Monday, 30 June 2025

God's Powers, Mankind's Responsibilities; and King Henry consults with Master Arnulf of Lisieux

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 is very powerful, strong and of great goodness, 
When He has turned the heart of man so quickly. 
For there is no king under heaven of 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, 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 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 destined for life. 
And God knows well 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 the one He finds too carnal.


136

When the eagle has its chicks in the nest, 
The sun causes their eyes to open; 
He who cannot bear to look at the ray cannot endure. 
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 man, for wrongdoing, puts God to shame 
And spends in sin his strength and his knowledge, 
[22] Do you then wish to judge that God should have it?

138

The lookout is there upon the peak of this mountain; 
He sees the robbers in the valley who have ambushed themselves 
To take the wanderers who go along the way.
They see them very well, they know that they will take them, 
And all in sight are made to take 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 looked at
At the judgment, and both good and bad will be proven;
As the wicked will lead all their servants 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 just judgment,
And according to their deserved merit, they will receive.


141


And if a man asks me why those who do good
Will be lost when they do not heal him,
Against the answer, certainly, he would misunderstand:
The most wicked of the world could guarantee himself,
If he were to repent of the evil and turn to God.


142

God calls us all to His kingdom, the pious,
Saracens and pagans, Christians and Jews.
One is a cleric and the other is a layman;
Then it suffices that one is there, the other seeks great sons.
Where each one is taken, he is prepared for his place.

143

His wife loves one more than he loves her;
To raise his children, he forgets God, the king;
To have, he often breaks the law,
And many forsake, and lie and betray his faith,
And perjure and usury, he lives entirely in deceit.


144

For doing good, no one should delay;
Thus, everyone can relieve themselves of trouble,
Except those who will be in hell without recovery;
The good they have done can greatly lighten them.
Yet each one must toil to save himself.

145

Lord, for this I say to you: let the evil remain;
What you have done wrong, think of amending it.
Do not sleep in sin, think of preparing yourselves,
When God comes for you, with the able ones you may go
And with burning lamps ascend to paradise.

146  

If you do not burn, God, burn hell that burns, 
Where no one who enters will [not be able to] escape by any art/craft/means. 
Take the good men, who have been, regarded, 
And the least sinner whom God took to his part, 
To Saint martyr Thomas, who was killed recently.  

147  

You have heard enough of what he was once. 
He would bite like a wolf when the lamb was surprised, 
He was wicked and fierce, and sought glory and praise; 
Now he is simple and sweet, despising blue and gray. 
And the more he loved God, the worse he was for the king.  

148  

For as soon as he was consecrated to that honor, 
He became a 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 shunned his love.  


149  

The first wrongdoing/disagreement I know how to show you well,  
For the king sent Master Arnulf to him [Becket] from across the sea: 
His seal he [Becket] returned to him [King Henry], this the messenger [Arnulf] told him. 
Then the king took it harshly to inflame: 
“For God's sake,” he said, “will he not want to guard me?  


150  

"I have letters and permission,” he [King Henry] said, “fully, 
That he can be archbishop, chancellor likewise [at the same time].”



– Nu l’iert, fet mestre Ernulf ; a estrus le vus rent ; 

Car mult est il chargié de ceo qu’a lui apent. 

750 – N’a suin de mun servise, fet li reis ; bien le sent. » 

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