The Old English Physiologus | Page 3

the champion of his race, overcome by sleep, abandons himself to slumber for the space of three nights. Then the dauntless one, replenished with vigor, straightway arises from sleep when the third day has come. A melody, the most ravishing of strains, flows from the wild beast's mouth; and, following the music, there issues a fragrance from the place--a fume more transporting, sweet, and strong than any odor whatever, than blossoms of plants or fruits of the forest, choicer

Tonne of ceastrum and cynest[=o]lum?50 and of burgsalum beorntr[=e]at monig
farae foldwegum folca tr[=y]tum;?[=e]oredcystum, ofestum gef[=y]sde,?dareel[=a]cende --d[=e]or [s]w[=a] some--??fter t[=?]re stefne on tone stenc farae.?55 Sw[=a] is Dryhten God, dr[=e]ama R[=?]dend,
eallum [=e]aem[=e]de [=o]trum gesceaftum,?duguea gehwylcre, b[=u]tan dracan [=a]num,?[=a]ttres ordfruman-- t?t is se ealda f[=e]ond?tone h[=e] ges[=?]lde in s[=u]sla grund,?60 and gefetrade f[=y]rnum t[=e]agum,
biteahte tr[=e]an[=y]dum; and t[=y] triddan d?ge?of d[=i]gle [=a]r[=a]s, t?s te h[=e] d[=e]ae fore [=u]s tr[=e]o niht tolade, T[=e]oden engla,?sigora Sellend. T?t w?s sw[=e]te stenc,?65 wlitig and wynsum, geond woruld ealle.
Sittan t[=o] t[=a]m swicce s[=o]ef?ste men,

Than all this world's adornments. Then from town?And palace, then from castle-hall, come forth?Along the roads great troops of hurrying men--?The very beasts come also; all press on?Toward that sweet odor, when the voice is stilled.?Such as this creature is the Lord our God,?Giver of joys, to all creation kind,?To men benignant, save alone to him,?The dragon, author of all wickedness,?Satan, the ancient adversary whom,?Fettered with fire, shackled with dire constraint,?Into the pit of torments God cast down.?The third day Christ arose from out the grave,?For three nights having suffered death for us,?He, Lord of angels, he in whom alone?Is hope of overcoming. Far and wide?The tidings spread, like perfume fresh and sweet,?Through all the world. Then to that fragrance thronged

than aught that clothes the earth with beauty. Thereupon from cities, courts, and castle-halls many companies of heroes flock along the highways of earth; the wielders of the spear press forward in hurrying throngs to that perfume--and so also do animals--when once the music has ceased.
Even so the Lord God, the Giver of joy, is gracious to all creatures, to every order of them, save only the dragon, the source of venom, that ancient enemy whom he bound in the abyss of torments; shackling him with fiery fetters, and loading him with dire constraints, he arose from darkness on the third day after he, the Lord of angels, the Bestower of victory, had for three nights endured death on our behalf. That was a sweet perfume throughout the world, winsome and entrancing. Henceforth,

on healfa gehwone, h[=e]apum trungon?geond ealne ymbhwyrft eortan sc[=e]at[a].?Sw[=a] se snottra gecw?e Sanctus Paulus:?70 'Monigfealde sind geond middangeard
g[=o]d ungn[=y]ee te [=u]s t[=o] giefe d[=?]lee?and t[=o] feorhnere F?der ?lmihtig,?and se [=a]nga Hyht ealra gesceafta?uppe ge nitre.' T?t is ?tele stenc.

From every side all men whose hearts were true,?Throughout the regions of the circled earth.?Thus spoke the wise St. Paul: 'In all the world?His gifts are many, which he gives to us?For our salvation with unstinting hand,?Almighty Father, he, the only Hope?Of all in heaven or here below on earth.'?This is that noble fragrance, rare and sweet,?Which draws all men to seek it from afar.

through the whole extent of earth's regions, righteous men have streamed in multitudes from every side to that fragrance. As said the wise St. Paul: 'Manifold over the world are the lavish bounties which the Father almighty, the Hope of all creatures above and below, bestows on us as grace and salvation.' That, too, is a sweet odor.
II
THE WHALE (ASP-TURTLE)
N[=u] ic fitte g[=e]n ymb fisca cynn?wille w[=o]ecr?fte wordum c[=y]tan?turh m[=o]dgemynd, bi t[=a]m miclan hwale.?S[=e] bie unwillum oft gem[=e]ted,?5 fr[=e]cne and fer[_h_]egrim, fareel[=a]cendum,
nitta gehwylcum; t[=a]m is noma cenned,?fyr[ge]nstr[=e]ama geflotan, Fastitocalon.?Is t?s h[=i]w gel[=i]c hr[=e]ofum st[=a]ne,?swylce w[=o]rie bi w?des [=o]fre,?10 sondbeorgum ymbseald, s[=?]r[=y]rica m[=?]st,
sw[=a] t?t w[=e]nat w[=?]gl[=i]tende?t?t h[=y] on [=e]alond sum [=e]agum wl[=i]ten;?and tonne geh[=y]d[_i_]ae h[=e]ahstefn scipu?t[=o] t[=a]m unlonde oncyrr[=a]pum,?15 s[_[=?]_]lat s[=?]mearas sundes ?t ende,

Now will I spur again my wit, and use?Poetic skill to weave words into song,?Telling of one among the race of fish,?The great asp-turtle. Men who sail the sea?Often unwillingly encounter him,?Dread preyer on mankind. His name we know,?The ocean-swimmer, Fastitocalon.?Dun, like rough stone in color, as he floats?He seems a heaving bank of reedy grass?Along the shore, with rolling dunes behind,?So that sea-wanderers deem their gaze has found?An island. Boldly then their high-prowed ships?They moor with cables to that shore, a land?That is no land. Still floating on the waves,?Their ocean-coursers curvet at the marge;

This time I will with poetic art rehearse, by means of words and wit, a poem about a kind of fish, the great sea-monster which is often unwillingly met, terrible and cruel-hearted to seafarers, yea, to every man; this swimmer of the ocean-streams is known as the asp-turtle.
His appearance is like that of a rough boulder, as if there were tossing by the shore a great