Transcribers Note: Typographic errors in the original have been retained. In the table of contents there are two sets of page numbers. The first appears to be the page numbers from the original MS. The second set in parentheses are the page numbers from this facsimile. As the body of the text is referred to by line numbers, that section has not been rewrapped.
YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH
ALBERT S. COOK, EDITOR
XLVIII
GENESIS A
TRANSLATED FROM THE OLD ENGLISH
BY
LAWRENCE MASON, PHD.
INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH IN YALE COLLEGE
NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
1915
PREFACE
The purpose of the translator in offering to the public this version of the Genesis is to aid in forwarding—be it by but one jot or tittle—the general knowledge and appreciation of Old English literature. Professed students in this department will always have an incentive to master the language; but to the public at large the strangeness of this medium will prove an insurmountable barrier, and the general reader must therefore either remain in ignorance of our older literary monuments or else employ translations. The present contribution[1] to the growing body of such translations possesses, perhaps, more than a single interest or appeal, in that it renders accessible not only a poem of considerable intrinsic worth, a poem associated with the earliest of the great names in English literary history, and a forerunner and possible source of Paradise Lost, but also an important example of a literary genre once immensely popular, though now quite fallen into abeyance—namely, the lengthy versified Scriptural paraphrase. For some idea of the prominent part played by this form, even so late as the seventeenth century, the reader is referred to any comprehensive manual of English literature.
In this translation, prose has been employed instead of verse, for two reasons. In the first place, no metrical form has yet been found which, in the writer's judgment, at all adequately represents in modern English the effect of the Old English alliterative verse, or stave-rime. And in the second place, to the writer's thinking, no one but a poet should attempt to write verse: and on that principle, translations would be few and far between, unless prose were used.
But even granting the value of the Genesis as a fit subject for translation, and the necessity for the employment of prose, the reader may still quarrel with the particular kind of prose hereinbelow essayed; so a brief explanation and, it is hoped, vindication of the theory of translation here followed would seem desirable, inasmuch as considerable divergence is intended from the methods adopted by the various translators of the Beowulf, for example. First, Biblical phraseology has been eschewed, partly because in a modern writer it savors of affectation, but chiefly because his Bible was the point of departure for the Old English author, and to return now in the translation to our Bible would be a stultification of his purposes by a sort of argumentum in circulo. Secondly, archaisms, poetic diction, and unusual constructions (the "translation English" anathematized by the Rhetorics) have been so far as possible avoided, contrary to the practice of most translators from Old English poetry, because it is felt strongly that such usages will not produce upon modern readers the effect that this poetry produced originally upon the readers or hearers for whom it was intended. For this poetry could not have seemed alien or exotic to its original public: either through familiar poetic convention, or owing to the staccato and ejaculatory character of ordinary spoken language at the time, this spasmodic, apostrophic poetry must have seemed natural and beautiful, in the seventh or eighth century. But—
Why take the style of those heroic times?
For nature brings not back the mastodon,
Nor we those times.
To translate is to modernize. This rendering, therefore, is not an artificial, pseudo-antique hybrid, but frankly endeavors to convey its original to modern readers in idiomatic modern literary English, devoid of any conscious mannerisms whatsoever. The writer has aimed at the utmost literal fidelity consistent with the observance of all the usages of current standard English; he has not attempted, however, to convert the explosive appositions, with prevailing asyndeton and excessive synonymy, of his original into the easy, flowing sentences more familiar to modern eyes and ears, for the change would sacrifice altogether too much of the distinctive character and flavor of Old English poetry.
The text upon which this work is based is that of the Grein-Wülker Bibliothek der Angelsächsischen Poesie, 1894, save for a few minor changes in punctuation and the few departures recorded in the Notes. Grein's translation of the poem into modern German stave-rime, 1857, has been frequently consulted, but the writer's real indebtedness to it is felt to be slight. He takes great pleasure, finally, in acknowledging his deep sense of obligation, on many grounds, to the general editor of this series, Professor Albert S. Cook; the work was undertaken at his suggestion, and he has been most kind in giving advice and criticism.
YALE UNIVERSITY,July 17, 1913. Lawrence Mason.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
With Specification of the Biblical Chapters and Verses represented in each Section of the Poem
GENESIS A
I.
Ours is a great duty—to praise in word and love at
heart the heavens' Ruler, the glorious King of Hosts:
He is the substance of all power, the head of all high
things, the Lord Almighty. Origin or beginning was
never made for Him, nor shall an end ever come to the
eternal God: but, on the contrary, He is for ever supreme
by His high puissance over the heavenly kingdoms;
just and mighty, He rules the mansions of the sky,10
which were established far and wide through the power
of God for the sons of glory, the keepers of souls.
