Hymn of Pearl

Hymn of the Pearl. §0Acts of Thomas.§r §0Translation JS Mead.§r

When, a quite little child, I was dwelling §0In the House of my Father’s Kingdom,§r §0And in the wealth and the glories Of my Up-bringers I was delighting,§r §0From the East, our Home, my Parents Forth-sent me with journey-provision.§r

Indeed from the wealth of our Treasure, They bound up for me a load. §0Large was it, yet was it so light That all alone I could bear it.§r

II. §0Gold from the Land of Beth-Ellaya,§r §0Silver from Gazak the Great,§r §0Chalcedonies of India,§r §0Iris-hued Opals from Kashan. §r §0They girt me with Adamant That hath power to cut even iron.§r

My Glorious Robe they took off me §0Which in their love they had wrought me,§r §0And my Purple Mantle Which was woven to match with my stature.§r

III. §0And with me They [then] made a compact;§r §0In my heart wrote it, not to forget it:§r §0"If thou goest down into Egypt,§r §0And thence thou bring’st the one Pearl –that lies in the Sea Hard by the loud- breathing Serpant-§r

shalt Thou put on thy Robe §0And thy Mantle that goeth upon it,§r §0"And with thy Brother, Our Second,§r §0Shalt thou be Heir in our Kingdom."§r

IV. §0I left the East and went down§r §0With two Couriers;§r §0For the way was hard and dangerous,§r §0For I was young to tread it.§r §0I traversed the borders of Maishn,§r §0The mart of the Eastern merchants,§r

And I reached the Land of Babel, §0And entered the walls of Sarbãg.§r §0Down further I went into Egypt;§r §0And from me parted my escorts.§r

V. §0Straightway I went to the Serpent;§r §0Near to his lodging I settled,§r §0To take away my Pearl§r §0While he should sleep and should slumber.§r §0Lone was I there, yea, all lonely;§r §0To my fellow-lodgers a stranger.§r

However I saw there a noble, §0From out of the Dawn-land my kinsman,§r §0A young man fair and well favoured,§r §0Son of Grandees; he came and he joined me.§r

VI. §0I made him my chosen companion,§r §0A comrade, for sharing my wares with.§r §0He warned me against the Egyptians,§r §0Gainst mixing with the unclean ones.§r §0For I had clothed me as they were,§r §0That they might not guess I had come§r

From afar to take off the Pearl, §0And so rouse the Serpent against me.§r

VII. §0But from some occasion or other§r §0They learned I was not of their country.§r §0With their wiles they made my acquaintance;§r §0Yea, they gave me their victuals to eat.§r §0I forgot that I was a King’s son,§r §0And became a slave to their king.§r

I forgot all concerning the Pearl §0For which my Parents had sent me;§r §0And from the weight of their victuals§r §0I sank down into a deep sleep.§r

VIII §0All this that now was befalling,§r §0My Parents perceived and were anxious.§r §0It was then proclaimed in our Kingdom,§r §0That all should speed to our Gate –§r §0Kings and Chieftains of Parthia,§r §0And of the East all the Princes.§r

And this is the counsel they came to: §0I should not be left down in Egypt.§r §0And for me they wrote out a Letter;§r §0And to it each Noble his Name set:§r

IX. §0"From Us – King of Kings, thy Father,§r §0And thy Mother, Queen of the Dawn-land,§r §0"And from Our Second, thy Brother –§r §0To thee, Son, down in Egypt, Our Greeting!§r §0"Up an arise from thy sleep,§r §0Give ear to the words of Our Letter!§r

"Remember that thou art a King’s son; §0See whom thou hast served in thy slavedom.§r §0Bethink thyself of the Pearl§r §0For which thou didst journey to Egypt.§r

X. §0"Remember thy Glorious Robe,§r §0Thy Splendid Mantle remember,§r §0"To put on and wear as adornment,§r §0When thy Name may be read in the Book of the Heroes, "And with Our Successor, thy Brother,§r §0Thou mayest be Heir in Our Kingdom."§r

