Image
© Hildesheim, St Godehard |
Translation
| |
that he needed
he prepares for him:
He does not want to behave badly towards his lord;
In no way can he be faulted. |
235 |
| 48 |
Often his father
and mother saw him,
As did the maiden whom he had married:
In no way did they ever recognise him;
Nor did he tell them, nor did they ask him
Who he was, or what land he came from. |
240 |
| 49 |
Many a time he
sees them showing great grief
And weeping most tenderly,
All on account of him, never for any other reason.
Lord Alexis considers this;
It is as nothing to him, his goal is set. |
245 |
| 50 |
Under the stairs
where he is lying on his mat,
There he is fed on the leftovers of the table.
In great poverty he leads his noble line;
He does not want his mother to know it:
He loves God more than all his lineage. |
250 |
| 51 |
Of the food which
came to him from the household,
He kept enough to sustain himself:
If there is any left over, he gives it to the poor;
He does not hoard any to fatten himself on,
[But gives it to the destitute to eat.] |
255 |
| 52 |
In holy church
he gladly spends his time;
At every Christian festival he takes communion;
Holy Scripture is his counsel:
In God’s service he wants to do his utmost;
He does not want to stray from it in any way. |
260 |
| 53 |
Under the stairs
where he lies and lives,
There he lives out joyfully his life of poverty.
His father’s servants who serve the household
Empty their dirty water over his head:
But he does not get angry, nor does he blame them for it. |
265 |
| 54 |
They all mock
him, and think him a fool;
They pour water over him and wet his little bed.
This most holy man does not get angry at all,
On the contrary, he begs God to forgive them
In his mercy, for they know not what they do. |
270 |
| 55 |
There he lives
in this manner for seventeen years,
None of his relatives recognised him
Nor did anyone know about his sufferings,
[Except for the bed where he has laid for so long:
He cannot prevent that from being apparent.] |
275 |
| 56 |
For thirty-four
years he has tortured his body in this way
God wants to reward him for his service.
His illness grows very much worse
Now he knows for certain that he must depart:
He has called that servant of his to him. |
280 |
| 57 |
“Bring
me ink and parchment, dear brother,
And a pen, I pray you, if you will be so good.”
The servant brings them to him and Alexis takes them;
He writes the letter all about himself,
How he went away and how he came back home. |
285 |
| 58 |
He kept the letter
with him, he did not want to reveal it,
Or to be recognised until he has gone;
In perfect disposition he has commended himself to God.
His end is approaching, his body grows wearisome;
He ceases altogether from speech. |
290 |
| 59 |
In the week when
he was to depart,
There came a voice three times in the city,
Outside the sanctuary, by God’s command,
It has called all his faithful there:
The glory which He wishes to give him is now at hand. |
295 |
| 60 |
With the second |
|
|
Transcription
amanvet
quanq[ue] bosuinz li ert · contra seinur ne s’en volt mesaler/
par nule guise ne l’em puet hom blasmer · Sovent le virent
e le pedre/ e le medra · e la pulcele quet li ert espusede ·
par nule guise unces/ ne l’aviserent · n’il ne lur dist
nelf [The scribe first wrote neil, then corrected this to nelf,
but doubtless intended n’els] nel demanderent · quels
hom/ esteit ne de quel terre il eret · Soventes feiz lur veit grant
duel/ mener · e de lur oilz mult tendrement plurer · e tut
pur lui unces/ nient pur eil · danz alexis le met el consirrer ·
ne l’en est rien issi est/ aturnet · Soz le degret ou il gist
sur sa nate · iluec paist l’um/ del relef de la tabla ·
a grant poverte deduit sun grant parage · / có ne volt il
que sa mere le sacet · plus aimet deu que tut sun linage ·
/ De la viande ki del herberc li vint · tant an retint dunt sun cors/
an sustint · se lui en remaint sil rent as povrins · n’en
fait musgode/ pur sun cors engraisser · En sainte eglise converset
volenters · / cascune feste se fait acomunier · sainte escriture
có ert ses con/seilers · del deu servise se volt mult esforcer
· par nule guise/ ne s’en volt esluiner · Suz le degret
ou il gist e converset/ iloc deduit ledement sa poverte · li serf
