Poem on Genesis, to Pope Leo (complete)

We have obeyed your counsels, following your sweet commands, bishop of Christ, which you gave with loving mouth. Should I not sing the praises of so great a Father, the gift and work of God, while I have a tongue? Hoarse indeed, grating, and worthy of no crowns, and my wit lies low; yet I delight to speak of lofty things. It is a worthy and right work always to give you thanks, almighty Begetter of the world, under whose rule all things took their day of birth, and, suddenly risen after the darkness, beheld the lights in the astonished sky: the race of men, cattle, wild beasts, and a thousand birds, and the throngs that run through the liquid plains. All things are through you, from you, who found the greatest things, from you, Father of the Son; nor is there any other power as father. You are the head of the head and of the first, you the source of the spring, the first summit of things, the first sower, founding all things; nor do you draw your race from another; you yourself, the everlasting Spirit, living through the ages in ancient motion, will always be, since you always were, not subject to death, who, having no birth, will know no end of time. Beginning from yourself, whom nothing befalls; no other remains: things that fall by chance need an author; an end presses on things born. When black chaos covered all things, and the lofty mass pressed down from above on the shapeless bodies of the world and weighed them down with dark, late night, and there was neither appearance nor form, you, God, were at work within, mingled with the hidden bodies, stirring their secret depths, already then arranging the walls of the world to be born,

and the varied faces of things, and the souls to come; and as it put forth its head, the darkness of night defeated, lifting up a lofty face, the shadows felt it. Soon the Lord of things shook off the sluggish sleep, and the idle matter trembled, struck by the divine power, and, stirred at once and ripe, aware of the birth, the body of the huge heap is split into very many members, and at the command places and seeds are measured out together, and the confused mass, and at once the inner parts sink down, and, cut into parts, the pieces look toward their forms; now heat nourishes them within and rouses them with gentle fire. And first heaven, free, embracing all the spaces of the world, is hung on high in its lofty circle. The heavy earth sinks with sluggish weight to the bottom, and, founded on the sea, settled itself down; and, that there might be a space of empty open region, where the tender air, moving in, might feed mortal things, and by which so many gifts of the Father's works might go forth and, once risen, be carried through the void without labour, the scattered waters are gathered; soon, within a fixed limit, the seas flow, and the wave does not leap its bound. Then the kindly light arises, which was bidden to be called day, and flooded the newborn world with tender light, revealing your gift and work, your greatest gifts, which the Begetter, with fatherly love, was preparing to found, and so that the skilful life of men might grow bright with heavenly arts, which it delights to spend whole days upon; it rejoices, and tires its wit with varied praise. Black night follows the day, and thick darkness, to bring sleep as rest to weary bodies, and to give all things one face and a like figure. For the day distinguishes the varied faces of things,

and, the night dispersed, gives each its own colour, and urges minds, warm with work, to greater things, sharpening mortal hearts with various cares: so that day is rather the form of life, night the image of death. Then the Father, setting the stars in the pole and living light, distinguishing the constellations, set out in their varied figures: the morning star rises, and, gleaming of face, the evening star; the dawn spreads her crimson hair; the Serpent brings clear weather, the Pleiades bring rains; there are the Yokes, the Wains, the crowns jewelled with flowers, and the signs that turn the year in twelve forms, and many other ornaments besides of the lofty house, by whose signs the age is upheld, and the highest palace, painted, glitters with the varied light of the stars. But a greater light is in the sun, which the Begetter, with generous gift and full mouth, deigned to adorn. That fiery radiance lifts its glowing face, wide open, from its lofty summit, and is carried through the walls of heaven, leader of the stars, the strength of the world and the elements. Behold another wonder, a wonderful beauty: the new moon changes its course; the fires it loses it gathers again, and, putting out its horns, it darkens its brow of light. Yet soon its circle glows with its orb complete, and the night-shining light feeds the stars set in their places with light. Nor yet is the machine that turns in the eternal ether only a painting of the pole, nor a lofty whim; mind and reason lie beneath, and an order useful to things. Hence knowledge comes to the earth, hence, finally, counsel for all farmers, and for those who wander over the high seas, so that they may foretell where the lights will carry themselves, and may know the rains to come and the dry clear weather,