My Letter was surely a Letter §0The King had sealed up with His Right Hand,§r §0’Gainst the Children of Babel, the wicked,§r §0The tyrannical Daimons of Sarbãg.§r

XI. §0It flew in the form of the Eagle,§r §0Of all the winged tribes the king-bird; It flew and alighted beside me, And turned into speech altogether. At its voice and the sound of its winging, I waked and arose from my deep sleep. §r

Unto me I took it and kissed it; I loosed its seal and I read it. §0E’en as it stood in my heart writ, The words of my Letter were written.§r

XII. I remembered that I was a King’s son, And my rank did long for its nature. I bethought me again of the Pearl, For which I was sent down to §0Egypt.And§r§0 I began to charm him, The terrible loud-breathing Serpent. I lulled him to sleep and to slumber, §r

Chanting o’er him the Name of my Father, The Name of our Second, my Brother, And Name of my Mother, the East-Queen.

XIII. §0And thereon I snatched up the Pearl, And turned to the House of my Father. Their filthy and unclean garments I stripped off and left in their country. To the way that I came I betook me, To the Light of our Home, to the Dawn-land§r

On the road I found there before me, My Letter that had aroused me – As with its voice it had roused me, So now with its light it did lead me – §0XIV. On fabric of silk, in letter of red With shining appearance before me Encouraging me with its guidance§r

With its love it was drawing me onward I went forth; through Sarbãg I passed; I left Babel-land on my left hand; And I reached unto Maishan the Great, The meeting-place of the merchants, That lieth hard by the Sea-shore.

XV. My Glorious Robe that I’d stripped off, §0And my Mantle with which it was covered, Down from the Heights of Hyrcania,§r §0Thither my Parents did send me, By the hands of their Treasure-dispensers§r §0Who trustworthy were with it trusted.§r

Without my recalling its fashion, – §0In the House of my Father my childhood had left it,--§r §0At once, as soon as I saw it,§r §0The Glory looked like my own self.§r

XVI. I saw it in all of me, And saw me all in it, – §0That we were twain in distinction, And yet again one in one likeness. I saw, too, the Treasurers also, Who unto me had down-brought it, Were twain of one likeness; For one Sign of the King was upon them§r

Who through them restored me the Glory, The Pledge of my Kingship.

XVII. §0The Glorious Robe all-bespangled With sparkling splendour of colours:§r §0With Gold and also with Beryls, Chalcedonies, iris-hued Opals,§r §0With Sards of varying colours. To match its grandeur, moreover, it had been completed:§r

With adamantine jewels All of its seams were off-fastened. §0Moreover the King of Kings’ Image Was depicted entirely all o’er it;§r §0And as with Sapphires above Was it wrought in a motley of colour.§r

XVIII. I saw that moreover all o’er it The motions of Gnosis abounding; §0I saw it further was making Ready as though for to speak.§r §0I heard the sound of its Music Which it whispered as it descended:§r

"Behold him the active in deeds! §0For whom I was reared with my Father;§r §0"I too have felt in myself§r §0How that with his works waxed my stature."§r

XIX. §0And now with its Kingly motions Was it pouring itself out towards me,§r §0And made haste in the hands of its Givers, That I might take and receive it.§r §0And me, too, my love urged forward To run for to meet it, to take it.§r

And I stretched myself forth to receive it; With its beauty of colour I decked me, §0And my Mantle of sparkling colours I wrapped entirely all o’er me.§r

XX. I clothed me therewith, and ascended To the Gate of Greeting and Homage. I bowed my head and did homage To the Glory of Him who had sent it, Whose commands I had accomplished, And who had, too, done what He’d promised.

at the Gate of His House-sons I mingled myself with His Princes; §0For He had received me with gladness,§r §0And I was with Him in His Kingdom;§r

XXI. §0To whom the whole of His Servants§r §0With sweet-sounding voices sing praises.§r