The Elene of Cynewulf by Cynewulf
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Cynewulf >> The Elene of Cynewulf
'"And this Saul in enmity was dooming many a
follower of Christ to torture and death, yet the 500
Lord showed mercy unto him so that he became a
solace for many men. And in after times the God
of creation, Redeemer of men, changed his name,
and he was called Saint Paul, and of the teachers of 505
the law no one of all those, or man or woman born
into the world, was ever better than he beneath the
span of the heavens, even though upon the hill he
bade crush Stephen, thy brother, with stones. 510
'"Now thou canst understand, my dear son, how
merciful is the Lord of all, if we straightway purge
ourselves of our evil deeds and cease again from
the unrighteous act, though many times we transgress 515
against Him, and wound Him with our sins.
Wherefore I, in sooth, and in after times my dear
father, believed that the God of all glory, Giver of
life, suffered' bitter agony for the surpassing need 520
of mankind. And now I counsel thee in secret, my
dear son, that thou never offer scorn, nor blasphemy,
nor wrathful opposition to the Son of God. Then 525
shalt thou deserve that unto thee be granted eternal
life in heaven, the best reward of victory."'
'Thus in days of yore, while I was still a youth,
my father instructed me, and taught me with these
true words, a man wise in sorrow--Simon was his 530
name. And now that ye know my heart and mind,
ye perceive clearly what ye had best declare if the
queen ask us concerning that tree.' 535
And the wisest spake together before the assembly
in these words:--'Never heard we any other man
save now thee declare thus among this people concerning 540
such a hidden thing. Act as thou thinkest,
O thou wise in the lore of old, if thou art questioned
among the multitude, for there is need of wisdom,
of artful words, and the learning of a seer, that
shall give answer to this noble woman before such a 545
throng met together.'
Then words increased: men thought, reflected,
and pondered on either side, some this way and
some that. And there came a band of thanes to
the assembly; and heralds, messengers of Caesar, 550
trumpeted:--'O ye counselors, the queen doth summon
you unto the royal hall, that ye may show
forth rightly the judgments of your synod. Ye
have need of prudence in the council, of wisdom in
mind.' And they, the leaders of the people, grieved 555
in soul, were ready as they were summoned by the
bitter edict, and went unto the palace to show forth
the power of craft.
Then the queen spake unto the Hebrews and asked
them, their hearts sorely burdened, how once the 560
prophets, holy men, sang in the world concerning
the Son of God; and where the Lord suffered, true
Son of the Creator, for the love of souls. But they
were obdurate and mute as stones, nor would they 565
show forth the true secret, nor in the hardness of
their hearts would they give any answer to what
she sought of them, but, set in purpose, they withstood
each word that she asked, and said that never 570
in their lives had they heard, before nor since, one
whit of any such thing.
Then Elene spake and answered them in anger:--'I
shall say unto you truly, and never in your life
will this be false, that if ye who stand before me 575
persist long in this falsehood with lying craft, ye
shall be burned upon the hill in the hottest fury of
fire, and leaping flames shall consume your flesh, so
that for you this lie shall be changed into utter destruction. 580
Nor can ye prove those words which now
in your guile ye cover up under the cloak of evil.
Ye cannot hide the deed, nor conceal its mystic
power.'
10. ELENE AND JUDAS.
Then were they in the fear of death, of the
funeral-pyre, and the end of life; and there they 585
thrust forth one of exceeding wisdom in the lore
of old, whose name was Judas, sprung from noble
lineage; and they gave him up unto the queen,
and called him a man of wondrous learning: 'He
can show forth to thee the truth, unlock the secret
of the fates, expound the just law from the beginning 590
even to the end, according as thou dost ask
him. He is of noble race in the world, wise in
speech, the son of a prophet, outspoken in council.
And it is his nature to have sage answers and wisdom
of soul. He shall show forth to thee before 595
the multitude with his great power the gift of wisdom,
even as thy heart desireth.'
Then she let each man seek his own home in peace,
and took Judas alone as hostage. And she earnestly 600
bade him tell the truth concerning the cross,
which had been long buried in a secret place. Then
Elene, the glorious queen, drew him aside by himself,
and thus spake to the lonely man:--'Two ways 650
are ready for thee, either life or death, whichsoever
thou shalt please to choose. Declare quickly
now which one thou wilt accept.'