the time when the ploughman should lead the bulls into the fields, and the sailor, secure, try the doubtful sea. Having furnished the fires in heaven, best Father, you set about adorning the lands, and endow them with a rich gift: the kingdoms of men, the home of cattle, and the resting place of birds. Plains level out, a lofty swelling raises the hills, valleys sink, flowering meadows grow green, rocks harden, the rich clod loosens, springs burst forth, whence the noble race of rivers comes, and various grasses of herbs rise up in the fields. And now the crop was beating out its fruit from the tender ear, when there were no yokes, nor any ploughshare, nor did any bull low in ploughed fields. Behold, the vine too, already full of moist clusters, still without the pruning hook and ignorant of hard iron, wove shades of vine leaves on the high hills. The varied form of different wild beasts arises, four-footed creatures, and things that creep on the earth. Birds are born, flying through the clouds on painted feathers. When these were completed, the Begetter, the world now rich, sees that all things call for the care of a great king, to govern sea and lands and all things born, and to look at high heaven and praise the great gifts of mighty God, lest these things have been founded in vain. Then 'Let us make,' you say, 'man.' Tell me, best one, with whom? Do you speak now? It is clear: already then your Son sits beside you on the high throne and looks on the friendly lands. 'But let us make,' you say, 'man, whose face shall be our image, and let him go forth from my hands for ever.' Then, Maker of things, you take up soft earth and form the man, from whose rib, made desirable, woman is made in face; woman is made from the rib of man, so that she may be the dearer to the man and fit for her husband's side. O happy soul, whose father is the right hand of the highest Thunderer!

is father! O too happy, you who draw from Olympus both race and form! If the harmful vices of earth do not deceive you, nor beguiling error undermine you, you will be divine, and, returning to heaven, you will marvel at the kingdoms which the Father with faithful mouth shows as promised to the good. For God freely conferred many things on you at your birth: first a heavenly face and a fatherly countenance, an upright gait, a lofty neck, so that eyes looking up to heaven should meet no hindrance; then quick and ready hands, the ministers of life, and the breast, the home of divine reason, the seat of lofty counsel, the honour of pouring out the voice. These things were granted to man alone: for the rest is dumb cattle; it received belly, inner parts, sinews, streams of veins, and blood spread through the body, and, along with them, light senses and pains. But you, Almighty, generous with a special gift toward man, by your hands and the favour of your work, spending yourself in fatherly love on cultivating your pledge, lest anything be lacking to the divine face, breathe into him the fire of heaven, and grant him a rich portion of sacred mind, mingled through his whole body. From this it is possible to remember the past, to know the present is given from this, and the soul may see things to come. Hence we speak and sing of God; hence all the stars, the cultivation of the lands flourishes, and the sea is moved; hence the arts, and good name, modesty, prudence, justice; hence brave souls rise up, hence honour goes forward, and the way that leads the chaste to the thresholds of heaven. So, Begetter, you set man, perfected with full gifts, over the lands, and hand him the reins of things: let him have all things and subject them to himself, and become

lord of the earth, your servant; let him possess all things of the world, and serve you alone, his one Lord. After the first man did not fear to feed on the forbidden tree, and, caught by deceit, gave himself over to the serpent, he stands guilty and naked, with downcast eyes, begging for clothing; he flees the Lord and hides his face. Guilt follows as his companion; life, made liable to sin, weakens his strength and the gifts that came from heaven. The fire sent down from heaven gradually fails; hearts numb with the cold of sin grow stiff; care for food and belly came on, care for covering the body, and mortal things enter the sacred breast. Hence the offspring of sin is born; from it sprouts a far worse brood, and a generation worse than the former follows, growing by steps toward crimes: crimes which sharpen mad hearts with goads, and arm them against you, Father, with various … Then for the first time unseasonable rain came down from the clouds to press upon the work of the lands; then for the first time thunderbolts were hurled from a clear sky; then horrid hail lashes the troubled fields, and the heaven, broken by high-sounding thunder, rumbles. Yet these things do not call back the wicked; impious fury besieges the world, and rage is carried on with loosened reins. Wars please them, and slaughter too, perjuries, frauds; they love to lie, to plunder, and to hide their thefts. There is no faith among the peoples, no truth anywhere now. The crime of the lands is washed away by the flood and its waves, and one man remains, the restorer of the race and people. The ark shelters a few, keeping the seed of the chaste; already then the figure of the coming washing was shown, and one ark for many, through which, brought to the light and reborn, the Church receives them, keeping them in faithful birth. After the swelling of the flood fell and the wave settled,

the bird carried a leaf of the peace-bearing olive, and, flying back on feathers now dry, gave the omens of peace. Then a better people rises, and from the waves a purer race of men, to bring forth great descendants on the earth. From them came the hearts of priests given to heaven, from them the boys ready to sing among the flames, and the boy whom the unfed lions did not touch; then kings sang of God, then the mouths of prophets sound true things, shining with the offspring of heaven. Although all things served God, with crime defeated, yet even now a drop of the ancient poison was sprinkling the peoples, and there were traces of deceit, which the good teacher would wash away with better waters.