In the House of my Father’s Kingdoma,
2
And in the wealth and the glories
3
From the Eastb, our Home, my Parents
4
Indeed from the wealth of our Treasure,
5
Large was it, yet was it so light
6
Gold from the Land of Beth-Ellaya,
7
Chalcedonies of India,
8
They girt me with Adamant [also]
9
My Glorious Robe they took off me
10
And my Purple Mantle [also]
11
And with me They [then] made a compactd;
12
"If thou goest down into Egypte,
13
"[The Pearl] that lies in the Sea,
14
"[Then] shalt Thou put on thy Robe
15
"And with thy Brother, Our Secondh,
16
I left the East and went down
17
For the way was hard and dangerous,
18
I traversed the borders of Moshan,
19
And I reached the land of Babelk,
20
Down further I went into Egypt;
21
Straightway I went to the Serpent;
22
To take away my Pearl
23
Lone was I there, yea, all lonely;
24
However I saw there a noble,
25 A young man fair and well favoured,
26
Son of Grandees; he came and he joined me.
27
I made him my chosen companion,
28
He warned me against the Egyptians,
29
For I had clothed me as they were,
30
From afar to take off the Pearl,
32
But from some occasion or other
32
With their wiles they made my acquaintance;
33
I forgot that I was a King’s son,
34
I forgot all concerning the Pearl
35
And from the weight of their victuals
36
All this that now was befalling,
37
It was then proclaimed in our Kingdom,
38
Kings and Chieftains of Parthia,
39
And this is the counsel they came to:
40
And for me they wrote out a Letter;
41
"From Us--King of Kings, thy Fathern,
42
"And from Our Second, thy Brother--
43
"Up an arise from thy sleep,
44
"Remember that thou art a King’s son;
45
Bethink thyself of the Pearl
46
"Remember thy Glorious Robe,
47
"To put on and wear as adornment,
48
"And with Our Successor, thy Brother,
49
My Letter was [surely] a Letter
50
’Gainst the Children of Babel, the wicked,
51
It flew in the form of the Eagle,
52
It flew and alighted beside me,
53
At its voice and the sound of its winging,
54
Unto me I took it and kissed it;
55
E’en as it stood in my heart writ,
56
I remembered that I was a King’s son,
57
I bethought me again of the Pearl,
58
And I began [then] to charm him,
59
I lulled him to sleep and to slumber,
60
The Name of our Second, [my Brother],
61
And [thereon] I snatched up the Pearl,
62
Their filthy and unclean garments
63
To the way that I came I betook me,
64
On the road I found [there] before me,
65
As with its voice it had roused me,
66
On fabric of silk, in letter of red [?],
68
Encouraging me with its guidance,
69
I went forth; through Sarbăg I passed;
70
And I reached unto Maishan the Great,
72
That lieth hard by the Sea-shore.
72
My Glorious Robe that I’d stripped off,
73
Down from the Heights of Hyrcania,
74
By the hands of their Treasure-dispensers
75
Without my recalling its fashion,--
76
At once, as soon as I saw it,
77
I saw it in all of me,
78
That we were twain in distinction,
79
I saw, too, the Treasurers also,
80
Were twain [and yet] of one likeness;
81
Who through them restored me the Gloryr,
82
The Glorious Robe all-bespangled
83
With Gold and also with Beryls,
84
With Sards of varying colours.
85
With adamantine jewels
86
[Moreover] the King of Kings’ Image
87
And as with Sapphires above
88
I saw that moreover all o’er it
89
I saw it further was making
90
I heard the sound of its Music
91
"Behold him the active in deeds!
92
"I too have felt in myself
93
And [now] with its Kingly motions
94
And made haste in the hands of its Givers,
95
And me, too, my love urged forward
96
And I stretched myself forth to receive it;
97
And my Mantle of sparkling colours
98
I clothed me therewith, and ascended
99
I bowed my head and did homage
100
Whose commands I [now] had accomplishedu,
101
[And there] at the Gate of His House-sons
102
For He had received me with gladness,
103
To whom the whole of His Servants
104
He had promised that with him to the Court
105
And taking with me my Pearl
a Jeremiah 1:5; Ecclesiastes 12:7.
Of my Up-bringers I was delighting,
Forth-sent me with journey-provision.
They bound up for me a load.
That all alone I could bear itc.
Silver from Gazak the Great,
Iris-hued [Opals?] from Kăshan.
