Book IX · TREVREZENT, part 7 of 16

¶Then the hermit beheld him sighing, 'Sir Knight, thou shalt put away 505 Such madness, and trust God better, for His help will He never stay. And His aid to us here be given, yea, alike unto me and thee. But' twere best thou shouldst sit beside me, and tell here thy tale to me, And make to me free confession--How first did this woe begin? What foe shall have worked such folly that God should thine hatred win? 510 Yet first would I pray thee, courteous, to hearken the word I say, For fain would I speak Him guiltless, ere yet thou thy plaint shall lay 'Gainst Him, Who denieth never unto sinful man His aid, But ever hath answered truly, who truly to Him hath prayed.'

¶'Tho' a layman I was yet ever in books might I read and learn 515 How men, for His help so faithful, should ne'er from His service turn. Since aid He begrudged us never, lest our soul unto Hell should fall, And as God Himself shall be faithful, be thou faithful whate'er befall; For false ways He ever hateth--and thankful we aye should be When we think of the deed, so gracious, once wrought of His love so free! 520 For our sake the Lord of Heaven in the likeness of man was made, And Truth is His name, and His nature, nor from Truth shall He e'er have strayed. And this shalt thou know most surely, God breaketh His faith with none. Teach thy thoughts ne'er from Him to waver, since Himself and His ways are One!'

¶'Wouldst thou force thy God with thine anger? He who heareth that thou hast sworn 525 Hatred against thy Maker, he shall hold thee of wit forlorn! Of Lucifer now bethink thee, and of those who must share his fall, Bethink thee, the angel nature was free from all taint of gall, Say, whence sprang that root of evil which spurred them to endless strife, And won its reward in Hell's torments, and the death of an outcast life? 530 Ashtaroth, Belcimon, and Belat, Rhadamant, yea, and many more! Pride and anger the host of Heaven with Hell's colours have painted o'er!'

¶'When Lucifer and his angels thus sped on their downward way, To fill their place, a wonder God wrought from the earth and clay: The son of His hands was Adam, and from flesh of Adam, Eve 535 He brought, and for Eve's transgression, I ween, all the world doth grieve. For she hearkened not her Creator, and she robbed us of our bliss. And two sons sprang forth from her body, and the elder he wrought amiss, Since envy so worked upon him that from wrath there sprang disgrace, And of maidenhood did he rob her who was mother of all his race! 540 Here many a one doth question, an the tale be to him unknown, How might such a thing have chancèd? It came but by sin alone!'

¶Quoth Parzival, 'Now, I think me that never such thing might be, And 'twere better thou shouldst keep silence, than tell such a tale to me! For who should have borne the father, whose son, as thou sayest, reft 545 Maidenhood from his father's mother? Such riddle were better left!' But the hermit again made answer, 'Now thy doubt will I put away, O'er my falsehood thou canst bemoan thee if the thing be not truth I say, For the Earth was Adam's mother, of the Earth was Adam fed, And I ween, tho' a man she bare here, yet still was the Earth a maid. 550 And here will I read the riddle, he who robbed her of maidenhood Was Cain the son of Adam, who in wrath shed his brother's blood: For as on the Earth, so stainless, the blood of the guiltless fell, Her maidenhood fled for ever! And true is the tale I tell. For wrath of man and envy, thro' Cain did they wake to life, 555 And ever from that day forward thro' his sin there ariseth strife.'

¶'Nor on earth shall aught be purer than a maiden undefiled, Think how pure must be a maiden, since God was a Maiden's Child! Two men have been born of maidens, and God hath the likeness ta'en Of the son of the first Earth-Maiden, since to help us He aye was fain. 560 Thus grief alike and gladness from the seed of Adam spring, Since He willed to be Son of Adam, Whose praises the angels sing. And yet have we sin as our birthright, and sin's pain must we ever bear, Nor its power may we flee! Yet pity He feeleth for our despair, Whose Strength is aye linked with Mercy, and with Mercy goes hand in hand, 565 And for man, as a Man, He suffered, and did falsehood by truth withstand.'

¶'No longer be wroth with thy Maker! If thou wouldst not thy soul were lost-- And here for thy sin do penance, nor longer thus rashly boast, For he who, with words untamèd, is fain to avenge his wrong, His own mouth shall, I ween, speak his judgment ere ever the time be long. 570 Learn faith from the men of old-time, whose rede ever waxeth new, For Plato alike and the Sibyls in their day spake words so true, And long years ere the time had ripened His coming they did foretell Who made for our sin's Atonement, and drew us from depths of Hell. God's Hand from those torments took us, and God's Love lifted us on high, 575 But they who His love disdainèd, they yet in Hell's clutches lie!'

¶'From the lips of the whole world's Lover came a message of love and peace, (For He is a Light all-lightening, and never His faith doth cease,) And he to whom love He showeth, findeth aye in that Love his bliss, Yet twofold I ween is the message, and His token some read amiss; 580 For the world may buy, as it pleaseth, God's Wrath or His Love so great. Say, which of the twain wilt thou choose here, shall thy guerdon be Love or Hate? For the sinner without repentance, he flieth God's faith and Face, But he who his sin confesseth, doth find in His presence grace!'

¶'From the shrine of his heart, who shall keep Him? Tho' hidden the thought within, 585 And secret, and thro' its darkness no sunbeam its way may win, (For thought is a secret chamber, fast locked, tho' no lock it bear,) Yet, tho' against man it be closèd, God's light ever shineth there. He pierceth the wall of darkness, and silent and swift His spring, As no sound betrayed His coming, as no footstep was heard to ring, 590 So silent His way He goeth--And swift as our thoughts have flown, Ere God passed of our heart the threshold, our thoughts unto Him were known! And the pure in heart He chooseth; he who doth an ill deed begin, Since God knoweth the thoughts of all men, full sorely shall rue his sin. And the man who by deeds God's favour doth forfeit, what shall he gain? 595 Tho' the world count him honour-worthy, his soul seeketh rest in vain. And where wilt thou seek for shelter if God as thy foeman stand, Who of wrath or of love giveth payment, as men serve Him, with equal hand? Thou art lost if thy God be against thee--If thou wouldst His favour earn, Then away from thy wrath and thy folly thy thoughts to His goodness turn!' 600