An ill-starred wretch, a fiend of wicked heart,
Gave answer then, and to his father said:—
"We shall not quickly work him any harm,
Nor slay him by our wiles; go thou to him;
There wilt thou surely find a bitter fight,
A savage battle, if again thou dar'st 1350
To risk thy life against that lonely man.
Much better counsel in the play of swords
We easily can give thee, lord beloved:
Before thou shalt resort to open war
And battle-rush, see to it how thou fare
In that exchange of blows; but let us go
Again, that we may mock him fast in bonds,
And taunt him with his misery; have words
Ready devised against that wicked wretch."
Then with a mighty voice cried out that fiend 1360
Weighed down with torments, and this word he spake:—
"Long time, O Andrew, hast thou been well versed
In arts of sorcery; thou hast deceived
And led astray much people; but thou shalt
No longer now have power upon such works,
For grievous torments are decreed for thee
According to thy deeds. With weary heart,
Joyless, degraded, thou shalt suffer woes,
The bitter pangs of death. My warriors
Are ready for the battle; they will soon
Deprive thee of thy life by valiant deeds. 1370
What man on earth so mighty that he may
Release thee from thy bonds, if I oppose?"
Straightway did Andrew answer him again:—
"Almighty God with ease can rescue me
From all my grief—He who in days of yore
Fettered thee fast with fiery chains in woe.
There, shorn of glory, bound with torments fierce,
In exile hast thou dwelt e'er since the day 1380
When thou didst set at naught the word of God,
Of Heaven's King; then did thy woe begin,
And to thy exile there shall be no end;
But thou shalt still heap up thy wretchedness
To everlasting life, and evermore
Thy lot shall grow yet harsher day by day."
Then fled that fiend who in the years long past
Began a deadly feud against his God.
Then at the dawning, when the day first broke,
A troop of heathens came to find the saint,
A mighty throng, and gave command to lead 1390
That valiant-hearted thane a third time forth.
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 God
Bravely from prison with his holy voice;
Weary of soul, he spake these words with tears:— 1400
"Ne'er have I suffered by God'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 bloody. Lo, Thou too,
Ruler of victory, Redeeming Lord,
Wast filled with grief among the Jews that day
When from the cross, Thou, everlasting God,
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 compass 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 shield 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 God.
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 bloody wounds
Were in his body, and no injured limb
Wet with his blood through wounding stroke of sword;
But there he stood by God's most noble 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 God's command,
Before whose presence all created things—
The heavens and earth—stand trembling, when they see
The Father with a countless multitude 1500
Visit the race of men upon the earth!
Let streams well forth from out thy firm support,
A gushing river; for the King of heaven,
Almighty God, commands thee that straightway
Upon this stubborn-hearted folk thou send
Water wide-flowing for the people's death,
A rushing sea. Lo, thou art better far
Than gold or treasure! for the King Himself,
The God of glory, wrote on thee, and showed 1510
His mysteries forth in words; Almighty God
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,
God-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 God!"