11
“There is surely no doubt about this truth:
There is one Creator who commands us all,
Our righteous Lord, who rules the world
Of wonderful creatures, seen and unseen,
From earth to heaven, sea to sky. 5
He is the Prince we strive to please,
The Shaper we serve, the God we glorify,
Whether we know it in our hearts or not.
He has made for all of us in creation
A natural code of laws and lore, 10
An orderly mode of customs and conduct,
A system that ensures an enduring peace.
It is what he wants, when he wants it,
For as long as he wants it to last in the world.
So it is and shall be, for each of us moves 15
In time to the rhythm of God’s purpose.
This eternal thrum is the hymn we inhabit—
It’s the music of both Maker and mankind.
The world changes, eternity stands still;
We move in the course that God has created. 20
He spurs us on or reins us in,
Giving us direction, encouragement, and restraint,
The push and pull of our everyday lives,
As we struggle and strive, arch against,
And finally embrace, the power and purpose 25
Of the Father who made us, our almighty Lord.
He bridles all creatures on earth and in heaven.
We move and are moved in a beautiful balance:
Every force and form finds some resistance—
Fire and water, earth and sea, land and air. 30
Each thing under heaven has its opposite—
Every twist and turn is somehow tempered
So that it cannot run unchecked, rampant
In wind or wave, earth or air,
Unbridled, unbound, breaking the balance, 35
Free to flow and undermine the others,
Feuding with its sisters, fighting with its brothers.
Each creature struggles against another,
But each in the end supports the other,
As they move together on a common course 40
From beginning to end, from birth to renewal.
There are many powerful forces on earth,
But nothing under heaven lasts forever.
The Lord made the law of mutability for all.
Spring sings out its song of green shoots, 45
Leaf and bud, tendril and bloom.
Autumn hauls each ripe fruit home,
Shrivels stems, ungreens summer’s glory.
Winter winds freeze unfruited limbs
And wither grasses, bleaching the plains. 50
But summer always comes back again
On the heels of spring, making meadows,
Greening groves, growing grain.
The moon often illuminates the night.
The bright sun is heaven’s candle, 55
Lighting the day throughout creation.
God gives us boundaries for land and sea.
No scaly creature from the whale-road
Is allowed inland without God’s leave.
No fish can fin its way out of water 60
Without gasping in the breathless air.
No driving tide can uncouple itself
From the ocean’s deeps to make the shore
Ebb and flow or the mountains surge.
The Lord of light, the Craftsman of creation, 65
Keeps these powerful forms and forces
Intact according to his eternal laws.
But if he wants to revoke his rules,
Unbridle creation’s balanced being,
Let loose the reins he established in the beginning, 70
Then he is free to do this, and all friendly forms,
All earthly forces, will flounder and fall.
All peaceful leanings will be lost in conflict,
All natural love suddenly turn loathsome.
Every earthly being will then become 75
Another’s enemy. Faithful friends
Will turn fierce foes. The world will unwind;
All creatures will uncurl from their living.
Life as we know it will lurch to its end.
But the Lord chooses to bind the world 80
In living love, forming friendships,
Affirming faith, making marriages,
Creating communities, establishing peace,
Composing creation’s harmonious hymns
Of grace and glory both now and forever. 85
Oh, Lord of victories, Maker of mankind,
How blessed our earthly lives might be
If only you controlled the minds of men,
Directing and shaping our daily thoughts
As carefully as you control time and tide, 90
The movement of seas, of sun and stars,
Your balanced power would bring us peace.
How pleasant our lives would be then.”
[Boethius acknowledges in his mind that Wisdom has offered him great comfort with his truths and says that he wishes to know more. Wisdom offers to teach his student the nature of true happiness by means of simple analogies, singing again:]
12
“If a man wants to raise fruitful grain
On fertile land, let him first clear away
Wild ferns and thorn bushes, brambles and gorse,
The wicked weeds that will strangle young shoots
Of pure wheat striving to see the sun. 5
Another analogy is equally useful:
Honey from the hive will be sweeter to one
Who has tasted bitter fruit before he comes
To the honeycomb for a drop of delight.
Likewise a man may appreciate good weather 10
If he’s just survived a tempestuous storm
Of biting rain from the fierce northeast wind.
Daylight seems brighter after a fearful night
Of dark dreams and twisted torments.
True happiness enters the human heart 15
More easily after suffering and sorrow,
Anxiety and affliction. You can find true joy
In your heart’s homeland if you first decide
To root out false pleasure, rip up fleeting delight,
Just as a good farmer must rid his fertile fields 20
Of noxious weeds that wither his plants
And choke his grain before the harvest.
