The Seven Seals

(OR THE YE-A AND AMEN LAY.)

(OR THE YES AND AMEN SONG.)

If I be a diviner and full of the divining spirit which wandereth on high mountain-ridges, ‘twixt two seas,—

If I am a diviner, full of the spirit of divination that wanders along high mountain ridges between two seas,

Wandereth ‘twixt the past and the future as a heavy cloud—hostile to sultry plains, and to all that is weary and can neither die nor live:

Wanders between the past and the future like a heavy cloud, hostile to the sweltering plains and to all that is weary and can neither die nor live:

Ready for lightning in its dark bosom, and for the redeeming flash of light, charged with lightnings which say Yea! which laugh Yea! ready for divining flashes of lightning:—

Ready for lightning in its dark heart, and for the flash of light that brings redemption. Charged with lightning bolts that say yes, that laugh yes. Ready for lightning flashes that reveal what is hidden.

—Blessed, however, is he who is thus charged! And verily, long must he hang like a heavy tempest on the mountain, who shall one day kindle the light of the future!—

But blessed is the one given such a burden! Truly, anyone who will one day ignite the light of the future must first hang for a long time over the mountain like a heavy storm!

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity and the wedding ring of all rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, except perhaps the woman I love. For I love you, O Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!

If ever my wrath hath burst graves, shifted landmarks, or rolled old shattered tables into precipitous depths:

If my anger has ever burst open graves, moved boundary markers, or rolled old, shattered tablets into steep depths:

If ever my scorn hath scattered mouldered words to the winds, and if I have come like a besom to cross-spiders, and as a cleansing wind to old charnel-houses:

If my scorn has ever scattered decayed words to the winds, and if I have come like a broom to cross spiders, and like a cleansing wind to old houses of the dead:

If ever I have sat rejoicing where old Gods lie buried, world-blessing, world-loving, beside the monuments of old world-maligners:—

If I have ever sat rejoicing where old gods lie buried, blessing and loving the world beside the monuments of those who condemned it:

—For even churches and Gods’-graves do I love, if only heaven looketh through their ruined roofs with pure eyes; gladly do I sit like grass and red poppies on ruined churches—

I love even churches and the graves of gods, if only heaven looks through their ruined roofs with pure eyes. I gladly sit on ruined churches like grass and red poppies.

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity, and for the greatest of all wedding rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, unless it is the woman I love. For I love you, O Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!

If ever a breath hath come to me of the creative breath, and of the heavenly necessity which compelleth even chances to dance star-dances:

If I have ever felt a breath of the creative breath, and of the heavenly necessity that forces even chance to dance the dances of stars:

If ever I have laughed with the laughter of the creative lightning, to which the long thunder of the deed followeth, grumblingly, but obediently:

If I have ever laughed with the laughter of creative lightning, followed by the long thunder of the deed, grumbling but obedient:

If ever I have played dice with the Gods at the divine table of the earth, so that the earth quaked and ruptured, and snorted forth fire-streams:—

If I have ever played dice with the Gods at the earth’s divine table, so that the earth shook, split open, and snorted out streams of fire:

—For a divine table is the earth, and trembling with new creative dictums and dice-casts of the Gods:

For the earth is a divine table, trembling with the Gods' new creative decrees and throws of the dice:

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity and for the wedding ring of all rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, unless it is the woman I love. For I love you, O Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!

If ever I have drunk a full draught of the foaming spice- and confection-bowl in which all things are well mixed:

If I have ever drunk deeply from the foaming bowl of spices and sweets, where all things are well mixed:

If ever my hand hath mingled the furthest with the nearest, fire with spirit, joy with sorrow, and the harshest with the kindest:

If my hand has ever mixed the farthest with the nearest, fire with spirit, joy with sorrow, and the harshest with the kindest:

If I myself am a grain of the saving salt which maketh everything in the confection-bowl mix well:—

If I myself am a grain of the saving salt that makes everything in the mixing bowl blend well:

—For there is a salt which uniteth good with evil; and even the evilest is worthy, as spicing and as final over-foaming:—

For there is a salt that unites good and evil. Even the most evil is worthy as a spice and as the final overflow of foam.

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity and for the wedding ring of all rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, unless it is the woman I love. For I love you, O Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!

If I be fond of the sea, and all that is sealike, and fondest of it when it angrily contradicteth me:

If I love the sea and all that is like it, and love the sea most when it angrily defies me:

If the exploring delight be in me, which impelleth sails to the undiscovered, if the seafarer’s delight be in my delight:

If I feel the joy of exploration that drives sailors toward the undiscovered, if a sailor’s joy is part of my joy:

If ever my rejoicing hath called out: “The shore hath vanished,—now hath fallen from me the last chain—

If my joy has ever cried out: “The shore has vanished. Now my last chain has fallen away.

The boundless roareth around me, far away sparkle for me space and time,—well! cheer up! old heart!”—

The vastness roars around me. Far away, space and time sparkle before me. Well, cheer up, old heart!”

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity and for the greatest of all wedding rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, unless it is the woman I love. For I love you, O Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!

If my virtue be a dancer’s virtue, and if I have often sprung with both feet into golden-emerald rapture:

If my virtue is a dancer’s virtue, and if I have often leaped with both feet into golden-emerald rapture:

If my wickedness be a laughing wickedness, at home among rose-banks and hedges of lilies:

If my wickedness is a laughing wickedness, at home among beds of roses and hedges of lilies:

—For in laughter is all evil present, but it is sanctified and absolved by its own bliss:—

For all evil is present in laughter, but its own joy makes it holy and absolves it:

And if it be my Alpha and Omega that everything heavy shall become light, every body a dancer, and every spirit a bird: and verily, that is my Alpha and Omega!—

And if my Alpha and Omega is that everything heavy shall become light, every body a dancer, and every spirit a bird: it truly is my Alpha and Omega!

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity and for the wedding ring of all rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, except perhaps the woman I love. For I love you, Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!

If ever I have spread out a tranquil heaven above me, and have flown into mine own heaven with mine own pinions:

If I have ever spread a peaceful sky above me and flown into my own heaven with my own wings:

If I have swum playfully in profound luminous distances, and if my freedom’s avian wisdom hath come to me:—

If I have swum playfully through deep, luminous distances, and if the birdlike wisdom of my freedom has come to me:

—Thus however speaketh avian wisdom:—“Lo, there is no above and no below! Throw thyself about,—outward, backward, thou light one! Sing! speak no more!

But this is what the wisdom of birds says: “Look, there is no up or down! Toss yourself about, outward and backward, you light one! Sing! Speak no more!

—Are not all words made for the heavy? Do not all words lie to the light ones? Sing! speak no more!”—

Aren’t all words made for those who are heavy? Don’t all words lie to those who are light? Sing! Speak no more!”

Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return?

Oh, how could I not long for Eternity and the marriage ring of all rings, the ring of return?

Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity!

I have never found a woman I would want to have children with, unless it is the woman I love. For I love you, O Eternity!

FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY!

FOR I LOVE YOU, ETERNITY!