These angelic hosts were wont to feel joy and rapture,
transcendent bliss, in the presence of their Creator:
their beatitude was measureless. Glorious ministers15
magnified their Lord, spoke his praise with zeal, lauded
the Master of their being, and were excellently happy
in the majesty of God. They had no knowledge of
working evil or wickedness, but dwelt in innocence20
forever with their Lord: from the beginning they wrought
in heaven nothing but righteousness and truth, until
a Prince of angels through pride strayed into sin: then
they would consult their own advantage no longer, but
turned away from God's lovingkindness. They had25
vast arrogance, in that by the might of multitudes they
sought to wrest from the Lord the celestial mansions,
spacious and heaven-bright. Then there fell upon
them, grievously, the envy, presumption, and pride
of the Angel who first began to carry out the evil plot,30
to weave it and promote it, when he boasted by word—
as he thirsted for conflict—that he wished to own the
home and high throne of the heavenly kingdom to the
north. Thereupon God became angered and hostile35
towards the beings whom he had formerly exalted in
beauty and glory: he created for the traitors a marvelous
abode as penalty for their action, namely the pangs of
Hell, bitter afflictions; Our Lord called forth that40
abysmal joyless house of punishment to wait for the
outcast keepers of souls.[3] When he knew that it was
ready, he enveloped it in eternal night and equipped it
with torment, filling it with fire and fearful cold, with
fume and red flame: then he commanded the terrors
of suffering to increase throughout that hapless place.45
They had committed a dire sin against God: on that
account dire punishment befell them. They asserted,
in fierce mood, that they wished to seize the kingdom
and could easily do so: but this presumption mocked
them when their Lord, the high King of heaven, lifted50
up his almighty hand against the throng. The mad
rebels, accursed ones, could not make head against God,
but the Highest troubled their spirits and humbled their
pride, for he was incensed; he stripped the sinners of55
victory and might, of dominion and honor, and further
took from his foes happiness, peace, and all joys, as well
as bright glory, and finally, with his own exceeding power,
wreaked his wrath on his adversaries in mighty ruin.60
He was stern in mood, grimly embittered, and seized
upon his foes with resistless grasp and broke them in
his grip, enraged at heart, and deprived his opponents of
their native seat,[4] their bright abodes on high. For65
our Creator dismissed and banished from heaven the
overweening band of angels: the Lord sent away on a
long journey the faithless multitude, the hateful host,
the miserable spirits; their pride was broken, their threat70
overthrown, their glory shattered, and their beauty
dimmed; thenceforth they abode in desolation, because
of their dark exile. They did not dare to laugh aloud,
but lived wearied by the torments of hell and became
familiar with woes, bitterness, and sorrow; covered with75
darkness, they bore their pain,—a heavy sentence,
because they had begun to battle against God.
Then, as formerly, true peace existed in heaven, fair
amity: for the Lord was dear to all, the Sovereign to his80
servants; and the majesty of the joyful angelic hosts
increased, through the favor of the Almighty.
II.
So those who inhabited the sky, home of glory, were
at peace; hatred was gone, as well as sorrow and strife
among angels, ever since the rebellious hosts, bereft of the85
light, had relinquished heaven. Behind them stood in
grandeur their seats rich in glorious workmanship, teeming
with blessings in God's kingdom, bright and perennially
bountiful,—but all devoid of occupants, ever since the90
miserable spirits had gone to their place of punishment,
their vile prison. Then our Lord bethought him, in
meditative mood, how he might people again, and with
a better race, his high creation, the noble seats and glory-95
crowned abodes which the haughty rebels had left
vacant, high in heaven. Therefore Holy God willed by
his plenteous power that under the circle of the firma-
ment the earth should be established, with sky above and100
wide water, a world-creation in place of the foes whom
in their apostasy he hurled from bliss.
As yet there was nothing at all created here, except
shadows, but this broad earth stood deep and dim, idle105
and useless, alien even to God himself; on it the King
whose purpose never falters turned his eyes and beheld
the place void of joy; he saw dark clouds, black under
the firmament, throng in the eternal night, dun and110
waste, until this world-creation came to pass through
the word of the King of Glory. First the everlasting
Lord, protector of all things, created heaven and earth;
as the almighty King put forth the firmament and with115
victorious might established this ample world. The
earth was as yet unadorned by vegetation: the ocean
covered it far and wide, turbid waves in the eternal
night. Then was the glorious Spirit of heaven's guardian120
borne over the sea with sovereign virtue. For the King
of the angels commanded Light, dispenser of life, to
come forth over the broad expanse: quickly was the
Arch-King's mandate fulfilled, and Holy Light appeared125
over the waste spaces, as
The Wielder of Victory next sundered light from darkness,
shadow from radiance, over the surge of the sea. Then
he formed the two names of the dispensers of life: light
was first called "Day" by the word of the Lord, a130
beauteous creation. This period of creation greatly
pleased God, in the beginning: the first day saw the
dark shadows duskily flee away over the wide earth.