And Judas made answer unto her--nor could he
rid himself of sorrow and turn away the wrath of
his ruler, but he was in the power of the queen--: 610
'How shall it be with him who treadeth the moor
in a desert, weary, without food, and tortured
with hunger, if before his eyes a loaf and a stone
together seem hard and soft, and he knoweth them
not apart, but taketh the stone to ward off his 615
hunger, and marketh not the loaf, turneth to want
and forsaketh the food, refuseth the better when
he hath the choice of both?'
Then openly before the people the blessed Elene
gave him answer:--'If thou wouldst have thy life 620
in the world and a home with the angels in the
kingdom of heaven, the reward of victory in the
sky, tell me straightway where the holy rood of
the King of glory lieth under the earth, which ye 625
have hid now for a while from men because of the
unrighteous murder.'
Judas answered, and his heart was heavy within
him; there was grief in his soul, and woe either
way, whether thus he forsook the joy of the 630
heavenly realm and this present kingdom beneath
the skies, or disclosed the rood:--'How can I
reveal that which came to pass so long ago in the
course of years? Two hundred or more in number
are now vanished away--I know not the sum of 635
them, and I cannot declare the event. Many of
wisdom, of virtue, and of learning, who were before
our time, are told among the dead. In days long
after was I born, and in my childhood, and in my
youth. I may not discover in my heart that which 640
I know not, and which came to pass so long ago.'
Then Elene bespake him in answer:--'Whence
cometh it that ye bear in mind so many things,
every wondrous deed, such as those which the Trojans 645
wrought in battle? That far-famed war of
old was further in the course of years than this
holy event, and yet ye know that fully, how to
declare at once the number of all that were slain 650
there, and of the spearmen who fell in death beneath
their shields. Ye set forth in writing the
tombs beneath the rocky cliffs, and likewise the
places and the tale of years.'
Then Judas answered--he suffered bitter grief:--'We 655
are mindful of that war from very need, my
dear lady, and we set forth in writing the fierce
strife and the deeds of the nations, but never have
we heard this declared unto men from the mouth 660
of any save here and now.'
And the noble queen gave him answer:--'Too
mightily dost thou withstand the truth and the right
concerning the tree of life, insomuch as thou spakest 665
verily of the rood of victory before thine own
people but a little time ago, and now dost turn
to falsehood.'
Judas again spake unto her, and said that he
uttered those words in sorrow and exceeding doubt,
that he had weened bitter hardship for himself.
Quickly the kinswoman of Caesar answered him:--'Lo!
we have heard it declared unto men from 670
the holy book that the noble Child of the King, the
Son of God, was crucified on Calvary. Thou shalt
reveal thy knowledge perfectly concerning the field
where this place Calvary is, according to the teaching 675
of the Scriptures, ere death and utter destruction
snatch thee away for thy sins, that I may thereafter
cleanse the cross to be a solace for men, according
to the will of Christ. Thus shall the Holy God,
the Lord Almighty, Glory-giver of hosts and Helper 680
of souls, fulfill for me my desire and my inmost
longing.'
But with stubborn heart Judas answered her:--'I
know not the place, nor aught of the field, nor
know I the event.'
Then Elene spake with wrath in her heart:--'I 685
swear by the Son of the Creator, by the crucified
God, that thou shalt be starved to death before the
people of thine own race, save thou forsake this
falsehood and fully declare unto me the truth.' 690
Then she bade men take him alive, and throw
him, guilty as he was, into a dried-up well--nor did
her subjects hesitate. And there, joyless and famished,
weighed down with chains, was he to abide
in his grief for the space of seven nights. And
upon the seventh day, weakened by sorrow, weary, 695
and without food--his strength was broken--he
began to call aloud:--'I beseech you by the God
of the heavens that ye release me from this misery, 700
for I am brought low by the pangs of starvation.
Joyfully will I show forth the holy tree--no longer
can I hide it now by reason of my hunger. This
durance is too fearful, this need too great, and this
torture too bitter day by day. No longer can I 705
endure to suffer, and conceal my knowledge concerning
the tree of life, though before I was filled
with folly, and confess the truth too late.'