That hath power to cut even iron.
Which in their love they had wrought me,
Which was woven to match with my stature.
In my heart wrote it, not to forget it:
And thence thou bring’st the one Pearlf--
Hard by the loud-breathing Serpentg,--
And thy Mantle that goeth upon it,
Shalt thou be Heiri in our Kingdom."
With two Couriers [with me]j;
For I was young to tread it.
The mart of the Eastern merchants,
And entered the walls of Sarbăg.
And from me parted my escorts.
Near to his lodging I settled,
While he should sleep and should slumber.
To my fellow-lodgers a stranger.
From out of the Dawn-land my kinsman,
A comrade, for sharing my wares with.
’Gainst mixing with the unclean onesl.
That they might not guess I had come
And so rouse the Serpent against me.
They learned I was not of their country.
Yea, they gave me their victuals to eat.
And became a slave to their king.
For which my Parents had sent me;
I sank down into a deep sleep.
My Parents perceived and were anxious.
That all should speed to our Gate--
And of the East all the Princesm.
I should not be left down in Egypt.
And to it each Noble his Name set:
And thy Mother, Queen of the Dawn-land,
To thee, Son, down in Egypt, Our Greeting!
Give ear to the words of Our Letter!
See whom thou hast served in thy slavedom.
For which thou didst journey to Egypt.
Thy Splendid Mantle remember,
When thy Name may be read in the Book of the Heroeso,
Thou mayest be Heir in Our Kingdom."
The King had sealed up with His Right Hand,
The tyrannical Daimons of Sarbăg.
Of all the winged tribes the king-bird;
And turned into speech altogether.
I waked and arose from my deep sleep.
I loosed its seal and I read it.
The words of my Letter were written.
And my rank did long for its nature.
For which I was sent down to Egypt.
The terrible loud-breathing Serpent.
Chanting o’er him the Name of my Father,
And [Name] of my Mother, the East-Queen.
And turned to the House of my Father.
I stripped off and left in their countryp.
To the Light of our Home, to the Dawn-land.
My Letter that had aroused me--
So now with its light it did lead me--
With shining appearance before me [?],
With its love it was drawing me onward.
I left Babel-landq on my left hand;
The meeting-place of the merchants,
And my Mantle with which it was covered,
Thither my Parents did send me,
Who trustworthy were with it trusted.
In the House of my Father my childhood had left it,--
The Glory looked like my own self.
And saw me all in [all of] it,--
And yet again one in one likeness.
Who unto me had down-brought it,
For one Sign of the King was upon them--
The Pledge of my Kingship [?].
With sparkling splendour of colours:
Chalcedonies, iris-hued [Opals?],
To match its grandeur [?], moreover, it had been completed:
All of its seams were off-fastened.
Was depicted entirely all o’er it;
Was it wrought in a motley of colour.
The motions of Gnosiss abounding;
Ready as though for to speak.
Which it whispered as it descended [?]:
For whom I was reared with my Father;
How that with his works waxed my stature."
Was it pouring itself out towards me,
That I might [take and] receive it.
To run for to meet it, to take it.
With its beauty of colour I decked me,
I wrapped entirely all o’er me.
To the Gate of Greeting and Homaget.
To the Glory of Him who had sent it,
And who had, too, done what He’d promised.
I mingled myself with His Princes;
And I was with Him in His Kingdom;
With sweet-sounding voices sing praises.
Of the King of Kings I should speed,
Should with him be seen by our King.
b Ezekiel 43:2.
c Ezekiel 18:20.
d Or "a covenant".
e Genesis 12:10; 42:3; 46:6; Revelation 11:8.
f Matthew 13:45-46.
g Revelation 12:9.
h Psalms 89:27.
i Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7.
j Proverbs 22:6.
k Or "Babylon"; Jeremiah 51:6; Revelation 17:5.
l Ezra 9:2; 2 Corinthians 6:14.
m Job 38:7.
n Malachi 2:10; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16.
o J.K. Elliott translates this as "the book of life"; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 20:12.
p Matthew 5:48.
q Jeremiah 51:6; Hosea 11:1; Hebrews 11:27.
r 2 Corinthians 3:18.
s Gnosis is Greek for "knowledge"; it may or may not mean gnosis in the Gnostic religious sense; 1 Timothy 2:4.
t Isaiah 26:2.
u Luke 11:28.