III.
Time now went forth over the frame-work of the135
world: after this shining splendor, the Lord our Creator
fashioned the first evening, but on its track rushed a
thronging welter of darkness which the Lord himself
called by the name of "Night." Our Saviour sundered140
these two: ever since then they have ceaselessly wrought
and fulfilled the will of the Lord over the earth.
Then the second day advanced, light after darkness;
and the Ruler of Life straightway commanded a glad145
sky-substance to appear in the midst of the flood: our
Master parted the waves and wrought there the found-
ations of the firmament: this the Mighty One, omnipotent
King, reared aloft from the earth through his own word.150
The flood was divided under the high heavens by holy
power, the waters from the waters, and still they remain
so under the firmament which roofs all nations.
Then swiftly came advancing over the world the third155
great morn. Nor were the spreading lands and ways
yet deemed needful by our Lord, but the earth stood
girt fast by water. Through his word, the Ruler of
the angels bade the waters be gathered together, which
now hold their course beneath the skies in an appointed160
place. Then speedily the broad ocean stood all together
under heaven, as the Holy One commanded, for the
flood was sundered from the dry land. Thereupon
Life's Ruler looked upon the dry land, the Preserver of
mankind [found it] widely visible, and the King of165
Glory called it "Earth." He established a proper
channel for the waves, the broad flood, and fettered....
(Lacuna in MS.[5])
The Ruler of Heaven did not think it fitting that170
Adam, the keeper of Paradise and shepherd of the new
creation, should be alone any longer: so the supreme
King, Ruler Almighty, made a companion for him—
created Woman, and gave this helpmate to his cherished175
Man as the first and fruitful light of his life. He took his
material from Adam's body and skilfully removed a
rib from his side: the latter was deep in repose and
slumbered peacefully; he felt no pain, though a little180
uneasiness, nor did a drop of blood come from the wound,
but the Prince of the Angels took from his body a living
bone while the man was unwounded. From this God
fashioned a noble woman, and put into her the breath
of life and an immortal soul: these two were like the185
angels. Thus was Adam's bride[6] endowed with a
living spirit. They were both radiantly beautiful in their
youthfulness, in the world prepared by the might of
the Lord: they did not know how to undertake or190
work evil, but on the contrary there was in the breast
of each a burning love of God. Then the benign King,
Ruler of everyone born of the race of man, blessed these
first two creatures, father and mother, woman and
man. Thereafter he spoke these words:195
"Be fruitful now and increase; fill the verdant earth
with progeny, your race, both sons and daughters. Under
your sway shall be the salt water and all the created
world. Enjoy prosperous days, [ruling over] both200
the fishes of the deep and the fowls of the air. Into
your power are given the sacred herd and the wild beasts
and every living thing that walks the earth; all breath-
ing creatures, whatsoever the sea brings forth over the205
whale-paths, all things belong to you two."
Then our Maker beheld the beauty of his works and
the fullness of his abundance, his new creations. Pa-
radise stood, good and holy, filled with blessings, ever-210
lasting bounty. That kindly soil was beauteously
watered by the rushing seas and springing fountains;
for never yet had clouds dark with wind brought down
rains over the broad earth: but none the less the ground
stood crowned with its harvest. From this new Garden215
four noble river-streams have their outflow: these were
all partitioned out of one fair-shining water by the might
of the Lord, when he created the earth, and [were thus]220
sent out into the world. Men dwelling on the earth,
the peoples of the nations, call one of these Fison, which
broadly girdles with its bright streams a quarter of the
earth beyond Hebeleac[7]: in that ancestral soil the sons225
of men, nations near and far, find the best gold and
precious stones,[8] as the books tell us. Then the second
[river], whose name is Geon, girdles the land and govern-
ment of Ethiopia, an ample kingdom. The third is230
Tigris, a foaming stream which encircles the people of
Assyria. Such likewise is the fourth, which men among
many a nation now widely call Eufrates....[9]
(Genesis B intervenes here.)
Then the Almighty King, the great Lord, came forth
into the garden about mid-day, by his divine will; for855
our Saviour and merciful Father wished to find out
what his children
sinful to whom he had given perfection. Bereft of
their beatitude and stricken in spirit, they avoided his
presence by retreating among the shadows of the trees;860
they hid themselves in dark recesses, when they heard
the holy word of the Lord and feared him. Straight-
way the King of Heaven began to call for the keeper
of the [newly] created world; the mighty Lord bade
his son come to him forthwith. He answered him then,865
the wretched one himself, destitute of clothing, [and]
said:
"Lord of my life, I am hiding myself here because
unclothed; basely sinful, I am covering my shame with
leaves: my pain is cruel, most bitter in my heart. I dare870
not now go forth before thy presence: I am all naked!"
