In the Anglo-Saxon language, in which the poem
was written in, ‘the Rood’ means ‘the Cross’
Listen. I want to describe the best of dreams
that came to me in the middle of the night
when humans capable of speech kept their beds.
It seemed to me that I saw a superb tree,
brightest of trees, caught up in the clouds,
surrounded with light. All that sign was
drenched with gold, gems gleamed
gracious at the surface of the earth, and similarly there
were five
up on the crossbeam. Armies
of angels beautiful from first creation,
gazed there; that was surely not the gallows of a felon,
but the spirits of the holy ones, people on earth,
and all this marvellous creation gazed upon it there.
Wondrous was the tree of victory, and I was stained with
sins,
injured by iniquities. I saw the tree of glory
graced with garments, joyously shining,
adorned with gold. Jewels nobly
covered the tree of the Lord.
Yet through the gold, I was able to perceive
the ancient strife of enemies, when it began for the first
time
to bleed on the right-hand side. I was devastated with
sorrows ,
afraid because of the beautiful vision. I saw the
shimmering sign
change colour and garments: sometimes it was dripping with
wetness,
drenched with the flow of blood; sometimes it was adorned
with treasure.
So lying there for a long time, I gazed, sorrowing,
upon the Saviour’s tree,
until I heard that it spoke.
The best of trees began to speak these words:
“That was a long time ago – I can still remember it –
when I was cut down at the edge of the wood,
removed from my stem. There strong enemies seized me,
made me a spectacle for themselves, ordered me to raise up
their criminals;
warriors carried me there on their shoulders until they set
me on a hill,
many enemies fixed me there. Then I saw the Lord of mankind
hasten, with great zeal, when he wished to climb upon me.
I did not dare to bend or break there,
go against the Lord’s word, even when I saw
the surface of the earth shake. I could have killed
all the enemies, yet I stood firm.
Then the young hero who was God almighty stripped himself,
strong and resolute; he climbed up on the high gallows,
brave in the sight of many, when he wished to redeem
humanity.
I trembled when the warrior embraced me, yet I did not dare
bow to the ground,
fall flat on the ground, but I had to stand firm.
I was raised as a cross. I hung up the powerful king,
the Lord of the heavens, I did not dare bow down.
They pierced me with bloody nails, and the wounds are yet
visible on me,
the gaping marks of malicious strokes: I did not dare harm
any of them.
They abused us together. I was absolutely drenched with
blood
which sprouted from the warrior’s side after he sent on his
spirit.
I have experienced many dreadful things
on that hill. I saw the Lord of hosts
savagely stretched out. Darkness covered
the bright radiance of the Lord’s body,
covered it with clouds; shadow went forth,
dark under the clouds. All creation wept,
lamented the King’s death. Christ was on the cross.
Then from afar men hurried
to the Prince. I gazed on it all.
I was overcome with sorrows, yet I bowed humbled to hands
of those men
with much courage. There they took almighty God down,
relieved him of that heavy torment. The warriors abandoned
me
to stand drenched with moisture. I was wounded to death
with arrows.
There they laid down the one weary of limb, they stood at
head and feet,
and gazed on the Lord of heaven; and he rested there for a
time,
weary after the great conflict. Then, in the sight of the
killers,
the warriors made him a grave, carved it out of bright
stone,
and put in it the Lord of victories, Then they sang a
dirge,
miserable in the evening, when they, weary, wanted to go
away
from the glorious Lord. He remained there with no company.
So, weeping, we stood there for a long time
fixed in place, The voice of warriors
faded away; the body went cold,
the gracious house of the spirit. Then we were cut down,
all of us were felled to the ground – that was a fearful
thing!
We were buried in a deep pit. Yet the Lord’s retainers and
friends heard of us.
They adorned me with gold and silver.
Now you have been able to hear, my beloved hero,
that I have experienced severe sorrows
from the deeds of the inhabitants of iniquity. Now the time
has come
when people on earth and all this marvellous creation,
far and wide, honour me,
and pray to this sign. On me the Son of God
suffered for a time. Therefore, glorious now,
I tower under the heavens, and I am able to heal
each one in whom is fear towards me.
Formerly I was made into the severest of tortures,
most hateful to the people, before I opened to them,
to bearers of speech, the right way of life.
Listen – the Lord of glory, the guardian of the kingdom of
heaven,
then honoured me over the trees of the forest,
just as he honoured Mary herself,
his mother, before all people,
God almighty honoured her above all the race of women.
Now I command you, my beloved hero,
that you tell this vision to people,
reveal in words that it is the tree of glory
on which the almighty God suffered
for the many sins of humankind
and for Adam’s deeds of old.
He tasted death there, yet the Lord rose again
by his mighty power to aid all people.
He then ascended to the heavens. He, the Lord himself.
God almighty, and his angels with him,
will come back here to this earth
to seek humankind on the day of judgement,
when he, the one who has the right to judge,
wishes to judge each person according
to what they have earned in this passing life.
No one will be able to be without fear there,
because of the word of the Lord will say:
he will ask before the multitude where the person might be
who for the sake of the Lord’s name would be willing
to taste bitter death, as he did formerly on the cross.
Then they will be afraid, and few will have thought
what they will be able to say to Christ.
No one who carries within their breast the best of signs
need to be greatly fearful there,
for by means of the cross each soul
who intends to dwell with the Lord
must seek the kingdom in the paths of the earth.”
Happy in mind, I prayed then to the cross
with great zeal, there where I was alone,
without company. My mind was excited,
eager to be off on the journey, having experienced
many times of longing. Now my hope in life
is that I alone might have recourse to the tree of victory
more often than all others,
and honour it well. The desire for that
is great in my mind, and my hope of protection is
directed towards the cross. I do not have many – or any –
powerful friends on earth, for they have all
passed away from worldly joys, and gone to be with the King
of glory;
they live now with the Father on high,
dwell in glory, and I look forward
each day to the time when the Lord’s cross,
that I saw previously here on earth,
will fetch me from this passing life
and bring me to where there is great bliss,
joys in heaven, where the Lord’s people
are seated at the banquet, where there is eternal bliss –
and then set me down where I may be allowed forever
to remain in glory, richly to enjoy with the holy ones
heavenly pleasures. May the Lord be my friend
who here on earth formerly suffered
on the gallows tree for the sins of men.
He redeemed us, gave us life
and a heavenly home, Hope was renewed
gloriously and blissfully, for those who endured burning
there:
the Son was victorious on that expedition,
powerful and successful, when he came with a host,
a whole troop of spirits, into God’s kingdom,
the almighty the sole ruler, to the bliss of angels
and the holy ones who had dwelt formerly in heaven
and remained in glory, when their Lord, almighty God,
came back to where his home was.
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