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By mdrout, on September 21st, 2007% A poem of great sadness and beauty, the Wanderer is the lament of an exile, longing for the lost days of happiness when he was with his lord. A wise man keeps his thoughts locked in his breast. He recognizes how all the world is fleeting, strong walls standing empty, rime-covered, blasted by storms. The halls are empty because the men are dead, carried off by war, by beasts, buried in graves.
Where is the horse? Where is the rider? Where is the giver of gold? Where are the joys of the hall?
Alas, the bright cup! Alas, the mailed warrior! Alas, the power of the prince. Time has passed, grown dark under the night helm, as if it had never been. Now remains only a trace, a wall, high and decorated. Spears took the men; storms thrash the stones. Snow binds the earth, the winter wind. Then darkness, the shadow of night, hail falls, men fear.
There is much hardship on this earth. Fate changes the world under the heavens. Here wealth is loaned, here a friend is loaned, here a man is loaned, here a kinsman is loaned. All the foundations of the earth stand idle.
Good is he who holds his truth. A man must never recite his sorrow, speak from his breast, unless he knows how to cure himself with courage. Well will it be for him who seeks favor from the father in heaven, where for us the eternal foundation lies.
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By mdrout, on September 20th, 2007% Juliana is then taken to the edge of that country to be killed. She speaks to the crowd, encouraging them to remember God in heaven and to hold fast in faith. She is then killed with a sword.
Then the nobleman takes a ship voyage and he and all his men are drowned. But Juliana’s body is taken by many people to her grave inside the city.
[Then follows the exhortative passage that contained Cynewulf’s runic signature. The first part of the passage is difficult to interpret, but seems to mean that Cynewulf is in great need and that he hopes that the saint will give him help when those closest to him must part. His soul will depart from his body on a journey. He will pass away and God will be angry when those who have sinned must await judgment. Cynewulf will be afraid].
He remembers all his sins and weeps for them. He will need favors when he dies. Cynewulf prays that everyone who reads the poem will remember his name and pray to God for him on Judgment Day. He concludes by praying that we will all find God merciful in that time.
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By mdrout, on September 19th, 2007% [this leaf begins with the end of a prayer by Juliana]
After Juliana finishes praying, an angel puts out the fire where she was standing unharmed. The nobleman now needed to find another way to execute Juliana, so he orders her to be thrown into boiling lead.
But when she is pushed in, the boiling lead explodes, killing 75 of the onlookers. And not one hair of her head nor one thread of Juliana’s clothing is burned.
The nobleman is furious, and commands that Juliana be decapitated by a sword. Juliana is happy when she hears this, because she knows that her life will now be set free.
Suddenly, the same devil that Juliana had forced to confess arrives from hell. He speaks to the crowd, telling them to punish her because she had humiliated him. Juliana looks at the devil and he scrambles away, saying that he is destroyed because she has shamed him so much.
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By mdrout, on September 18th, 2007% The devil continues his confession, admitting that he blinds, cripples and burns people. He also causes their veins to burst and brings about drownings and crucifixions. He also causes strife through drunkenness, and some people he kills with his own hands. It would take more than a full summer’s day to tell how many evil things he has done since Adam and Eve lost paradise.
The devil says he has also caused all wars. He notes that no other person had ever conquered him before Juliana. He will have to tell what happened to him in his dark home (i.e., hell).
The nobleman has Juliana led out of her cell. She drags the devils along with her and begs her not to humiliate him in front of the men. Juliana releases him to go back to the pit. The devil is very concerned that he will have to tell the other devils what happened to him.
[here a leaf is missing from the MS].
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By mdrout, on September 17th, 2007% The devil continues to explain how he can harm people by encouraging them into sin. He says that he has to retreat, humiliated, if a soldier of God remains steadfast and bold in prayer. Then the devil has to seek out a weaker soldier. Even if this soldier attempts to do a good deed, the devil looks upon his whole conscience and finds a weak point and then convinces the weaker solider that it is easier to give into the desires of the flesh. The devil seeks to destroy the soul, so that the body will become food for worms.
Juliana speaks again, commanding the devils to explain how the devil can put himself in the company of good people and why he is not afraid of people steadfast in truth.
The devil ask Juliana how she has managed to fetter him, and answers that she trusted in God. Likewise the devil trusts in the power of his father, the king of hell. He worries that he will be humiliated in hell because of his defeat by Juliana and asks her to pity him in his need.
Juliana tell him he will have to confess more evils deeds. The devils replies that he knows he must suffer anything that she commands.
