129
Mult par est Deus vaillanz, forz e de grant bunté,
Quant il le cuer de l’ume a einsi tost turné.
Car il n’a suz ciel rei de si grant poesté
Ki puisse pas turner le quer ne le pensé
645 De nul hume suz ciel, ultre sa volenté.
130
Mes Deus l’ad tost turné, quant li plest e il volt,
E tost li fait haïr ceo que plus amer solt ;
De malveis le fet bon, entre les bons l’acolt.
Cil se repent forment, de ses mesfaiz se dolt ;
650 Itele penitence devant Deu suëf olt.
131
Pur ceo ne se deit pas clerc ne lai merveillier,
[21] Ne folement tenir Deu pur nun dreiturier,
S’alquanz volt de pechié retraire e redrecier,
E les alquanz i lest murir e trebuchier.
655 Le felon n’aime pas, mes le bon umme a chier.
132
Ne het pas Deus les humes, mes il het lur folie ;
E cunuist bien lur quers e trestute lur vie ;
Set bien ke cist sera feniz en felonie
E cist en bone fin. A cestui Deus aïe,
660 Si tost cum se repent e mal’ovre ad guerpie.
133
Deus cunuist mult bien tuz cels ki serunt salvé ;
Cil sunt tant sulement a vie destiné.
E si conuist Deus bien cels ki serunt dampné ;
Nes volt pas rapeler de lur iniquité ;
665 Purveü sunt a mort, car mal erent finé.
134
Cil ki sunt a dampner, purveü sunt a mort ;
De lur dampnatiun n’i a mes nul resort.
E si Deus les salvot, deable fereit tort.
En pechié finerunt, ne purrunt prendre port ;
670 La dunt nuls ne resurt charrunt al pudlent gort.
135
Deus n’esforce nullui de fere bien u mal ;
A chescun a duné franche force e igal,
Ke chescun en pot fere, s’il volt, u bien u al.
Cel salve Deus e aime que il trove leal,
675 E celui het e damne k’il troeve trop charnal.
136
Quant l’egle a ses pulcins fez el ni eschapir,
Encontre le soleil lur fait les oilz ovrir ;
Cel ki le rai ne pot esguarder ne suffrir
Cel fet del ni aval trebuchier e chaïr.
680 Ki Deu ne volt amer, Deus nel volt pas nurrir.
137
Deus ad a tuz duné sens e force e poeir.
A chescun lest ovrer tut sulunc sun voleir ;
E quant hum pur mesfere met Deu a nunchaleir
E despent en pechié sa force e sun saveir,
[22] 685 Volez vus dunc jugier que Deus le deit aveir ?
138
L’eschelguaite est la sus el pinnon de cel munt ;
Veit les larrons el val ki embuschié se sunt
Pur prendre les errantz ki par le chemin vont.
Cil les veient tresbien, sevent k’il les prendront,
690 E tut a escïent a els prendre se funt.
139
E quant nus nus volum a escïent damner,
Quidiez vus que nus voile a force Deus salver ?
Il est la sus el ciel ; noz ovres esguarder
Al jugement vendra, e bons e mals prover ;
695 As malfez en lerra tuz lur servanz mener.
140
E se Deus salvot nul d’els ki a damner sunt,
As altres fereit tort, ki senz fin perirunt ;
S’en salvot un, par dreit salvereit tut le munt.
Mes li bon e li mal dreit jugement avront,
700 E sulunc lur deserte merite recevront.
141
E se l’um me demande pur quei cil bien fereit,
Ki sera desperdu, quant pas nel guarireit,
Encuntre li respun, certes, ke il mescreit :
Li plus malveis del mund guarantir se purreit,
705 Si guerpisseit le mal e a Deu se perneit..
142
Deus nus apele tuz a sun regne, li pius,
Sarazins e paens, cristïens e geius.
Li uns est clerveanz e li autres est cius ;
Poi suffist tel i a, li autre quiert granz fius.
710 La u chescun est pris, est apresté sis lius.
143
Sa femme aime li uns plus ke il ne fait sei ;
Pur creistre ses enfanz ublie Deu, le rei ;
Pur aveir purchacier enfraint suvent la lei,
E plusurs deserite, e emble e ment sa fei,
715 E parjure e usure, del tut vit a bedlei.
144
De bien faire purquant ne se deit nul targier ;
Einsi se pot chescun de peine deschargier,
[23] Nis cil ki en enfern serunt senz recovrier ;
Li biens k’il avront fet les pot mult alegier.
720 Purquant a sei salver deit chescun travailier.
145
Segnur, pur ceo vus di : lessez le mal ester ;
Ceo que avez mesfet pensez de l’amender.
Ne dormez en pechié, pensez vus d’aprester,
Quant Deus vendra pur vus, od li pussez aler
725 E od lampes ardanz en pareïs monter.
146
Se vus ne cremez Deu, cremez enfern ki art,
U nuls ki entera n’en istra par nul art.
As bons humes pernez, ki unt esté, reguart,
E a meint pecheür que Deus prist a sa part,
730 Al seint martyr Thomas, ki fu ocis or tart.
147
Asez avez oï quels il esteit jadis.
Mordanz ert cume lous, quant l’ainel a suppris,
Mesfaisanz ert e fers, e quereit los e pris ;
Or ert simples e dulz, despiseit vair e gris.
