Image
© Hildesheim, St Godehard |
Translation
| |
And he is worthy
to enter Paradise.”
The man goes and looks, but he cannot identify him,
That holy man spoken of by the statue. |
175 |
| 36 |
The sacristan
returned to the statue in the church.
“Of course,” he said, “I do not know whom to ask.”
The statue replies: “He is the one sitting by the door,
He is close to God and to the kingdom of heaven;
In no way does he wish to stray from it.” |
180 |
| 37 |
He goes and looks,
and calls him into the church.
Behold the news travels through the whole country
That the statue spoke on account of Alexis.
Everyone, great and lowly alike, pays their respects to him,
And they all pray that he will have mercy on them. |
185 |
| 38 |
When he realises
that they want to pay their respects to him,
“Indeed,” he says, “it is no use staying here any
longer,
I do not wish to be burdened again by this recognition.”
By night he flees the city,
Straight back to Lalice (Laodicea) did he wend his way. |
190 |
| 39 |
Lord Alexis went
on board a ship;
They had a wind, and let the ship sail before it;
Straight to Tarsus he hopes to go,
But this cannot be, he has to go elsewhere:
Straight to Rome does the wind carry them. |
195 |
| 40 |
At one of the
ports which is closest to Rome,
There does this holy man’s ship arrive.
When he saw his native country, he is very afraid
On account of his family, that they might recognise him
And burden him with worldly dues. |
200 |
| 41 |
“Oh God”,
he said, “sovereign ruler of all,
If it had pleased you, I would have preferred not to be here.
If my family in this land recognise me,
They will take me in by pleading or by force;
If I give in to them, they will drag me to my ruin. |
205 |
| 42 |
But yet my father
misses me,
So does my mother more than any woman alive,
Together with my bride whom I left with them.
I will not avoid putting myself in their keeping now;
They will not recognise me: it has been such a long time since they
last saw me.” |
210 |
| 43 |
He leaves the
ship and came straight to Rome;
He walks through the streets with which he was formerly so familiar,
None other than his father does he meet there
Together with a great crowd of his men:
He recognised him, and calls him by his right name: |
215 |
| 44 |
“Eufemien,
fine sir, noble lord,
Do shelter me, for the love of God, in your house;
Under your stairs make me a pallet bed
For the sake of your son for whom you grieve so much:
I am quite infirm, so feed me for love of him.” |
220 |
| 45 |
When the father
hears his son’s appeal,
He weeps, he cannot restrain himself:
“For the love of God and for the sake of the one I hold dear,
I will give you everything, good man, that you have asked of me,
Bed and shelter and bread and meat and wine.” |
225 |
| 46 |
“Oh God,”
he said, “I wish I had a servant
To take care of him for me, I would make him a freeman for that.”
There was one who came forward immediately:
“Here I am,” he said, “I will take care of him at
your command:
For love of you, I will take on the task.” |
230 |
| 47 |
Then straightaway
he took him under the stairs:
He makes his bed for him where he could rest:
Everything/ |
|
|
Transcription
&
il est dignes d’entrer en paradis · cil vait sil quert mais
il nel set coisir · / icel saint home de cui l’imagene dist
· Revint li costre a l’imagine/ el muster · certes dist
il ne sai cui antercier · respont l’imagine/ có est
cil qui tres l’us set · pres est de deu e des regnes del ciel
· par/ nule guise ne s’en volt esluiner · Cil vait sil
quert fait l’el muster/ venir · est vus l’esample par
trestut le pais · que cele imagine parlat/ pur alexis · trestuit
l’onurent li grant e li petit · e tuit le prient/ que de els
ait mercit · Quant il có veit quil volent onurer ·
/ certes dist il n’i ai mais ad ester · d’icest honur
nen [error for nem] revoil ancum/brer · ensur nuit s’en
fuit de la ciptet · dreit a lalice revint li sons/ edrers ·
Danz alexis entrat en une nef · ourent lur vent laisent/ curre par
mer · andreit tarson espeiret ariver · mais ne puet/ estra
ailurs l’estot aler · andreit a rome les portet li orez ·
A un/ des porz ki plus est pres de rome · iloec arivet la nef a icel
saint/ home · quant vit sun regne durement s’en redutet ·
de ses parenz/ qued il nel recunuissent · e del honur del secle ne
l’encumbrent/ E deus dist il bel reis [scribal correction written
above sire] qui tut guvernes · se tei ploust ci ne volisse/