X.[10]
To him then God at once replied:
"Tell me this, my son: why do you seek the shadows,
in shame? You certainly received no disgrace at my875
hands, but on the contrary delight in all things! How
come you to know evil and hide shame and behold sor-
row and cover your body with leaves and, saddened and
crushed by the woes of life, say that you need clothing,
unless you have tasted of an apple from the tree which880
I forbade to you by express command?"
Adam then answered him again:
"The woman, my Lord, the fair woman gave into
my hand this fruit, which I accepted in sin against thee.885
Now I bear this manifest sign in myself: I know so much
the more of sorrow!"
Then Almighty God asked Eve about this:
"Why did you forfeit these plenteous delights, daughter,
the new creations of paradise, abundant blessings, when890
in your cupidity you seized on the trunk and took the
fruit from the branch of the tree and ate the accursed
thing in defiance of me, and gave of the apple to Adam,
when you both by my prohibition were so strictly for-895
bidden to do so?"
Then the fair maiden, the woman overcome by shame,
answered him:
"The serpent tempted me and urgently prompted me
to sin; through fair words the worm goaded me into
accursed frowardness, until I basely performed the900
deadly act, committed the crime, and robbed the tree in
the grove, as it was not lawful to do, and ate the fruit."
Then our Saviour, the Lord Almighty, ordained wide
wanderings for the serpent, the venomous worm, and905
spoke further in these words:
"To far distant times shalt thou, an outcast, crawl
over the broad earth on thy breast, thy belly; without
feet shalt thou move about, so long as life and breath
remain in thee. Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy910
life, since thou hast accomplished so evil a deed here.
Thee the woman shall war against, and hate thee
[worse than anything else] under heaven, and shall tread
upon thine accursed head with her feet; thou shalt lie
in wait at her heels, in ever-new conflict: for there
shall be war between thy offspring and her offspring915
always, as long as the earth exists under the cloudy
skies. Now dost thou understand and know, baleful
destroyer of mankind, how thou shalt live!"
XI.
Then God wrathfully spoke to Eve:
"Depart now from bliss! Thou shalt be ever under
the sway of men; with fear of men cruelly oppressed,920
thou shalt sorrowfully endure the heinousness of thine
offence and wait for death, and with weeping and wailing
and great anguish bring into the world thy sons and
daughters!"
Likewise to Adam did the Eternal Lord, Source of925
Light and Life, declare a cruel edict:
"Thou shalt seek another country, a joyless dwelling-
place, and wander in exile, naked and needy, driven930
away from the blessings of paradise; the separation of
soul and body is now ordained for thee. Lo, thou hast
wickedly originated sin: therefore thou shalt toil, and
win thy sustenance on earth by thyself, acquire it by
the sweat of thy face, and thus eat thy bread so long935
as thou livest here,—until ungentle disease, which thou
didst recently take to thyself with the apple, strikes
thee cruelly to the heart: then shalt thou die."
Behold, we learn thus how bitter afflictions and uni-940
versal miseries came upon us.
Thereupon the Guardian of Glory, our Creator, girded
them with clothing; the Lord bade them cover their
nakedness with some simple garments, and bade them
set forth and depart from paradise into a harder life.
Behind them, by God's command, a holy angel with a945
fiery sword shut the gate of their blissful home of peace
and joy; nor may any guileful sin-stained man ever fare
thither again, for the warder has might and strength950
who keeps for the Lord that greater life rich in glories.
Yet the Almighty, our First Father, would not take
away all comforts from Adam and Eve, though they had
fallen away from him: but he still let the lofty roof955
studded with holy stars stand as a solace for them, and
gave them ample possessions, and bade the seas and
land bring forth for the pair multitudes of each of the
young-producing species [necessary] for the sustenance960
of this life. So, after their sin, they inhabited a more
sorrowful land, a dwelling and country less fertile in
every kind of blessing than their former abode had
been, from which they had been driven out after their
misdeed.
Then they began, by God's command, to produce965
children, as the Lord had charged them. To begin
with, by Adam and Eve were brought into the world
two fair first-born sons, Cain and Abel. The books
tell us how these first toilers, loving brothers, gained970
their subsistence, riches and food: the one who was
elder born tilled the earth with his strength; the second
kept the flocks, helping his father,
of days passed. They both brought an offering to the
Lord: the Prince of the Angels, King of all things, looked
upon Abel's offering with [favorable] eyes, but would
not consider the sacrifice of Cain; that caused strong
indignation in the heart of the man: rage arose in the980
youth's breast, livid hatred, and wrath by reason of
envy: then he wrought evil deeds with his hands, slew
his kinsman, his own brother, shed his blood,—yea,985
Cain [shed] Abel's. And the earth soaked up this blood
shed by murder, the life-blood of a man.