11. THE FINDING OF THE CROSSES.
When she who there held sway over the heroes
understood the changed bearing of the man, she 710
straightway bade release him from his prison,
his dungeon, his narrow cell. Then quickly they
did so, and took him out of the pit with care, as
the queen had bidden them. And they resolutely 715
took their way to that place upon the hill where
the Lord was crucified on the cross, the Son of
God and Prince of the heavenly realm. Weakened
by hunger, he knew not yet clearly where through 720
the wiles of the devil the holy rood lay hid beneath
the earth, nor where it rested in its tomb, safe in a
secret place, long hidden from men.
After a little while he lifted up his voice with
unwonted power and spake in Hebrew:--'O Lord 725
Jesus, thou who dost possess the power of judgment,
thou who didst form the heaven and the earth and
the sea, the broad expanse of waters, and all created
things, by the might of thy glory; thou who didst
measure out with thine own hands all the sphere of 730
this earth and of the firmament above; thou who
dost sit in person, the King of victories, over the
most glorious angel-kind; thou who in a mantle
of light dost fare through space in surpassing
majesty, the nature of man cannot rise in the flesh 735
from the earth-tainted ways unto the bright throng
of the pure, the heralds of glory. Thou didst form
that host, holy and heavenly, and didst ordain it
unto thy service. Six of their number are called 740
by name in joy without end, and they are clothed
about with six wings; they are adorned, and gleam
brightly. And there are four of their number
ever in flight that perform the service of glory 745
before the sight of the eternal Judge, and they continually
sing in holiness with clear voices the laud
of the King of heaven, fairest of songs, and they
chant these words in pure tones--their name is 750
cherubim:--"Holy is the holy God of the archangels,
the Lord of hosts. Heaven and earth are
full of His majesty, and all His exceeding might is
marked with His glory." And there are two among
their number in the heavens, the victorious race, 755
whereon man bestoweth the name of seraphim.
With flaming sword they are to keep sacred the field
of Paradise and the tree of life. And fast in
their grasp the drawn sword, sharp of edge, quivers,
trembles, and changes its hue. For thou dost rule, 760
O Lord God, eternally, and thou didst hurl thy sin-stained
foes, the workers of iniquity, from the
heavens, and the unhappy host fell to the dark
abodes, into the pains of hell. There now they suffer 765
the agony of death in a sea of fire, encompassed
about with darkness, in the embrace of the dragon.
He withstood thy kingly rule, and therefore in
misery, abhorred, the vilest of the vile, shall he
suffer and endure the servile yoke. He cannot there 770
neglect thy commandment; he is fettered in torture,
bound in agony, the author of all sin. If it be thy
will, O King of angels, that He who was on the
cross, and was born of Mary into the world in the 775
form of a child, the Lord of the heavenly host, shall
rule--and were He not thy Son, free from guile,
never could He have wrought such a multitude
of true miracles day after day in the world; 780
nor wouldst thou, O Lord of the peoples, so gloriously
have raised Him from the dead before the
nations, were He not thy Son in glory by that holy
maid--then do thou, O Father of angels, now show
forth thy sign. Even as thou didst hearken unto 785
the words of that holy seer, Moses, in prayer, when
thou, O God of power, didst reveal unto the noble
man in due time the bones of Joseph beneath the
mountain-side, so would I, O God of hosts, if it be
thy will, beseech thee in the name of that fair being 790
that thou, Creator of souls, wilt disclose unto me
this treasure-house that long has been hidden from
men. Do thou now, O Prince of life, let rise up
beneath the span of the heavens from this smiling 795
field a misty smoke. Then shall I trust in thee
better, and the more firmly establish my soul in
undoubting joy upon the crucified Christ, that He
is truly the Saviour of souls, eternal, omnipotent,
and King of the Israelites, and that He shall rule 800
for ever in glory without end the everlasting dwellings
in the heavens.'
Then from that place a mist rose up beneath the
skies, like unto smoke. Thereupon was the soul
of the man exalted, and he clapped his hands unto 805
the heavens, wise and blessed. And Judas spake,
sage in thought:--'Now have I truly perceived in
the hardness of my heart that thou art the Saviour
of the world. Thanksgiving without end be thine, 810
O God of might, who sittest in majesty, that unto
me in my misery and my sin thou dost uncover the
secrets of the fates by thy glory. Now I would
pray thee, O Son of God, Giver of gifts to men,
inasmuch as I know thou art revealed and born the 815
Glory of all kings, that thou never more be mindful
of my guilt, O my Creator, which I have wrought
not a few times against thee. Let me, O God of
power, dwell with holy joy among the number of 820
the kingdom in that fair city where my brother is
exalted in glory, for he, Stephen, held covenant with
thee, even though he was stoned. He hath the
reward of the fight, joy unceasing, and the wonders 825
that he wrought are set forth in books.'