[it is particularly interesting how much C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters seems to owe to this passage]
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By mdrout, on September 14th, 2007% [there is a break in the text here. The next leaf begins in the middle of the devil’s confession]
The devil is confessing to having been a part of many bad things. Caused Herod to cut off John’s head, got Simon to start persecuting, Nero to kill Peter and Paul, Pilate to crucify Christ, Ægas to crucify Andrew… I’ve helped do so much evil stuff that I can’t remember it all.
Juliana says: tell me more. Who sent you?
The devils says that his father, the king of helldwellers, sent him. Wow, you should see how terrible hell is and how miserable and afraid we all are. My father sends his servants all over the world to do bad things. And if we aren’t able to turn someone to evil, we get punished.
Juliana says: tell about how you injure people who are usually strong in truth, how do you get them to fall into sin?
The devils says he change shape and turns the minds of those who are strong in truth. I give them heart-lusts, delusions, the desire for sinful pleasures. And when I succeed, my victim goes away from prayer and takes up vices. I bring terror on those I hate for their faith and, if they obey me, they aftewards die, bereft of virtues.
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By mdrout, on September 13th, 2007% The nobleman gives Juliana another chance to obey him, but she refuses, saying the she trusts in God. The nobleman then has Juliana hung by her hair on a gallows and be beaten for six hours. Then he ordered her to be taken down and put in prison. Lying inside the prison door, she continued to praise God. The Holy Spirit was her companion.
Then a devil came into the prison, but in the form of an angel. He spoke to Juliana and asked her why she is refusing to give in. He tells her that God wants her to go make a sacrifice to the pagan gods.
Juliana asks where he has come from, and he says he is an angel of God, and that God orders her to save herself.
Juliana cries out to God, asking to be allowed not to submit and asks Him to prove that the devil really is His messenger.
A voice answers from the heavens and tells Juliana to seize the devil and force him to tell his errand.
Juliana grasps the devil.
[here there is a missing MS leaf]
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By mdrout, on September 12th, 2007% Juliana tells her father that she will never accept a marriage with the nobleman unless he becomes Christian.
Her father, furious, says that if she goes on worshipping alien gods, and refuses to be married to the nobleman, she will be torn by animals. To insult the lord of a terrible path of action.
Juliana says that as long as she lives she will not speak a lie. She does not fear and ordeals nor will she ever be turned from the worship of Christ.
The father ordered her to be flogged and put to torture and tells her to change her mind.
She refuses, saying she will only honor the true God.
So Africanus, the father, handed Juliana over to Eleusius.
This nobleman ordered her to be taken to his judgment seat in front of all the people, and he said to her: Juliana, you are very sweet. If you will now worship our gods, you will avoid many tortures.
Juliana refuses, saying that she is not intimidated by threats.
So the nobleman ordered Juliana to be stretched out naked and beaten with whips.
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By mdrout, on September 10th, 2007% We have heard of what happened in the days of the persecutions of Maximian: he hated Christians. There was a nobleman who sacrificed to idols. He began to desire Juliana, but she wanted to preserve her virginity. Julian’s father promised her to the nobleman.
Julian said to the man: if you believe in the true God and stop worshipping idols, I will be commanded by you.
The nobleman became enraged and summoned her father. He said to her father: your daughter does not want to accept my love. This is an insult to me because she says that I have to worship another god.
Juliana’s father beame angry and said: if what you are saying is true, I will turn her over to you for punishment, even a death sentence. He went to speak to Juliana and said: you are the sweetest to me in the world, but you are making a mistake. This nobleman would be good to have as a friend. Do not let his love slip away.
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By mdrout, on September 7th, 2007% Christ will shine above the heavenly city and the birds, the chosen ones, will follow him. They can never be harmed by the enemy because they are clothed in light, just like the Phoenix. A bright corona, adorned with jewels, will rise upon each one’s head. They will dwell in beauty with the Father and the angels.
Nothing will harm them, not strife, poverty, work, hunger thirst, disease or old age. The spirits will praise the Lord, singing “Peace be to you, etc.”
Just as God was born into the world yet remained holy, suffered death and torment on the cross but received life again, so too the Phoenix indicates the Son of God when he arises from the ashes to new life. Just as the Savior gave us help through his body, so too the bird fills its wings with sweet herbs, the fruit of the earth.
These are the words which writings tell us will go up to heaven and bring a beautiful smell of words and works as a gift to God.
[the poem becomes macaronic here, with the a-verse of each line in Old English and the b-verse in Latin]
May there be eternal praise for the Lord. He is the right King of the world and of the heavenly troop, in the glorious city. He has granted us the ability to earn joy in heaven by good deeds. There we can live in grace, look upon the Lord, and sing Him praises with the angels. Alleluia.
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By mdrout, on September 6th, 2007% Then in that hour of revelation the image of the bird will come. Things will be well for those who may find favor with God at that time.