After this fatal blow woe was aroused, the long train
of afflictions: since then from this twig have hatefully
sprouted ever longer and stronger bitter branches: these990
branches of calamity spread far and wide over the nations
of men: hardly and sorely did the twigs of misery strike
the sons of men (and so they still do), from which the
broad leaves of all suffering began to spring. We may995
tearfully lament this account, this death-bringing fatal-
ity, and not in vain: but the fair woman injured us
[more] severely through the first sin which men dwelling
on earth ever committed against the Lord, since Adam1000
was filled with the breath of life by the mouth of God!
XII.
Then the Master of Splendor asked Cain through his
word, where Abel was, upon the earth. Quickly there-
upon the wicked worker of slaughter answered him:1005
"I know not Abel's coming or going, my kinsman's
course: I was not my brother's keeper!"
Then the Prince of Angels, the Spirit rich in good
things, spoke to him again:
"Why didst thou cast that virtuous man, thy brother,1010
on his death-bed with thy violent hands, and his blood
now calleth and crieth unto me? For this murder
shalt thou undergo punishment and wander in exile1015
accursed unto distant ages: nor shall the earth, fair
for all necessary sustenance, yield thee harvest, for it
drank sacred blood at thy hands: therefore the earth,
verdant in beauty, denies thee its bounties. Infamous,
thou shalt sorrowfully wander from thy native land,
because thou hast been Abel's murderer: thou shalt1020
go forth an outcast over a long road, hateful to all thy
relatives!"
Then Cain answered him[11]:
"Now I dare not hope for any grace in the kingdoms
of the world, for I have forfeited, O high King of heaven,1025
thy favor as well as love and peace: therefore shall I
travel far ways in expectation of woes, whensoever any
one far or near shall find me, in my guilt, who may
remember my crime, my brother's murder: I shed his1030
blood, his life-blood on the ground. On this day thou
dost banish me from comfort and drive me from my
native land: someone of my foes shall be my murderer;
accursed, O God, shall I wander from thy sight."1035
Then the Lord of Victory spoke to him:
"Thou needst not as yet dread the terror of death
and murder, though thou shalt depart far from thy
friends, an outcast. If any man by his own hand1040
deprives thee of life, then shall come upon him sevenfold
vengeance for his sin, as penalty for his deed."
Our Ruler and glorious Lord set on him a sign, the1045
Master [set] a symbol of immunity, so that none of his
foes far or near might dare to approach him with warlike
intent; then he bade the wicked one leave forever his
mother and sons, all his family. Thereupon Cain set
out and departed sorrowing from before the face of God,1050
a joyless exile, and built himself a dwelling to the east,
a habitation far from his fatherland: there a fair maiden,
a woman of the country, bore him offspring.
The eldest was called Enos, first-born of Cain; he1055
began at once to build a city, with his kinsfolk: that
was the first beneath the clouds of all the fortifications
which heroes and swordsmen have caused to be built.1060
Therein his offspring first arose, born of his wife in the
citadel: the eldest son of Enos was called Jared. Thence
arose the tribe of Cain, which increased the numbers1065
of its race. Next to Jared, Malalehel was the keeper
of the heritage after his father, until he passed away.
Afterwards Mathusal shared the royal treasures with
his kinsfolk, with his brothers, scion after scion, until1070
wise through length of days he had to consummate
his departure from the world and forsake life. After
his father's day, Lamech received the household
goods and domestic wealth: two wives, Ada and1075
Sella, women of the country, bore offspring to him: of
these one was Jabal by name, son of Lamech, who
through skilful cunning first of dwellers here below
awoke by his hands the song of the harp, that melo-1080
dious sound.
XIII.
Likewise, at this same time, there was in this family
a man called Tubal Cain, a son of Lamech, who through
the abundance of his skill was a master-smith, and first1085
among men through the craft of his mind he was the
inventor of agricultural implements upon earth: since
then the sons of men dwelling in cities have known far
and wide how to use brass and iron.
