
to seek Chaldæa.

Salomon spake.
Wretched is he on earth
useless in life,
devoid of wisdom,
like the neat he wandereth
that move over the plain,
the witless cattle,
who through the canticle cannot
honour Christ.
He shall inhabit the void expanse,
the devil shall cast him down
in the day of doom,
the fearful dragon,
contemptuously
from the bright Balance
with iron strength.
All grown over shall he be
by the heads of the waves
of scorn;
then will it be better liked by him
than all this bright creation
filled from the very abyss
with gold and silver,
in all its regions full
of treasure,
if he ever of the organ
anything had known:
hostile shall he then be and strange
to Almighty God,
unlike the angels
he shall wander alone.

Saturn spake.
But who may easiest
of all creatures
the holy door
of heaven's kingdom
bright unclose
in succession?

Salomon spake.
The palm-twigged
Pater Noster
openeth the heavens,
blesseth the holy,
maketh mild the Lord,
putteth down murder,
quencheth the devil's fire
kindleth the Lord's:
thus mayst thou
* * *
with the bright prayer
heat the blood
of the devil's wizard,
so that in him the drops shall rise
hurried with blood
in the thoughts of his breast,
more full of terror
than the brazen cauldron
when it for twelve generations
of men
in the embrace of flames
most greedily bubbleth.
Therefore hath the canticle
over all Christ's books
the greatest repute:
it teacheth the scriptures,
with voice it directeth,
and its place it holdeth,
heaven-kingdom's
arms it wieldeth.

Saturn spake.
But how like is the organ
in the mind
to be conceived,
by him who would his spirit
melt against murder,
make merry out of sorrow,
separate from guilt?
No doubt the Creator gave it
wondrous beauty!
About this in the world full oft
my curiosity enquireth,
quick it moveth about,
my mind it mingleth.
No man knoweth,
hero under the heavens,
how my spirit sinks
laboring over books;
at times the heat ariseth,
my spirit near the heart
hardly boileth.

Salomon spake.
Golden is the word of God,
stoned with gems,
it hath silver leaves;
each one can
through spiritual grace
a gospel relate:
it is wisdom of the breast
and honey of the soul;
milk of the mind,
most blessed of glories;
it may the soul
from eternal night
fetch back under the earth;
never so deep let the fiend
with fetters have fastened it,
though he with fifty
bonds enclose it,
yet breaketh it the craft,
and all the devices
teareth asunder:
hunger it despoileth,
hell it destroyeth,
fire it casteth asunder,
glory it buildeth up.
More courageous is it
than this world,
stronger in its position
than the gripe of all the rocks.
It is the leech of the lame,
the light of the blind,
it is also the door of the deaf,
the tongue of the dumb,
the shield of the guilty,
the dwelling of the Creator;
the bringer of the flood,
the saviour of the people,
the heir of the waves
of the poor fishes,
and the defence of the worms,
the refuge-wood of beasts,
a guardian in the wilderness,
the garden of worship:
and he that will earnestly
this God's-word
sing in sooth,
and him will ever
love without crime,
he may the hated spirit,
the fighting fiend
bring to flight,
if thou at first over him
earnestly bringest
Prologa prima
whose name is P:
the warrior has
a long rod,
with a golden goad,
and ever the grim fiend
fierce-minded smiteth;
and on his track pursueth
A with mighty power,
and him also beateth.
T plagueth him, and him
in the tongue stabbeth,
twisteth his throat for him,
and his cheeks breaketh.
E afflicteth him,
as he ever will
fastly stand against
every foe;
then little to his pleasure, R
shall angrily seek him;
the prince of letters
shall soon whirl
the fiend by his hair,
he will let the flint break
the phantasm's shanks;
never shall he witness
the comfort of his limbs,
nor shall any leech be good for him.
Then shall he depart under the welkin,
his fortress seek
covered with darkness,
at any rate he will be sad at heart,
when he hanging
hell shall wish for,
the narrowest
of realms;
when him shall repudiate
both churches and houses.
N and O together,
either bringeth
a sweep from his journey;
by times they shall afflict
the strange body,
his life they shall not care for;
then cometh S,
the prince of angels,
the staff of glory,
he shall clutch the angry
fiend by the feet,
shall dash his forward cheek
on the strong stone,
and scatter his teeth
around the crowds of hell:
each one shall hide himself
in the indistinctness of shadow;
the fiend shall he trouble,
Satan's thane
made very still.