You measure your gain by what you’ve lost.
So when you can clearly recognize true joys
Reach out for them, gather them in, 25
And embrace them fully, you will never again
Be drawn by the folly of false pleasures.”
[Wisdom argues that the apparent goods of this world, such as wealth and fame, power and pleasure, honor and ambition, are merely reflections of the higher, heavenly good, and that human striving for them is a misplaced yearning for that divine goodness. Man needs to recognize his natural impulse to strive for the good. Wisdom then continues:]
13
“I want with truth-songs to make known again
How almighty God guides with his bridle
All earthly creatures. He holds our reins
In his heavenly hands, bending us to his will
With his holy power, shaping our purpose. 5
The Ruler of heaven restrains us all.
We are tethered to him, bound by nature
To the spiritual strands of his eternal wonder,
His woven grace. We cannot slip free.
Each of God’s creatures strives to fulfill 10
What was always appointed. Each of us seeks
To lead the life that the King of angels,
Our original Father, intended us to live—
Except for certain rebellious angels
And some of mankind who deny their promis
e 15
And defy their Maker’s purpose and power,
Revolting against their own nature.
This is like the parable of the tame lion
Who licks his master’s hand, obeys his will,
Loves his lord, and serves him faithfully, 20
Fearing his might, until that fateful day,
When it tastes blood and turns wild again.
Who knows then what wrath will rise
In the ravenous heart of the unreined beast?
It will growl and roar, tear at its tether, 25
Rip free and pounce on its protector,
Biting the hand that lovingly fed it,
Feasting on flesh, and afterwards pursue
Every living creature, man and beast—
Anything to satisfy its savage hunger. 30
Likewise wild birds may be tamed and trained,
Singing delightful songs for their owners,
Feeding from their hands, at home in a cage—
But if they find themselves flying free
And landing in the trees in a nearby wood, 35
They forget their teaching, scorn their training,
Lose their sense of love for their owners,
And embrace their original untamed natures,
Becoming immune to their keepers’ call,
Even to their offer of sustaining seed. 40
The branches are so beautiful, they forget food.
The wood is wondrous, the forest full of sounds
Echoing their own—the whistling wind,
The swaying boughs, and other birds piping
As they sport and play from leaf to limb. 45
Every creature contributes to the woodland hymn.
Likewise with trees that sway in the breeze—
It’s in their nature to reach for the light
To green and grow tall in the forest.
You can bend down a bough to embrace the earth, 50
But the minute you leave, it will lift up its arms
And reach for the sun. It’s the will of the wood.
Likewise the sun, the bright sky-candle,
Has its appointed road. Each day it rises
From dawn to noon, descends toward evening, 55
Disappearing at night on some unknown path,
Then comes back seeking to rise again
To the rooftop of the world, its highest place.
Everything in creation yearns to return
To its heart’s homeland, its natural state, 60
Its place of peace, its eternal rest,
The care and comfort of our loving Lord.
Every earthly creature turns like a wheel
Constantly seeking its own starting place.
Each of us seeks our own beginning— 65
We move and are moved by a homing heart.”
[Wisdom explains that all people naturally desire the good and retain faint memories of their origins with God. He then explains again that earthly riches cannot satisfy one’s deepest desire to return home to his place of beginning and sums up his argument in song:]
14
“How can the world-greedy man ever be
Better off in spirit? How can a wealthy miser
Be happier in his mind, safer in his soul,
Even though he has many prized possessions,
Money and jewels, silver and gold— 5
Even though he owns over a thousand acres
And pays men to plow them every day—
Even though he rules the race of men
Under the sun—south, west, and east?
Can he carry home at the end of his road 10
Any more of these earthly trappings,
These so-called treasures, than he once brought
Into the world when he was born?”
[Wisdom reminds Boethius that worldly fame is often capricious or unfair. The seats of earthly power are often held by those who are dishonorable and undeserving. Their apparent power is limited by time, transience, and the true power of God. Wisdom discusses the suffering of Boethius at the hands of Theodoric. He then returns to the example of Nero, saying in poetic form:]
15
“The unjust and evil emperor Nero
Dressed himself in extravagant clothes,
Adorned with jewels, embroidered with gold.
He was bound in beauty, robed in arrogance,
And was often wicked to the wise and worthy, 5
Hateful to the honorable, hostile to the humble,
Snared in sin. That savage king
Gave rich gifts to his fawning minions.