Once on a time Lamech himself made in words a wicked1090
confession to his two wives, his dear bed-fellows, Ada
and Sella:
"In murder I have slain a certain one among my near
relations; I stained my hands with the gory death of1095
Cain, destroyed with my hands the father of Enos, the
slayer of Abel, and poured on the ground the life-blood
of a man. Well knew I that for this shall come at last
the sevenfold vengeance of the King of Truth, great1100
according to the crime: my fall and destruction shall
be more sternly
depart!"—
Now, there came to Adam in Abel's place another1105
heir born in legal wedlock, an upright son, whose name
was Seth: he was happy and contributed greatly to the
comfort of his parents, Adam and Eve, his father and
mother, and took Abel's place in worldly affairs.1110
Then the first of men spoke these words:
"The Eternal Lord of Victory and Ruler of Life has
given me a son in place of the dear one whom Cain
slew, and our God has driven my grievous sorrow from1115
my heart with this man-child: to Him be praise for this!"
When he began again to raise up another son to him-
self by his wife, to be his heir, Adam the vigorous cham-
pion had [numbered] 130 winters of this life in the world.1120
The Scriptures tell us that on earth here for 800 years
after that, Adam increased his family with maidens
and youths: in all he had 930[12] winters, when he had to1125
give over this world through the departure of his spirit.
After him Seth ruled over the people,[13] the son held
the heritage after the parents, and took unto himself1130
a wife: he counted 105 winters when he first began to
increase the numbers of his family by sons and daughters.
The eldest son of Seth was called Enos: he first of all1135
the children of man called upon God,[14] since Adam
stepped upon the green grass, endowed with the spirit
of life. Seth was happy, and afterwards begot sons
and daughters for 807 winters: in all he had 912, when1140
the time was fulfilled that he should accomplish his
departure.
After him, when he departed out of the world, Enos
held the heritage, after the earth had received the body1145
of Seth, fruitful in the Lord. He was dear to God, and
lived here 90 winters before he begot children here by
his wife through intercourse: to him then was Cainan
first born, an heir in his ancestral home. Afterwards1150
for 815 winters[15] in the peace of God, the wise hero
begot offspring, sons and daughters: he died, the sage
patriarch, when he had [fulfilled] 905 [years].
After Enos, Cainan was chieftain, keeper, and leader1155
of his race: he had [numbered] 70 winters before a son
was born to him: when an heir was born for the patri-
mony, this son of Cainan was called Malalehel. There-1160
after for 840 [years] he increased the number of his
family by [begetting] children. In all, the son of Enos
had [lived] 910 winters, when he left this world, when1165
the number of his appointed days under the expanse of
the skies was fulfilled.
XIV.
After him Malalehel kept the land and inheritance for
many seasons. The chieftain had [lived] 65 winters,1170
when he began to beget children by his wife. His wife
brought a son to him, the woman to the man: this son
in his childhood, as I have heard, the man-child in his
youth, was called Jared. After this Malalehel lived1175
long and rejoiced in [his] blessings, [all] the delights of
men here below and worldly treasures: 895 winters had
he numbered when he departed; to his son he left the1180
land and the government.
After him for a long while Yeared dispensed gold to
the people; the chieftain was noble, a pious hero, and a
ruler dear to his subjects; 165 expectant winters he1185
lived his life in this world, when his happiness arrived,
for his wife brought a son into the world: this son was
called Enoch, his fair first-born. But the father still
added descendants to the number of his race, for 8001190
[years]: in all he had [counted] 965 [years] by night-
reckoning when he departed, the ancient patriarch,
when he gave up this world. And Yeared left land and1195
government to his wise [son], the dear leader.
After this Enoch raised aloft the sovereignty, the sagaci-
ous leadership of the people: in no wise did he let fall the
dominion and authority[16] while he was guardian of his1200
kinsfolk: he enjoyed days of happiness, and begot sons,
for 300 winters; the Lord, the Ruler of the Skies, was
gracious to him. From this world the hero sought in
the body the joy and bliss of the Lord; in no wise did1205
he die the death of this earth, as men [ordinarily] do
here, young and old, when God takes away from them
their possessions and substance, [all] earth's treasures,
and their life as well: but while living he set forth with1210
the King of Angels out of this transitory life into bliss,[17]
[clad] in the robes which his spirit received before his
mother brought him forth to men. He left the people
to his to his eldest son, his first-born; 365 winters had he1215
[numbered] when he left the world.
For some time after him, his son Mathusal held the
inheritance, who for the longest space of time enjoyed1220
the pleasures of the world in this body: he begot a
multitude of sons and daughters, before the day of his
death. When he had to depart from among men, the
venerable hero had [enjoyed] 970 winters.
After him, his son Lamech held the
a long time thereafter he ruled over the world; he had
[lived] 102 winters when the season came for the chief-
tain to begin to beget noble heirs, sons and daughters.
After this the lord and chief of the people lived 5951230
[years], enjoyed many a winter under the skies, ruled
the race well, and begot children: youths and maidens
arose as heirs to him. The eldest of them he named
Noe, who reigned over the land among men after Lamech1235
departed.
This sage ruler of the noblemen was 500 years old
when he first began to beget children, as the books tell.
