GOD:
Ego sum Alpha et O: vita, via, veritas, primus et novissimus.
I am gracious and great God without beginning.
I am maker unmade; all might is in me.
I am life and way, unto weal winning.
I am foremost and first; as I bid, shall it be.
The bliss of my gaze shall be blending
And flowing, from hardship protecting;
My body in bliss still abiding,
Unending, without any ending.
Since I am maker unmade, and most am in might,
Eternally endless, and nought is but I,
Created shall be, for my supernal height,
A place full of plenty, my will to apply.
And therein, as well, shall be wrought
Many and manifold deeds
Within this work sheltered, as needs;
And all shall be fashioned of nought.
But with only the worthiest work of my will
My power, with my spirit, inspired shall be.
And in the beginning, my thought to fulfill,
At once, with my blessing, I will that I see,
About all, a bliss sheltering;
And within this bliss do I make here
Nine orders of angels, full clear,
For love, in my worship, to sing.
[Then the angels sing, "Te deum laudamus, te dominum confitemur."]
Here now beneath me an island name I,
And this isle shall be "Earth." Now be, as is right,
Earth wholly, and Hell, and this--Heaven on high,
And those who do well, shall dwell in this height.
This I grant to you, servants mine,
As long as you are steady in thought.
And likewise, all those that are not
Shall be put in my prison to pain.
Of these mights I have made, the most, next to me,
I make you, as master, to mirror my might;
I bid you obedient in bliss here to be.
I name you now "Lucifer, Bearer of Light."
Nothing shall bring to you pain,
For this bliss is your home and your shielding.
You shall have every power at your wielding
As long as you humble remain.
[Then the angels sing "Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, dominus Deus Sabaoth."]
SERAPH:
Ah, merciful maker, much is your might;
All this work at a word you have worthily wrought.
Ever praised be that loveliest lord for his light
That made us, thus mighty, who but now were but naught,
In bliss to abide, with his blessing
Everlasting. Let us praise him with love,
Still remaining in Heaven above,
Nevermore having mirth or joy missing.
LUCIFER:
All the mirth that is made is marked here, in me!
The beams of my brightness are burning so bright,
And so seemly in sight myself now I see;
Like a lord am I left here, to dwell in this light!
Much fairer by far than these here-
To my beauty they cannot compare.
I feel I'm so fresh and so fair;
My power surpasses each peer.
CHERUB:
Lord, with lasting love, you shall we praise.
You almighty maker that marked us and made us,
And worthily wrought us to dwell in this place
Where defiling of filth may not foul us nor fade us.
A protecting bliss folds all about us,
And while we are steady in thought
In the worship of him that us wrought,
Of no harm shall we fear us or doubt us.
BAD ANGEL:
Oh, how I am handsome and fair, with figure well fit!
The form of all fairness upon me holds fast.
All this wealth's for my wielding, I know by my wit;
The beams of my brightness compare with the best.
My appearance is shimmering and shining,
So securely in bliss I am brought.
To concern myself, that I need not;
For no pain here shall bring me to pining.
SERAPH:
With all the wit that we wield, we worship your will,
You glorious God, the ground of all grace.
With reverent voices, here let us stand still,
Lord, to be fed with the food of your fair face.
In life that is loyally lasting,
Your grace is so bountifully dealing.
And whoever that food may be feeling-
To see your fair face-is not fasting.
LUCIFER:
Oh, what, how I am worthily wrought with worship like this!
In a glorious glow, my glittering gleams.
I am so mightily made that my mirth may not miss;
I shall abide in this bliss, through my brightness of beams.
By concern I need never be driven;
All might in my hand I am wielding;
Above I shall always be dwelling,
On high, in the highest of Heaven.
There shall I set me, sublimely in sight,
To receive my due reverence, my rightful renown.
I shall be like the One who is highest on height;
Oh, how I am worthy and deft-Oh, Deus! All goes down!
My might and my mirth are unsound;
I am falling, in faith! Help me, friends!
BAD ANGEL:
From Heaven, we fall to our ends;
I think that to woe we are bound!
LUCIFER:
Ah, ah! Help me! Helpless! So hot is it here!
This is a dungeon of dole in which I myself find!
What is my body, once comely and fair?
I am ugliest, loathsome, who once was sublime!
My brightness is black as a coal now;
My misery, endlessly kindling.
It makes me go growling and grinning!
Ah! Fury! I boil in woe now!
DEVIL:
Ah! Ah! I go mad for woe; my wit is all turned now!
All our food is but filth which before us is tossed;
We that were joyous in bliss, in this Hell are we burned now!
Curse you, Lucifer, villain; our light you have lost!
Your deeds to this misery brought us;
To ruin us you worked, with great speed!
For you were our light; you would lead
To the highest of Heaven, you taught us!
LUCIFER:
Horrible woe is me now! Now is it worse than it was!
Now foolishly chide you-I said but a thought!
DEVIL:
Ha! Villain, you ruined us!
LUCIFER:
You lie! Oh, alas!
I knew not this woe should be wrought!
Curse you all, villains, you choke me with smoke!
DEVIL:
This woe you have made us!
LUCIFER:
You lie! You lie!
DEVIL:
You lie! And that you shall buy!
LUCIFER:
Ah, villains! Have at you! Now choke!
CHERUB:
Ah, Lord, praised be your name who to us this light lent
Since Lucifer, our leader, is fallen and marred,
In Hell to be burned for his prideful intent;
For your justice repays a fitting reward
For all that is done in the world.
Through the grace of your merciful might
The cause I can see in plain sight-
The reason to Hell he is hurled.
GOD:
Those fools, for their fairness, into fantasies fell
And envied my might, that marked them and made them.
Therefore, as their works were, in woe they shall dwell;
They are fallen into filth that shall evermore fade them.
They shall never have grace to protect them.
So surpassing in power they thought them,
They would not worship me, who had wrought them.
Thus my wrath shall forever reject them.
But those that do worship, will dwell here in bliss.
Therefore more of my workings, work now I will.
Since their might is destroyed, who intended amiss,
Now after my image, this bliss to fulfil,
Out of Earth now will I make Mankind.
But first, for his sustenance' sake,
Everything for his use will I make,
Everything that he helpful shall find.
And in my first making, to show forth my might,
Since Earth is all void and in darkness does dwell,
I bid, at my blessing, you angels give light
To the Earth, for it darkened much when the fiends fell.
But in Hell it shall always be dark;
To the darkness I give the name "night."
And the "day" I will name this new light;
My creations to come they shall mark.
And now, with my blessing, I part them in two,
That they meet not again, the even and morn,
But, both in their courses, their ways shall they go.
Both the night and the day, your duty perform;
Guide all those I shall make, without ceasing.
This day's work is done, every deal.
And all this work pleases me well;
And with joy do I give it my blessing.
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