Saturday, December 15, 2012

Daniel LI pt 1

Part 51 of Daniel is kind of long, so we'll break it up into several pieces. Here is part one.

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Widely renowned was the warden of Babylon then,
notorious and proud across middle-earth,
terrifying to the sons of men. He never performed the law,
but in over-pride he always lived his life.
Once to that chieftain at his first slumber,
after the prince of the realm had turned towards his rest,
there came a tumultuous dream hurtling into his head,
how the world was bedecked so beautifully,
so unlike men, at least until their renewed creation.
This truth was revealed unto him in his sleep,
that all realms, all earthly joys, must pass
and their terrible end be realized. (104-15)

Then awoke the wolf-heart, who slept wine-drunk,
the warden of Babylon. His mind was not happy,
but sorrows mounted him, the clattering of his dream—
He could not remember what he had dreamed.
He ordered then his people to gather,
those who bore the most learning in magical skill,
and asked the assembly what he had dreamed,
while speech-bearing men occupied their slumber.
The king became affrighted in his terror,
when he did not know any word or start
to his own dream, but he commanded them to speak regardless.
Then those unhappy men answered him,
the devil-wise—there was not the power
ready in them to speak of the dream to the king: (116-29)

"How can we, sire, scry out something so secret
as your mind, or what you have dreamed,
or the wisdom of the condition of fortune
that inhabits you, if you cannot first
tell us of its beginning?” (130-33)

Deeply troubled then the wolf-hearted
king replied to his counselors:
“You all are not so excellent over all men
in your mind-thoughts as you have said to me,
when you told me that you knew my life-laws,
just as it would befall me after,
or as I should discover it further along.
Now you do not know of my dreaming,
when it comes bearing wisdom for my people.
You all shall die in death, unless I know
the truth of my dream, which compels me.” (134-44)

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