estra · s’or me conuissent mi parent d’icesta terre ·
il me prendrunt/ par pri ou par poeste · se jos an creid il me trair[un]t
a perdra Mais ne/purhuec mun pedre me desirret · si fait ma medra
plus q[ue] fe[m]me/ qui vivet · avoc ma spuse que ío lur ai
guerpide · or ne lairai nen [error for nem]/ mete an lur bailie ·
nen [error for nem] conuistrunt tanz iurz ad que nen [error for
nem] virent/ Eist de la nef e vint andreit a rome · vait par les
rues dunt il ia/ bien fut cointe · n’altra pur altre mais sun
pedre i ancuntret · / ansembl’ot lui grant masse de ses humes
· sil reconut par sun dreit/ num le numet · Eufemien bel sire
riches hom · quar me herber/ges pur deu an tue maison · suz
tun degret me fai un grabatum/ empur tun filz dunt tu as tel dolur ·
tut soi amferm sim pais pur/ sue amor · Quant ot li pedre le clamor
de sun filz · plurent/ si oil ne s’en puet astenir ·
por amor deu e pur mun cher ami · tut/ te durai boens hom quanq[ue]
m’as quis · lit & ostel e pain e carn/ e vin · E
deus dist il quer ousse un sergant · k’il me guardrat io/ l’en
fereie franc · un en i out ki sempres vint avant · as me dist/
il kil guard pur ton cumand · pur tue amur an soferai l’ahan
· Dunc/ le menat andreit suz le degret · fait li sun lit o
il pot reposer · tut li/
|
Translation
| |
And he is worthy
to enter Paradise.”
The man goes and looks, but he cannot identify him,
That holy man spoken of by the statue. |
175 |
| 36 |
The sacristan
returned to the statue in the church.
“Of course,” he said, “I do not know whom to ask.”
The statue replies: “He is the one sitting by the door,
He is close to God and to the kingdom of heaven;
In no way does he wish to stray from it.” |
180 |
| 37 |
He goes and looks,
and calls him into the church.
Behold the news travels through the whole country
That the statue spoke on account of Alexis.
Everyone, great and lowly alike, pays their respects to him,
And they all pray that he will have mercy on them. |
185 |
| 38 |
When he realises
that they want to pay their respects to him,
“Indeed,” he says, “it is no use staying here any
longer,
I do not wish to be burdened again by this recognition.”
By night he flees the city,
Straight back to Lalice (Laodicea) did he wend his way. |
190 |
| 39 |
Lord Alexis went
on board a ship;
They had a wind, and let the ship sail before it;
Straight to Tarsus he hopes to go,
But this cannot be, he has to go elsewhere:
Straight to Rome does the wind carry them. |
195 |
| 40 |
At one of the
ports which is closest to Rome,
There does this holy man’s ship arrive.
When he saw his native country, he is very afraid
On account of his family, that they might recognise him
And burden him with worldly dues. |
200 |
| 41 |
“Oh God”,
he said, “sovereign ruler of all,
If it had pleased you, I would have preferred not to be here.
If my family in this land recognise me,
They will take me in by pleading or by force;
If I give in to them, they will drag me to my ruin. |
205 |
| 42 |
But yet my father
misses me,
So does my mother more than any woman alive,
Together with my bride whom I left with them.
I will not avoid putting myself in their keeping now;
They will not recognise me: it has been such a long time since they
last saw me.” |
210 |
| 43 |
He leaves the
ship and came straight to Rome;
He walks through the streets with which he was formerly so familiar,
None other than his father does he meet there
Together with a great crowd of his men:
He recognised him, and calls him by his right name: |
215 |
| 44 |
“Eufemien,
fine sir, noble lord,
Do shelter me, for the love of God, in your house;
Under your stairs make me a pallet bed
For the sake of your son for whom you grieve so much:
I am quite infirm, so feed me for love of him.” |
220 |
| 45 |
When the father
hears his son’s appeal,
He weeps, he cannot restrain himself:
“For the love of God and for the sake of the one I hold dear,
I will give you everything, good man, that you have asked of me,
Bed and shelter and bread and meat and wine.” |
225 |
| 46 |
“Oh God,”
he said, “I wish I had a servant
To take care of him for me, I would make him a freeman for that.”
There was one who came forward immediately:
“Here I am,” he said, “I will take care of him at
your command:
For love of you, I will take on the task.” |
230 |
| 47 |
Then straightaway
he took him under the stairs:
He makes his bed for him where he could rest:
Everything/ |
|
|