Then, glad and zealous, he digged in the earth
under the sod for the tree of glory until he uncovered
and came upon three crosses together in a
mournful home, hid twenty feet below, concealed 830
in their dark grave beneath the steep cliff, and covered
over with sand, even as in days of yore the 835
host of the sinful, the race of the Jews, had clothed
them over with earth. They stirred up hatred
against the Son of God, as they would not have
done had they not hearkened to the teachings of
the prince of evil.
And his soul was gladdened with great joy, and 840
his heart strengthened by that holy tree, and his
spirit exalted within him as he beheld the holy sign
in the earth. With his hands he seized upon the
wondrous tree of glory, and in the midst of the
people raised it aloft from its earthy grave. Then 845
strangers and heroes entered into the town.
12. THE MIRACLE OF THE TRUE CROSS.
Thereupon the glad and zealous man set forth
the three trees of victory before Elene in open view. 850
The queen rejoiced in her heart at the deed, and
asked on which of those trees the Son of the King,
Giver of joy to men, was crucified: 'Lo! we heard
it declared from the holy book that two suffered
with Him, and He Himself was the third on the 855
cross. All the heavens grew dark in that woful
hour. Say, if thou knowest, on which of these
trees the Lord of angels and Prince of glory suffered.'
But Judas could not declare unto her fully concerning 860
that tree of victory, on which the Saviour,
the conquering Son of God, was hung, for he wist
it not assuredly. Then he bade set the crosses with
tumult in the midst of the fair city, there to abide 865
until the King Almighty should show forth a miracle
before the people through that tree of glory.
With souls uplifted in their victory, they sat themselves
down about the rood, and with earnest
thought raised their voices in song until the ninth
hour, when they had new joy, gloriously gained. 870
For many came there, no small multitude, and
among the press of men close by on a bier they
brought one who was dead, a young man, lifeless;
and it was the ninth hour.
And there was the heart of Judas gladdened with 875
great joy. He bade them set down upon the earth
him whose soul had fled, the body forsaken of life,
the dead man, and he himself, wise and earnest
revealer of truth, raised up in his arms two of those 880
crosses over the lifeless frame. But the body, fast
on its couch, was dead as before. The limbs were
cold, enwrapped with their dire fate. Then the
third, the holy one, was raised aloft. The body 855
waited until the rood, the cross of the King of
heaven, the true sign of victory, was laid upon the
man; then he straightway rose up, restored in spirit,
both body and soul together. And there was great 890
laud raised among the people; they revered the
Father, and honored the true Son of the King in
their speech. To Him be glory and thanksgiving
without end from all creatures.
13. JUDAS AND THE DEVIL.
Then, as ever should be, was the miracle which 895
the Lord of hosts, Giver of life, had wrought for
the salvation of mankind, impressed upon the minds
of the people. But there the fiend, the devil from
hell, dire monster mindful of evil, sinning with his 900
lies, rose up into the air, flying, and spake thus:--'Lo!
what man is this who doth again in the
ancient enmity destroy my following, swell the
olden hatred, and waste my possessions? Continual 905
strife is this. No longer may the souls of them
that work evil dwell among my possessions, since
now a stranger hath come, whom I counted fast
in his sins, and hath robbed me of my every right 910
and of all my wealth. This is not a just deed.
The Saviour, who was raised up in Nazareth, hath
done me many an evil, acts of deep hatred. As he
grew up from childhood, he ever turned to himself 915
my possessions, nor now can any justice succeed
[against him]. His kingdom is broad over the
world, while my teaching is weakened beneath the
heavens. I dare not despise this cross with scoffing
laugh. Lo! the Saviour hath again shut me into 920
my narrow home, smitten with woe. Once I was
filled with joy by a Judas: but now, again by a
Judas, am I humbled, bereft of possessions, abhorred,
and friendless. But I know how to discover 925
again by my sin a way of return hereafter from
the home of the damned. I shall incite against thee
another king who shall persecute thee, and shall
forsake thy teaching and follow my ways of 930
evil; then will he cast thee into the darkest and
worst of terrors, that thou, racked with pain, mayst
vehemently renounce the crucified King, whom thou
didst formerly obey.'