sum pedre ki la maisnede/ servent · lur lavadures li getent sur la
teste · ne s’en corucet/ net il nes en apelet · Tuz
l’escarnissent sil tenent pur bricun · / l’egua li getent
si moilent sun lincól ne s’en corucet giens cil sain/tismes
hom · ainz priet deu quet il le lur parduinst · par sa/ mercit
quer ne sevent que funt · Iloc converset eisi dis e set/ anz ·
nel reconut nuls sons apartenanz · ne nuls home ne sout/ les sons
ahanz · / Trente quatre anz ad si sun sors penet · deus sun
servise li volt guere/duner · mult li angreget la sue anfermetet
· or set il bien · qued il/ s’en deit aler ·
cel son servant ad a sei apelet · Quer mei bel frere/ & enca
e parcamin · & une penne có pri tue mercit · cil
li aportet/ receit le aleis · escrit la cartra tute de sei medisme
· cu[m] s’en alat/ e cum il s’en revint · Tres
sei la tint ne la volt demustrer · ne re/conuissent usque il s’en
seit alet · parfitement se ad a deu cumandet/ sa fin aproismet ses
cors est agravet · de tut an tut recesset del par/ler · An
la sameine qued il s’en dut aler · vint une voiz treis feiz/
en la citet · hors del sacrarie par cumandement deu · ki ses
fedeilz/ li ad tuz amviet · prest est la glorie qued il li volt duner
En l’alt[ra]/
|
Translation
| |
that he needed
he prepares for him:
He does not want to behave badly towards his lord;
In no way can he be faulted. |
235 |
| 48 |
Often his father
and mother saw him,
As did the maiden whom he had married:
In no way did they ever recognise him;
Nor did he tell them, nor did they ask him
Who he was, or what land he came from. |
240 |
| 49 |
Many a time he
sees them showing great grief
And weeping most tenderly,
All on account of him, never for any other reason.
Lord Alexis considers this;
It is as nothing to him, his goal is set. |
245 |
| 50 |
Under the stairs
where he is lying on his mat,
There he is fed on the leftovers of the table.
In great poverty he leads his noble line;
He does not want his mother to know it:
He loves God more than all his lineage. |
250 |
| 51 |
Of the food which
came to him from the household,
He kept enough to sustain himself:
If there is any left over, he gives it to the poor;
He does not hoard any to fatten himself on,
[But gives it to the destitute to eat.] |
255 |
| 52 |
In holy church
he gladly spends his time;
At every Christian festival he takes communion;
Holy Scripture is his counsel:
In God’s service he wants to do his utmost;
He does not want to stray from it in any way. |
260 |
| 53 |
Under the stairs
where he lies and lives,
There he lives out joyfully his life of poverty.
His father’s servants who serve the household
Empty their dirty water over his head:
But he does not get angry, nor does he blame them for it. |
265 |
| 54 |
They all mock
him, and think him a fool;
They pour water over him and wet his little bed.
This most holy man does not get angry at all,
On the contrary, he begs God to forgive them
In his mercy, for they know not what they do. |
270 |
| 55 |
There he lives
in this manner for seventeen years,
None of his relatives recognised him
Nor did anyone know about his sufferings,
[Except for the bed where he has laid for so long:
He cannot prevent that from being apparent.] |
275 |
| 56 |
For thirty-four
years he has tortured his body in this way
God wants to reward him for his service.
His illness grows very much worse
Now he knows for certain that he must depart:
He has called that servant of his to him. |
280 |
| 57 |
“Bring
me ink and parchment, dear brother,
And a pen, I pray you, if you will be so good.”
The servant brings them to him and Alexis takes them;
He writes the letter all about himself,
How he went away and how he came back home. |
285 |
| 58 |
He kept the letter
with him, he did not want to reveal it,
Or to be recognised until he has gone;
In perfect disposition he has commended himself to God.
His end is approaching, his body grows wearisome;
He ceases altogether from speech. |
290 |
| 59 |
In the week when
he was to depart,
There came a voice three times in the city,
Outside the sanctuary, by God’s command,
It has called all his faithful there:
The glory which He wishes to give him is now at hand. |
295 |
| 60 |
With the second |
|
|
