The Poem-book of the Gael/The Saltair na Rann/The Heavenly Kingdom
II. THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM
l. 337.King who formed the pure Heaven,with its boundaries, according to His pleasure,a habitation choice, songful, safe,for the wondrous host of Archangels.
Heaven with its multitude of hosts,noble, durable, exceeding spacious,a strong mighty city with a hundred graces,a tenth of it the measure of the world.
Therein are three ramparts undecaying,fixedly they surround heaven,a rampart of emerald crystal,a rampart of gold, a rampart of amethyst.[1]
A wall of emerald, without obscurity, outside,a wall of gold next to the city,between the two, with bright fair glory,a mighty rampart of stainless purple.
There, with a strong-flowing sea (?)is a spacious, perfect city,in it, with the light of peace,[2]is the eternal way of the four chief doors.
The measure of each door severallyof the four chief doorways,(placed) side by side, by calculation,is a mile across each single door.
In each doorway a cross of goldbefore the eyes of the ever-shining host;the King wrought them without effort,they are massive, very lofty.
Overhead, on each cross, a bird of red gold,full-voiced, not unsteady;in every Crossa great gem of precious stone.
Every day an archangelwith his host from Heaven’s king,with harmony, with pure melody,(gather) around each several cross.
Before each doorway is a lawn,fair …, of sure estimation,I liken each one of them in extent[3]to the earth together with its seas.
The circuit of each single lawnwith its silvern soil,[4]with its swards, covered with goodly blossom,with its beauteous plants.
Vast though you may deemthe extent of the spacious lawns,a rampart of silver, undecaying,has been formed about each several lawn.
The portals of the walls withoutaround the fortress on every side,with its dwellings soundly placed,affording abodes (?) for many thousands.
Eight portals in a seriesso that they come together around the city,I have not, in the way of knowledge,[5]a simile for the extent of each portico.
Each portal abounding in plants,with their bronze foundations,a rampart of fair clay has been establishedstrongly about each portal.
Twelve ramparts—perfect the boundary (?)of the portals, of the lawns,without counting the three ramparts that are outsidearound the chief city.
There are forty gateways in the heavenly habitationwith its kingly thrones;three to each tranquil lawn,and three to each portal.
l. 409Gratings (or doors) of silver, fair in aspect,to each gateway of that lawn,gracious bronze doorsto the gateways of the portals.
The corresponding walls from the fortress outwardsof all the portalsare comparable in height[6](to the distance) from the earth to the moon.
The ramparts of the lawns, as is meet,wrought of white bronze,their height—mighty in brilliance—is as that from the earth to the pure sun.
The measure of comparison of the three rampartswhich surround the chief city,their height shows (a distance equalto that) from the earth to the firmament.
l. 465The entrance bridges[7] of the perfect gates,a fair way, shining with red gold,they are irradiated—pure the gathering—each step ascending above the other.
From step to step—brave the progress,pleasant the ascent into the high city;fair is that host, on the path of attainment (?)many thousands, a hundred of hundreds.
In the circuit of the ramparts—great its strength (?)—in the interior of the chief city,bright glossy galleries,firm red-gold bridges.
Therein are flowering landsever fresh in all seasons,with the produce of each well-loved fruitwith their thousand fragrances.
l. 553.The nine grades of heaven,around the King of all causation,without loss of glory, with vigour of strength,without pride, without envy.
In abundant profusion (?) under the lawful Kingthis their exact number,seventy- two excellent hostsin each grade of the grades.
The number of each host, unmeasured gladness,there is none that could know it,except the King should know itwho created them out of nothing.
A majestic King over them all,King of flowery heaven,a goodly, righteous, steadfast King,King of royal generosity in His regal dwelling.
King very youthful, King aged long ago,[8]King who fashioned the heavens about the pure sun,King of all the gracious saints,a King gentle, comely, shapely.
The King who created the pure heavenly housefor the angels without transgression,land of holy ones, of the sons of life,[9]a plain fair, long, spacious.
He arranged a noble, peaceful[10] abode,stable, under the regal courses,a comely, clear, perfect, bright circuit,for the wondrous folk of penitence.
My King from the beginning over the host,"sanctus Dominus Sabaoth,"to whom is chanted upon the heights, with loving guidance, (?)the melody of the four-and-twenty white-robed saints.
The King who ordained the perfect choirof the four-and-twenty holy ones,sweetly they chant the chant to the host"sanctus Deus Sabaoth."
King steadfast, bountiful, goodly, noble,abode of peace, … (?)with whom is the flock of lambsaround the Pure Spotless Lamb.
Bright King, who appointed the Lambto move forward upon the Mount (of Sion)[11]four thousand youths following Him,(with) a hundred and forty (thousand) in a pure progress.
A perfect choir, with glories of form,of the stainless virgins,chants pure music along with themfollowing after the shining Lamb.
Equal in beauty, in swiftness, in brightness,across the Mount surrounding the Lamb;the name inscribed on their countenances, with grace,is the name of the Father.
The King who ordained the voiceof the heavenly ones by inspiration,full, strong-swelling,as the mighty wave of many waters;
Or like the voice of sound-loving harpsthey sing, without fault, full tenderly,(like) multitudinous great floods over every land, or like the mighty sound of thunder.[12]
King of the flowering tree of life,a way for the ranks of the noble grades;its top, its droppings, on every side,have spread across the broad plain of heaven.
On which sits the splendid bird-flocksustaining a perfect melody of pure grace,without decay, with gracious increaseof fruit or of foliage.
Beauteous the bird-flock which sustains it, (i.e. the melody)each choice bird with a hundred wings;they chant without guile, in bright joyousness,a hundred melodies for every wing.
King who created many splendid dwellings,[13]many comely, just, perfect works,through (the care of) my rich King,[14] over every sphere,no lack is felt by any of the vast array.
His are the seven heavens, perfect in might,without prohibition, without evil, whitely movingaround the earth, great the wonder (?)with the names of each heaven.
Air, ether, over allOlympus, the firmament,heaven of water, heaven of the perfect angels,the heaven where is the fair-splendid Lord.
l. 649.The amount of good which our dear God,has for His saints in their holy dwelling,according to the skill of the wise (?)there is none who can relate a hundredth part of it.
The Lord, the head of each pure grade,who gathered (?) the host to everlasting life,may He save me after my going out of the body of battles,the King who formed Heaven.
King who formed the pure Heaven.
- ↑ Lit. "green," "gold," and "purple," but they seem to imply special stones.
- ↑ Or peaceful light.
- ↑ This is the L. B. reading; the text gives "excellence" or "fertility," which does not make good sense.
- ↑ The L. B. reading is fond d'argut futhib, which seems to point to some such meaning as "base," "foundation."
- ↑ Reading uncertain.
- ↑ This is the L. B. reading; our text seems to mean "in renown."
- ↑ Or "thresholds."
- ↑ Perhaps Ancient of Days.
- ↑ Mac bethad may mean "a sinless man," as mac báis, "son of death," means a sinful man.
- ↑ We take síd to be an adjective; it might also mean "a fairy mound," but this is hardly applicable here.
- ↑ Rev. xiv. i.
- ↑ "I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps" (Rev. xiv. 2).
- ↑ "In my Father's house are many mansions" (John xiv. 3).
- ↑ Rogmar (mod. Ir. roghmhar) means "bulky" or "fortunate" or "fat"; here it refers to God as possessor of all.