Were the hearts of these henchmen any better
For his favor? Were their souls more secure? 10
That infamous Nero was a king of fools
Who were skill-less, soulless, craftless, clueless.
They were never as worthy as the wise,
Valued as the virtuous, saintly as the sinless.
Though a fool may be made a famous king, 15
Would a wise man say he’s any better for it?”
[Wisdom explains to Boethius that kings and their chosen favorites may enjoy great power, but this does not bring them true happiness, for wealth and power often bring fear and grief. Good friends in times of fortune frequently turn indifferent or antagonistic in times of misfortune. Wisdom continues on this theme, singing:]
16
“A man who seeks power should first strive
To control himself, measure and manage
His own mind lest it turn loathsome,
Subject to sin, embracing infamy.
He should avoid anxiety, rule his cares, 5
Never brood or be a slave to sorrow,
Never make his fierce miseries foremost
Among his concerns. Though he wins the world,
Everything between the encompassing oceans,
The surrounding seas, as far west as the island 10
That is called Thule, where there is no night
During the summer and no hours of daylight
During the winter—though he rules all realms
From that island eastward to India,
How is his power then more profound 15
Or his grasp of truth any greater,
His fortune any firmer or his heart’s peace
Any surer if he does not rule his own mind
And guard himself against iniquity
In his words and deeds, as we have argued?” 20
[Wisdom wonders why people so passionately pursue worldly glory, which is always deceptive and often dishonorable. Fame comes not from true merit but from false popularity and never lasts. Noble ancestry is one form of false honor, since no one can claim true virtue from his ancestors but must show a noble character through good words and deeds. Wisdom continues his advice in poetry, saying:]
17
“Everyone on earth enters through one door.
All people proud and poor, rich and wretched,
Come from one pair, the blessed bond
Of a man and a woman. This is no wonder
Since everyone knows that there is one God 5
Of all creatures, the Father of mankind.
The Almighty offers us the bright gift
Of sun and moon, the surrounding stars,
The circling radiance of high heaven.
Our beloved Lord created mankind, 10
Shaping body and soul, two together,
Each to serve and sustain the other.
Now in the beginning, God created
Everyone equal under the clouds,
No one more worthy or noble than the next. 15
Why then do you exalt yourselves over others
Without reason? What makes a man ignoble?
Is it his unknown ancestry or his evil acts?
True nobility resides in the mind of every man
Who pursues the good in words and works. 20
T
here is no inherent nobility in the body,
Except as it serves and sustains the soul.
Those bound to vice, ensnared in evil,
Undo God’s sacred, shaping purpose,
Undermining the bond between body and soul. 25
They turn their backs on God’s gifts
And finally cripple their own creation.
Then the Guardian, almighty and eternal,
Brings them down into lasting dishonor
So that the world can see their ignoble nature, 30
Their sin and shame. Mortified they gather no glory.”
[Wisdom discusses physical pleasures, particularly those of the flesh. These often bring suffering and sorrow, disease and pain. Such bodily pleasures are shared by the beasts of creation—they are mere animal lusts. There is little pleasure in the resulting pregnancy, which sometimes leads to death. Children are sometimes a pleasure to their parents, and sometimes a burden or a bane. Old stories even tell of sons who murder their fathers. Wisdom continues this theme in poetry, saying:]
18
“Alas! The ache for intimacy, the lust for sex,
The unnatural craving for illicit coupling,
The wicked desire for lecherous delight,
Seizes the soul, settles in the mind,
Takes the heart hostage in most of mankind. 5
But the wild bee, no matter how wise,
Must die whenever it stings someone.
Be careful not to perish from impure passion.
The soul will be lost in lustful pleasure
If the body is bound in such sinful delight, 10
Unless the heart realizes its unnatural wrong
And discovers repentance before departing.”
[Wisdom continues to describe the folly of people’s seeking for happiness in the wrong places. Prosperity often brings greater greed that is filled at the expense of less fortunate others. Power often brings a failure of true leadership and the antagonism of other power-hungry princes. Fame often brings false security and the deeper fear of failure and ignominy. None of these earthly values can be compared to the goodness of God or the human soul. The beauty of the body, the power of the state, the honor of a hero—these are all limited earthly goods. People should cast their eyes upon higher values. Wisdom continues, singing in the same vein:]
19
“Most earthly goods are grim follies
That lead to grief. A knowing man follows
The right path with a natural wisdom.
The Complete Old English Poems Page 99
