Andreas: The Legend of St. Andrew Part 4

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 G.o.d Bravely from prison with his holy voice; Weary of soul, he spake these words with tears:-- 1400 "Ne'er have I suffered by G.o.d'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 b.l.o.o.d.y. Lo, Thou too, Ruler of victory, Redeeming Lord, Wast filled with grief among the Jews that day When from the cross, Thou, everlasting G.o.d, 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 compa.s.s 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 s.h.i.+eld 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 G.o.d.

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 b.l.o.o.d.y wounds Were in his body, and no injured limb Wet with his blood through wounding stroke of sword; But there he stood by G.o.d's most n.o.ble 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 G.o.d's command, Before whose presence all created things-- The heavens and earth--stand trembling, when they see The Father with a countless mult.i.tude 1500 Visit the race of men upon the earth!

Let streams well forth from out thy firm support, A gus.h.i.+ng river; for the King of heaven, Almighty G.o.d, commands thee that straightway Upon this stubborn-hearted folk thou send Water wide-flowing for the people's death, A rus.h.i.+ng sea. Lo, thou art better far Than gold or treasure! for the King Himself, The G.o.d of glory, wrote on thee, and showed 1510 His mysteries forth in words; Almighty G.o.d 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, G.o.d-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 G.o.d!"

Then was there no delay; straightway the stone Split open, and a stream came rus.h.i.+ng 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 s.n.a.t.c.hed 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 Compa.s.sing 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 rus.h.i.+ng 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 crus.h.i.+ng 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 compa.s.sed them about, and fierce The rus.h.i.+ng torrent flowed, the flood rejoiced, Until the welling sea o'ertopped their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, And reached their shoulders. Then the n.o.ble 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 G.o.d; 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 pa.s.s 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, 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, G.o.d'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 G.o.d's will, and straightway leave Their devil-wors.h.i.+p and their ancient shrines.

Then n.o.ble baptism was exalted high Among that folk, the righteous law of G.o.d Established 'mong those men--a mighty boon Unto their country--and the church was blessed.

The messenger of G.o.d 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 mult.i.tude 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 s.h.i.+p beside the breaking sea.

Hard was it for the mult.i.tude to bear That he, their leader, would no longer dwell 1660 Among them there. But as he journeyed forth The glorious G.o.d 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 s.h.i.+eld of warriors, in their halls Richly adorned, the s.p.a.ce 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 n.o.ble King's apostle. In the way Of faith he guided them; with glory bright He made them strong; a countless mult.i.tude 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-wors.h.i.+p, 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 h.e.l.l 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 G.o.d 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 s.h.i.+p; 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 h.e.l.l 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 s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+p 1710 Beside the sea-cliffs, and upon the sh.o.r.e 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 G.o.d who rules O'er all created things; throughout the earth His might and His dominion far and near Are magnified. His glory over all s.h.i.+nes on His saints in heavenly majesty 1720 Among the angels now and evermore In splendor fair. He is a n.o.ble King!"

NOTES

38 f. Lit. "hay and gra.s.s 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 pa.s.sage as it stands is meaningless.

746. Reading /g[=e] mon c[=i]ga/, 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 ma.n.u.script. 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 ma.n.u.script reads: "two and a hundred by number, also forty," but l. 1036 is evidently deficient. Wulker 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 ma.n.u.script 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 circ.u.mstance, clearly stated in the Greek, that Andrew was still invisible both to the Devil and to the Mermedonians. This makes clear several pa.s.sages, i.e., ll.