The eldest son of Noe was called Sem, the next Cham,1240
the third Jafeth.
The people multiplied widely under the skies: the
race of men increased in number over the earth, by1245
[the birth of] sons and daughters. Now the descendants
of Seth, that beloved leader of the people, were still
very much cherished, dear to the Lord and prosperous.
XV.
But when the sons of God began to seek brides among
the race of Cain, the accursed folk, and chose wives1250
from among them against the will of God, the children
of men from among the sinful maidens, beautiful and
bright, then the Ruler of the heavens pronounced his
wrath against mankind and spoke these words:
"The men of Cain's race have not been absent from1255
my mind, but that stock has sorely offended me. Now
the sons of Seth renew my wrath and take to themselves
the maidens of my enemies as wives: the fairness of the1260
women, the maidens' faces, and the eternal Fiend have
shamefully captivated the multitude of men who were
formerly in peace."
After that, for 120 winters, duly numbered, exile
afflicted the accursed race in this world; then the Lord1265
wished to inflict punishment upon the covenant-breakers,
and to smite with death the doers of evil, the giant folk
unloved by God, the great and sinful foes hateful to the
Lord, when the Wielder of Victory himself saw what1270
was man's wickedness on earth, and how they all were
bold in crime and utterly vicious. He thought to
punish rigorously the races of men, to seize upon the1275
peoples grimly and sorely, with cruel might: he repented
exceedingly that he had ever created the author of the
nations, the source of the peoples, when he fashioned
Adam. He said that on account of the sins of men he
would utterly blot out all that there was on earth,1280
destroy every one of the bodies in whose bosom the
breath of life was concealed: all that came near to the
sons of men, the Lord determined to annihilate.
Noe, the son of Lamech, just and honorable, was dear1285
to God, the Preserver. The Lord knew that the virtue
of the true man prevailed in the innermost thoughts of
his breast; therefore the Lord, holy in helpfulness, Pro- 1290
tector of all men, told him by revelation what he pur-
posed inflicting upon the wicked ones: for he saw the
earth full of unrighteousness, the broad plains laden
with sin, polluted with foulness. Then spoke the Al-1295
mighty, our Saviour, and said to Noe:
"I am resolved to destroy humanity by means of a
deluge, and also every kind of living thing that the air
and waters produce and support, both beast and bird:
but thou shalt have shelter, with thy sons, when the1300
dark waters, the black floods of death, destroy mankind,
the vile sinners. Begin to build thee a ship, a mighty
sea-house, in which thou shalt give a place of refuge
to many a one and a safe home to every species on earth,1305
after thine own. Build partitions in the midst of the
ship. Make the boat fifty cubits wide, thirty high,
three hundred long, and joint it stoutly against the1310
assault of the waves. There shall be a creature of every
living species, a scion of every race on earth, led within
that wooden fortress; so must the Ark be the greater!"
Noe did as the Lord commanded him, obeyed the1315
holy King of Heaven, began at once to build that Ark,
the mighty sea-chest; he told his kinsmen that there
was a horrible thing impending over the people, dire
punishment: but they heeded this not at all. Then,1320
after several winters, the Changeless Lord saw that the
vast sea-house, Noe's vessel, towered up in readiness,
strengthened within and without with the best earth-
lime, against the waves; it is unique in its kind: the
harder the fierce waters of the dark billows beat it, the1325
stouter does it ever become.
XVI.
Then our Preserver spoke to Noe: "I give thee my
pledge for this, O dearest of mankind, that thou mayst
now take up thy course with the creatures of all kinds1330
which thou shalt bear across the deep water for many
days, in the bosom of thy vessel. Lead on board the
Ark, as I bid thee, thy sons, the three first-born, and
your four wives. And do thou take into the sea-house1335
seven [members] duly counted of each of the species that
live to [supply] nourishment for men, and two of each
of the others: likewise take on the Ark some of all plants
growing on earth used for food by the people who are1340
to sail over the floods with thee. Feed freely the differ-
ent species of animals, until I shall prepare a place under
heaven by my Word for those who are saved from this
watery journey. Depart now with thy household into1345
the Ark, with the multitude of dependent things; I know
thee for a good and true man: thou art worthy of
safety and mercy, with thy sons. In seven nights now I
shall let the deadly rain fall from above upon the face1350
of the broad earth. For forty days will I set my ven-
geance against mankind, and with a deluge blot out all
the possessions and possessors that are beyond the sides
of the Ark, when the black storm begins to descend."1355
Then Noe left him, as our
order to lead his children on board the Ark, men and their
wives together on the great ship; and all that God Al-
mighty wished to preserve for perpetuating their spe-
cies, went on board to their food-giver, as the Almighty1360
Lord of Hosts bade them through his word. With his
own hands, the Guardian of Heaven, Wielder of Victory,
locked the entrance of the sea-house behind them, and1365
our Saviour blessed [all] within the Ark with his own
grace. Noe, the son of Lamech, had 600 winters when
he embarked with his sons, at God's command,—that1370
wise man, with the young people, his dear kinsfolk.
