What strikes me most in this passage is the way in which the pillar of cloud is turned into a geographical fantasy: it protects the children of Israel from the scorching rays of the sun in this intemperate zone (somewhere near Ethiopia: see l. 69). Buried beneath all this is a racial/racist account of skin color that never quite bubbles to the surface. At end of the passage, though trekking through a desert with the Israelites, very strangely, but suggestively, turns to sea imagery: the pillar of cloud becomes a sail, stretched over the heavens to block the brutal rays of the sun (see ll. 79 ff.), and the refugees become sailors.
Exodus
Listen! Far and near we have heard
tell
over middle earth of Moses’s
judgments,
marvelous word-laws, from the descendants
of men
—a reward of life after the
evil-journey
5 for each of the blessed in the high heavens
(and) long-lasting wisdom for each
of the living—
from heroes. Whoever wants to, let
him hear!
The Lord of hosts honored him (Moses) in the wasteland,
the truth-firm King, by his own
might,
10 and gave him many miracles,
eternal All-Wielder, into his
possession.
He was dear to God, guider of
peoples,
alert and heart-clever, leader of the
troop,
folk-captain to the nobles,
contained with rod-torment[1]
15 the tribe of Pharaoh, God’s adversary,
when the Wielder of victories entrusted
to him,
that bold clan-leader, his kinsmen’s
lives,
a place in a homeland for Abraham’s
sons.
Regal was that reward, and the loyal
Lord gave
20 him the power of weapons against the
enemies’ terror;
(he) overcame many clan-tribes in
combat,
the folk-rule/authority of foes.
This was the first time
that the God of hosts addressed him
with words,
when he said to him many
truth-miracles,
25 how the wise Lord had made the world,
the circuit of the earth and
up-heaven,
established the victory-kingdom and
His own name,
which the children of men did not
know before,
the ancient race of fathers,
although they knew much.
30
He had strengthened with his true powers
and honored the prince of troops,
Pharaoh’s enemy, on his way forward
(lit. forth-paths).
Then it was not long (before) the
greatest of troop-hosts
was afflicted by death (in the form
of) ancient torments/plagues,
35 the fall of their hoard-guardians (i.e.,
first born)--grief was renewed—
hall-joys (i.e., their sons) slept
in death, deprived of treasure.
(God) felled severely in the middle
of the night
the crime-scathers, many of the
first-born,
the shattered fort-guardians. The slayer ranged widely
40 loathsome people-persecutor??, choked the
land
with the corpses of the dead—that
troop went away (i.e., died).
Far and wide there was weeping, few
world-joys,
the hands of the laugh-makers (i.e.,
musicians) were locked up,
a hateful journey was allowed to take
hold of the people,
45 the traveling troop—the enemy was
plundered.
Heaven came there: shrines fell into
hell,
those devil-idols. (That) day was
famous
over middle earth when the multitude
departed.
So for that the Egyptian people
endured famine
50 those old accursed (ones)??, for many
half years,
because they thought forever to
refuse
Moses’ kinsman, if the Measurer
would have let them,
in (their) long-lasting desire for a
hoped-for journey.
The army was ready; valiant, the one who led (them),
55 bold, the tribe-leader of their lineage (lit.,
kin-city).
He passed with his folk by a number
of forts,
the land and tribe-space/ territory
of the hateful men,
(on) narrow, lonely trails, unknown
paths,
until they bore (their) battle-gear among
fierce frontier-tribes[2]
60 whose lands were concealed by a
cloud-covering.[3]
That moor contained borderlands—Moses
led
(his) army over them, (over) many
frontiers.
Then about two nights after they had
run away from
(their) enemies, the glory-firm hero
commanded (them)
65 amidst the tumult of the troops,
to camp around Etham’s city with (their)
entire army,
with the most powerful band in the
borderlands.
Necessity forced them onto the
north-paths;
(they) knew that the land of the
Sun-people (i.e., Ethiopians) lay south of them,
70 mountain-slopes, brown people,
scorched by hot heaven-coals. There
holy God
shielded (his) people against instant
incineration,[4]
blocked the burning heavens with a
roof-beam (lit., balk)
and the scorching sky with a holy screen
(lit., net).
75 A storm-cloud, in its wide clasp,
had fully separated earth and
up-sky:
(it) led the people-throng, drowned
out the flame-fire,
that heaven-bright heat. The heroes looked on in amazement
the most delighted of troops. The
protection of the day-shield
80 coiled over the clouds; wise God had
tented the sun’s course over with a
sail,
in such a way that men could not detect
the mast-ropes (halyards)
nor could earth-dwellers
with all (their) might see the
sail-rods (yardarms),
85 how the mast was fastened to the tenting
(lit., field-houses),??
after He honored with glory
those prince-loyal (ones). That was
then the third camp
as a comfort for the people. (The)
army saw
how holy sails towered there,
90 a bright sky-miracle; the people
perceived,
the troop of the Israelites that the
Lord had come there
the Lord of hosts, to mark out out a
camp-place.
Before Him fire and cloud travelled
in the bright-sky, two columns
(lit., beams/trees),
95 either of which shared evenly
the journey of the dear-minded ones
day and night
by the high-service of the Holy
Spirit.
