The Hymn Of The Robe Of Glory - Part 1

When I was a little child,
And dwelling in my kingdom, in my Father's house,
And in the wealth and the glories
Of my nurturers had my pleasure,
From the East, our home,
My Parents, having equipped me, sent me forth.

And of the wealth of our Treasury
They had tied up for me a load.
Large it was, yet light,
So that I might bear it unaided --

Gold of ...
And silver of Gazzak the great,
And rubies of India,
And agate from the land of Kush,
And they girded me with adamant
Which can crush iron.

And they took off from me the Bright Robe
Which, in their love, they had wrought for me,
And my Purple Toga,
Which was measured and woven to my stature.

And they made a compact with me,
And wrote it in my heart that it should not be forgotten:

"If thou goest down into Egypt,
And bringest the one Pearl,
Which is in the midst of the Sea,
Hard by the loud-breathing Serpent,
Then shalt thou put on the Bright Robe
And thy Toga, which is laid over it,
And with thy Brother, our next in rank,
Thou shalt be heir in our Kingdom."

I quitted the East and went down,
There being with me two Messengers,
For the way was dangerous and difficult,
And I was young to tread it.

I passed the borders of Maishan,
The meeting place of the merchants of the East,
And I reached the land of Babel,
And I entered the walls of...

I went down into Egypt,
And my companions parted from me.
I betook straight to the Serpent,
Hard by his dwelling I abode,
Waiting till he could slumber and sleep,
And I could take my Pearl from him.

And when I was single and alone,
A stranger to those with whom I dwelt,
One of my Race, a Free-born Man,
From among the Easterns, I beheld there --
A youth, fair and well-favored.
And he came and attached himself to me.

And I made him my intimate,
A comrade with whom I shared my merchandise.
I warned him against the Egyptians
And against consorting with the Unclean;
And I put on a garb like theirs,
Lest they should insult me because I had come from afar,
To take away the Pearl,
And lest they should arouse the Serpent against me.

But in some way or other,
They perceived that I was not their countryman;
So they dealt with me treacherously.
Moreover, they gave me their Food to eat.
I forgot that I was a Son of Kings,
And I served their king;

And I forgot the Pearl,
For which my Parents had sent me,
And by reason of the burden of their...
I lay in a deep sleep.

But all these things that befell me, 
My Parents perceived and were grieved for me;
And a proclamation was made in our Kingdom,
That all should speed to our Gate,
King and princes of Parthia,
And all the nobles of the East.

So they wove a plan on my behalf,
That I might not be left in Egypt,
And they wrote to me a Letter,
And every noble signed his name thereto:

"From thy Father, the King of kings,
And thy Mother, the Mistress of the East,
And from thy Brother, our next in rank,
To thee, our Son, who art in Egypt, greeting!
Up and arise from thy sleep,
And listen to the words of our Letter.

-- to be continued --

~ g
.