Spirits will return to their bodies while the fire rises up to the heavens. The blessed will be clothed with their works: these are represented by the herb with which the bird builds its nest before it is burned up and reborn renewed. Likewise all men will be re-clothed in flesh, renewed. Then holy spirits will sing as the blessed are raised up, clothed with their good deeds.
Let no one think I am making this up. Listen to the wisdom of Job, who says that he will be allowed, just like the phoenix bird, to be renewed after resurrection.
So the wise man in the early days sang so that we would better understand what the bird means. The bird gathers up the ashes, bones and cinders and brings them in his feet to the Lord’s land. So, after death, souls will journey with the body, adorned, like the bird, with noble smells, to great joy in the heavenly city.
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By mdrout, on September 5th, 2007% We have learned how God made the first man and woman and set them in paradise. They lacked nothing as long as the obeyed the Lord’s command not to eat of the tree, but the ate the apple against God’s command. For this they suffered punishment and ever since their children have paid for their sin. They had to give up the noble land due to the serpent’s seduction. Paradise was closed until the King of Glory opened it to the holy ones through his Advent.
The migration of the bird is similar to this. We he is old, he leaves his dwelling place and find a high tree in the woods in which he builds a nest. He wishes to have a new life through fire. Likewise our ancestors left paradise and made a long journey on which monsters harmed them often.
But there are many on earth who serve the Lord and he is pleased with them. This is the tree in which the holy live. No enemies can harm them there. The warrior for the Lord builds a nest for himself through his good deeds. The Lord is a shield to him. The good deeds are the herbs and fruits which the bird gathers from near and far.
Out of these herbs a city in the heavens will be built for them. This way the blessed one earns joy and a heavenly home with the Lord until the end of the world, when death takes the life of each man and sends the bodies to where they will remain until the fire comes.
That day the Lord will lead all men into a gathering and pass judgment on all men. The blessed will depart to heaven while the world burns.
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By mdrout, on September 4th, 2007% The bird is very beautiful with many very attractive parts.
When he goes from this earth to seek his old dwelling place, he shows himself to men who from far and near gater to gaze upon him. The people discuss him in their writings and depict him in stone.
Then the family of other birds gather around him in the air. They praise him with songs and fly in a circle around the Phoenix. They follow him towards his dwelling place, but then the Phoenix flies away and departs from the earth.
Thus after death, the bird goes back to his noble homeland. The other bird return home, mourning. Only God knows whether the Phoenix is male or female.
In his homeland, the bird enjoys the streams and woodlands for a thousand years. And then the pyre burns him again. But he is afterwards awakened to life. For this reason he does not despair, because he knows that the flames will renew him. He is his own son and father and the inheritor of his old heirlooms.
Likewise each blessed person chooses everlasting life for himself instead of dark death. The nature of the Phoenix is similar to the chosen servants of God on earth: through the Father’s help they keep happiness and prepare for themselves prosperity in the heavenly homeland.
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By mdrout, on August 31st, 2007% When the sky is clear and everything is still, the bird begins to build a nest. From far and near he gathers the most sweet-smelling herbs and woodblossoms, and builds his nest at the top of the tree, surrounded with beautiful smells.
In the hottest summer, the sun makes the nest warm until it burst into flame, burning the bird. Fire devours his body.
But after a while the ashes gather together into a clump. Then out of the ashes comes something that looks like an apple. A worm grows, as if it has hatched. He becomes like an eagle’s chick and keeps growing until he is the size of an eagle. The bird is reborn, renewed and separated from sins.
This process is similar to the sprouting of the earth in the spring.
The bird eats only honey-dew as he grows to full size.
When he is fully grown, he seeks his homeland. He grasps what remains of the fire with his claws and flies home. He carries his own bones there and buries them and the ashes all together in the beautiful land.
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By mdrout, on August 30th, 2007% A bird lives in this wood: it is named the Phoenix. He never dies in this good place as long as the world remains. He watches for when the sun rises above the sea and then, when it has risen, he bathes himself twelve times in the streams. Then he goes up onto a high tree where he can watch the sun travel over the waves.
As soon as the sun is shining over the sea, the bird flies from the tree and sings as he soars through the sky. The song is sweeter than all the musical instruments of the world, trumpets, horns, harps, voices and even the organ. It is sweeter than the wings of swans. The bird sings until the sun goes down he stops singing, listens, and then beats his wings three times. And he always marks the hours, twelve times each day, both day and night.
The phoenix does this for 1000 years at a time.
But when he has weakened with age, the grey-feathered bird flies away from the beautiful land and finds a realm in earth where no people live. There he rules over a family of birds and dwells with them in the desert for a while, until he flies west to the land of Syria. There, he seeks out a hidden place within a grove of trees. He chooses one tree, which people call the Phoenix (the same name as the bird).
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