Then I heard that in the morning (those)
brave of heart
lifted (their) battle-bugles with
loud blasts,
100
glory’s battle-cry. The entire host rose up,
the force of brave (ones), as Moses
commanded them,
that renowned warrior-king (ordered)
the Measurer’s people,
the ready army-troop. Up ahead
(they) saw
life’s Leader marking out a
life-road;
105 (He) guided the sail far and wide: the
sea-men followed
along the watery way (lit.,
flood-road). The people were joyful—
(there was) a loud shout from the
army. A heaven-sign ascended
every evening, another miracle,
that wondrous (thing) kept to the
sun’s setting-path (i.e., course)
110 shining its flame over the tribe-men,
(its) burning beam/column. Shining lights
hovered brightly over the warriors
(lit., shooters),
the shield-coverings shone; shadows receded,
the dusky night-shades nearby could
not
115 hide away the darkness. The heaven-candle
burned;
a new night-guard by necessity had
to hover over the hosts, for fear
that a desert-horror,
a hoary heath-fright might with
ocean storms
cut off (their) lives in its terror-grasp.
120 The forward scout (i.e., the pillar of
fire) threatened
fiery locks, flashing beams,
fire-terror
for that battle-troop, hot flame,
that it in the desert would
incinerate the troops
unless they, mind-bold, listened to
Moses--
125 (that) bright-clad (pillar) shone—shields
gleamed.
The shield-warriors, eager on the path forward,
saw a straight road, the sign over
the host,
until the stronghold of the sea
(lit., sea-fort) blocked the tribe-troop
at land’s end. An army-camp arose;
130 the weary (ones) refreshed themselves;
brave food-thanes (i.e., stewards)
approached with rations, restored
their strength.
(They) spread out along the hills,
after the bugle sang,
the sailors to their field-houses
(i.e., tents). That was then the fourth camp,
shield-warriors’ rest, by the Red
Sea.
135 There calamity-news arrived in their camp:
(there was) pursuit from inland.
Terror settled (on them),
the slaughter-fright of hosts. (Each) exile awaited
the hostile track-guardian (i.e.,
pursuer), he who long before
had imposed oppression on the
homeless (ones),
140 sufferings fixed by torments. (They) did
not care for the covenant,
even though the king of men formerly
gave…
Then [Anlezark: Joseph] became
the treasurer (lit., inheritance-guardian) of the native people,
of the men’s wealth, so that he
prospered very much.
They forgot all that, the tribe of
the Egyptians,
145 after they became unfriendly over (the
Israelites’) resistance (Anlezark: lingering):
they had committed a crime against their
kin-friends (i.e., close kin),
perpetrated a wrong, devoured/
chewed up the treaty.
Battle-burnings (i.e., hostile
feelings) weighed on the hearts,
the might-mind (i.e., passions) of
those men. They (i.e., the Egyptians) wanted
150 a life-price to be paid by the true men for
that treachery,
so that they might pay for that
day-work in blood,
the people of Moses, if mighty God
would give them (i.e., the
Egyptians) success on that annihilation-journey.[5]
Then the mind of the earls became distrustful,
155 after they perceived Pharaoh’s army
advancing forward from the
south-roads,
bearing boar-shafts (i.e., spears),
the troops glittering--
(they) brandished spears: battle
rolled on,
shield-ornaments flashed, bugles
sang—
160 (saw) standards rearing, troops marching
over the border,
in slaughter…[6]
Battle-birds screamed, ravenous for
war,
dewy-feathered—over the battle-dead,
the dark slaughter-picker. Wolves
sang
165 a terrifying evening-song in the
expectation of food....
[1] OE
gyrd-wite: Clark Hall translates
“affliction caused by (Moses’) rod.”
[2] “But he led them about by the way of the desert, which is by the Red Sea:
and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 13:18).
[3]
These lines might refer to Exodus 13:21: “And the Lord went before
them to shew the way, by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar
of fire; that he might be the guide of their journey at both times.”
[4]
The compound fær-bryne is difficult to translate: it consists of
fær “sudden disaster” + bryne “flame, heat.”
[5]
This passage (starting with l. 146) is challenging, in part because of its
ambiguous pronoun reference. It seems to refer to the Egyptian’s anger at the
Israelites’ slaying of their kin. Lucas thinks that the compound feorh-lean “life-price” refers to “the
recompense due to the Israelites for Joseph’s saving of the Egyptians from the
seven years of famine…. With admirable concision the line both makes a
statement about what the Egyptians intended to do and compares that action with
what they ought to have done, give a proper reward” (99). He explains dæg-weorc “day-work” in l. 151 this way: “Joseph’s
action in saving the Egyptians from the seven years’ famine” (99-100).
[6]
The text is faulty here. The translation as given here follows the text given
by the most recent editor, Anlezark. Lucas on the other hand reconstructs the
lines, interpreting onhwæl as a verb: his text would read “marching
over the border,/ Then the horn-beaked (raven) screeched in the heavens
(battle-birds screamed…)” (101).