The Lord sent rain from heaven, and likewise let
the springs from every source rush upon the world far
and wide, [let] the dark ocean-streams burst forth in1375
tumult: the seas rose up over the boundaries of the
shore. Strong and stern was He who ruled the waters,
for he covered and shrouded with wan waters the accursed
wickedness of the sons of the earth and devastated the1380
land and homes of men: the Lord wreaked [his fury]
upon men for their offences. The sea cruelly gripped
the wretched folk for forty days, and nights as many
bitter was the suffering then, cruelly fateful to men.
The waves of the King of Glory drove the souls of the1385
vicious ones forth from their bodies. The flood covered
everything; turbid under the sky [it covered] the high
mountains over the broad earth, and on its crest raised
the Ark aloft from the ground, and its noble crew with it,
[the Ark] which the Lord Himself, our Creator, blessed,1390
when he locked the ship. Thereafter this best of ships
rode widely under the skies over the circle of the sea,
fared [forth] with its freight: the terrors of the flood1395
would have seized them with violence in the sea-traver-
sing vessel, but the Holy God led and preserved them.
Fifteen ells deep, by man's measure, stood the deluge
over the hills. That is a memorable occurrence: there1400
was nothing at hand for [the Ark] but destruction,
except that it was raised aloft into the upper air when
the inundation killed all creatures upon earth other than
those whom the Lord of Heaven saved on board the Ark,
when the Holy God everlasting, the steadfast King, let1405
[the flood] rise up with ever-increasing[18] stream.
XVII.
Then God, Wielder of Victory, was mindful of those
floating on the deep, the son of Lamech and all his1410
family, whom the Source of Light and Life had locked
up against the water in the bosom of the ship. The
Lord of mankind led the heroes by his Word over far
lands. Soon the flood began to abate; the deluge ebbed,
dark under the sky: the true God had turned back again1415
the foaming waves, for his children; the Glorious One
[had] stilled the cataracts of rain. For 150 nights under
the skies the foamy ship floated, from the time when
the well-nailed sides of this best of boats first arose
upon the flood until this number of days of dire time1420
had passed. Then the Ark of Noe, greatest of ocean-
homes, settled on high with its burden on the hills which
are called Armenia: there the pious son of Lamech1425
awaited the sure promises for a long time, when the
Keeper of Life, the Almighty King, gave him relief from
the perilous chances which he had long undergone,
when the dark waves bore him abroad on the deep over1430
far countries.
The flood was sinking; the sea-farers, the heroes and
their wives, longed [for the time] when they might
venture to step out of their straitened quarters over the
well-nailed side out on the bank, and take their goods1435
out of their crowded home. So the guardian of the ship
tried to find out whether the waters were still sinking
under the clouds: accordingly, after many days from the
time the high mountain-sides received the possessions1440
and persons of the races of earth, the son of Lamech
let a black raven fly out of the Ark over the high flood.
Noe believed that if it found no land in its flight, it1445
would zealously seek him again on the ship over the wide
water. But this hope failed him; for the evil [bird]
alighted upon a floating corpse: the dark-feathered fowl
would not seek [further]. Then again after a week he sent
from the Ark a purple dove to fly over the high water1450
after the dark raven, for the purpose of finding out
whether the foamy sea, the ocean, had given up any
portion of the green earth, as yet. Widely she sought1455
her desired object, and flew afar: nowhere did she find
a resting-place, since she could not settle on land on foot
because of the flood, nor alight on a leaf of a tree
because of the waves; for the steep mountain-sides were1460
hidden by the waters. The wild bird set out in the
evening to seek the Ark over the dusky flood, and sank
weary and famished in the hands of the pious hero.
Then after a week the wild-dove was again sent out1465
from the Ark: she flew far, until greatly rejoicing she
found a fair place for rest and settled with her feet on
a tree; she exulted glad at heart, because exceedingly
weary [as she was] she could sit in the bright branches1470
of a tree: she shook out her wings and started to fly
back again with her gift, [for she] brought in her flight
an olive twig, green leaves, into the hands of one [on
board]. Then quickly the leader of the voyagers per-1475
ceived that solace had come, relief from their perilous
experience. So again after a third week the happy
man sent out a wild dove; it did not come flying back
to the ship, for it found land, green groves: the glad1480
creature did not wish to show itself ever again under the
pitch-smeared roof on the Ark, when there was no need.