735 E cum plus ama Deu, tant fu il del rei pis.
148
Car si tost cum il fu sacrez a cel’honur,
De la parole Deu se fist preecheür,
E del tut entendi al suverain seignur.
Ne sai se pur ceo l’a li reis pris en haür,
740 Mes d’iloec en avant l’esluina de s’amur.
149
Le premier maltalent vus sai jeo bien mustrer.
Car al rei enveia maistre Ernulf ultre mer :
Sun seel li rendeit, ceo li manda li ber.
Dunc se prist durement li reis a emflamber :
745 « Pur les olz Deu, fet il, nel voldra mes guarder ?
Translation
129
God manifests Himself as all-powerful, strong and of great goodness,
When He has turned the heart of man so quickly.
For there is no king under heaven with such great power
Who can turn the heart or the thought
Of any man under heaven, beyond his will.
130
But God turns it quickly, when He pleases and wants,
And soon makes him hate what he used to love most;
He turns evil into good, among the good he gathers.
He repents greatly, when he grieves for his misdeeds;
Such penitence is sweet before God.
131
For this reason, neither cleric nor layman should marvel,
Nor foolishly hold God as unjust,
If someone wishes to withdraw from sin and correct himself,
And some wish to die and stumble there.
The wicked He does not love, but the good man is cherished.
132
God does not hate men, but He hates their folly;
And He knows well their hearts and all their lives;
He knows well that this one will end in wickedness
And this one in a good end. To this God aids,
As soon as he repents and has turned away from evil.
133
God knows well all those who will be saved;
They are only [ones] destined for [everlasting] life [in Heaven].
And God knows well [all] those who will be damned;
He does not wish to recall them from their iniquity;
They are destined for death, for they were evil in the end.
134
Those who are to be damned are destined for death;
From their damnation, there is no escape.
And if God saves them, the devil would be wronged.
In sin they ended, they cannot take refuge;
From which no one can rescue them from the painful torment.
135
God does not compel anyone to do good or evil;
To each He has given free will and equally,
So that each can do, if he wishes, either good or evil.
God saves and loves the one He finds loyal,
And He hates and damns those He finds too carnal.
136
When an eagle has its chicks in a nest,
The sun causes their eyes to open;
Those who cannot bear to look at its rays cannot survive.
This causes the nest to stumble and fall.
He who does not wish to love God, God does not wish to nourish.
137
God has given all sense and strength and power.
To each is given to work solely according to his will;
And when Mankind, for wrongdoing, puts God to shame
And spends in sin his strength and his knowledge,
Do you then wish to judge that God should have it?
138
There is a lookout high up there upon the peak of this mountain;
He sees the thieves in the valley who have concealed themselves
To capture the travellers who want to pass along the way.
They [the travellers] also see them very well, they know that they will be ambushed by them,
And [they know that willfully] all in sight have designs to capture them.
139
And how many of us want to know to condemn,
What do you say that we want God to save by force?
He is up there in heaven; our works will be examined
At the [Day of] Judgement, and both the good and the bad will be tried;
As the wicked [devils] will lead away all those who serve them to Hell.
140
And if God saved anyone who is to be condemned,
He would do wrong to the others, who will perish without end;
If one is saved, by right he would save the whole world.
But the good and the bad will have a just judgement,
And [judged them] according to their deserved merit, they will receive [their justice] .
141
And if someone asks me why this is well done,
Who will despair when he is not cured?
In reply, certainly, let him be mistaken:
The most evil person in the world could protect himself [from eternal damnation],
If only he cured his disease and trusted in [turned to] God.
142
God summons us all to His kingdom: the pious,
Saracens and pagans, Christians and Jews.
One may be a clear-sighted and another may be blind;
One may have been satisfied with little; the other may have sought great wealth.
When each one is taken [from this life], he is ready for the final decision about his place [for eternity].
143
Some men love their wives more than themselves
To raise their children, they frequently forget God, the king;
To have more [wealth and gains], they often break God's commandments,
And many forsake, and lie and betray their faith,
And perjure themselves and lend money at usury, and spend their whole lives in perfidy [outside the law].
144
No one should hesitate to do good
Everyone can avoid punishment
Even those who are destined for Hell
Without any hope of recourse can surely alleviate their punishment.
This is why everyone must work for their own salvation
145
Lord, for this I tell you: let the evil be.
If what you have done is wrong, think to amend it.
Do not sleep in sin, think you to prepare,
For when God will come for you, with Him you may go
And with the lamps ablaze ascend into Paradise.
146
If you do not burn for God, then burn in a Hell that truly burns,
Where no one who enters therein comes out by any craft or means.
Take the good men who have been, and look,
To the many sinners whom God has taken to His part,
And to the Saint Martyr Thomas, who was murdered of late.
147
So you have heard what he once was.
He was fierce like a wolf, when the lamb was caught,
He was wicked and wild, and sought glory and praise;
Now he is simple and gentle, despising blue and gray.
And as he loved God more, he was the king's worst.
148
For as soon as he was consecrated to that honour,
He became the preacher of the word of God,
And entirely understood the sovereign Lord.
I do not know if for this the king took him in disdain,
But from then on he shone with love.
149
Of the first quarrel [between the King and Thomas] I know well how to relate it to you.
For the King had sent Master Arrnulf [of Lisieux] across the sea [to him]:
His seal [of the office of chancellorship] he had returned to him [the King], this the Messenger told him. Then the King took it hard and blew up in anger:
“By the eyes of God,” he [the King] said, “does he not want to defend himself?