Then the wise Judas, daring hero in strife, 935
answered him (the Holy Spirit was granted unto
him with strength, a love hot as fire, a knowledge
welling up through the learning of a warrior); and
he spake this word, filled with wisdom:--'Thou
needst not so mightily, ever mindful of evil, renew 940
sorrow and enkindle strife, O sinful prince of murder,
inasmuch as the mighty King, who hath awakened
with His word many of the dead, doth thrust
thee into the nether depths, thou worker of iniquity, 945
into the abyss of torture, bereft of joy. Know thou
full clearly that thou in folly didst forsake the
brightest of lights and the love of the Lord and that
glorious faith, and that thou hast since dwelt in a 950
bath of fire, burdened with tortures and seared with
flame, and that there, with hatred in thy soul, thou
shalt ever suffer woe and misery without end.'
Elene heard how the foe and the friend struggled
together, the glorious and the foul on opposite sides, 955
the sinful and the blessed. And she was the gladder
in heart as she heard that the hellish enemy, the
Prince of evil, was vanquished; she marveled at
the wisdom of the man, how in so little time
he was so filled with faith, and how he who had 960
ever been so ignorant was imbued with knowledge.
And she thanked God, the King of glory, that
through the Son of God the joy of both these things
was come unto her--on the one hand at the sight 965
of the tree of victory, and on the other at this
faith which she so clearly understood as a glorious
gift in the breast of this man.
14. THE EMBASSY TO CONSTANTINE.
Then was the fair news of the morning manifest
among the nation, spread far throughout the people,
to the vexation of many who would keep secret the 970
law of the Lord. It was heralded through the cities,
as far as the sea embosoms the land, through every
town, that the rood of Christ, buried of yore in the
earth, had been found, best emblem of victory of
them that were raised aloft before or since, holy 975
beneath the heavens. Unto the Jews, men of misfortune,
it was a most bitter grief and most hated
of fates that they could change neither it nor the
joy of the Christians in the world. Then the queen 980
bade messengers from her noble company make
them ready with haste, for they were to seek the
lord of the Romans over the deep sea, and declare
unto that warrior in person the best of glad tidings--how
the tree of victory, that had been hidden a long 985
time before to grieve the holy ones, the Christian
people, had been discovered and found in the earth
through the grace of the Creator.
Then was the soul of the king rejoiced at that 990
fair news, and his heart filled with gladness. And
in the city there was no want of richly-clad questioners
concerning what was come from afar. The
greatest comfort in the world, a joyful soul, was 995
come unto him at those glad tidings which the messengers,
leaders of the army, brought to him over
the eastern ways, how the warriors with the glorious
queen had made a prosperous voyage over the sea
into the land of the Greeks. The emperor bade
them prepare themselves again for the journey with 1000
the greatest haste. The warriors made no delay
when once they heard the answer, the message of
the prince. He bade them, heroes hardy of soul,
give greeting to Elene, renowned in war, if they
should survive the sea and make a prosperous 1005
voyage unto the holy city. And Constantine furthermore
bade the messengers charge her to build
a church there on the mountain-slope for the weal
of them both, a temple of the Lord on Calvary for 1010
the joy of Christ and the solace of men, there
where the holy rood was found, fairest of all trees
the dwellers on earth have ever known. 1015
15. THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE.
And thus she did when her friends brought many
a kind greeting over the fastness of waters from the
west. Then the queen bade seek far and near those 1020
skilled in the arts, the best of those who could work
most wondrously in the laying of stone upon stone,
that they might raise a temple of God upon that
place. As the Lord of spirits counseled her from
the heavens, she bade deck out the rood with gold
and with gems, adorn it most artfully with precious 1025
stones; then to seal it with locks in a casket of silver.
There hath the rood of life, best tree of
victory, dwelt since then, indestructible in its nobleness.
There shall it be ever ready, a solace for 1030
the ill of any disease, affliction, or sorrow. Then
straightway shall men find aid and divine grace
through that holy form.