You reign supreme in the realm of heaven, 410
Higher than the sun-road over the world-roof.
You are the Poet making, the Creator shaping,
The Holy Word weaving itself in the world
Moment by moment from beginning to end—
All light, all life, the soul of our seeking, 415
The way of our walking in every bright land.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar, Lord of the nation,
Prince of the people, spoke to his advisers:
“Many of you here watched this wonder,
A great miracle, as we thrust three men 420
Into the fiery furnace, sentencing them to death
By the torch and terror of a burning oven.
Now I see four figures here not three—
I can’t believe my eyes are deceived.”
Then a wise counselor answered the king: 425
“This is a wonder—there’s no trick to truth.
Their strange fate should show you your duty.
Some power has made them part of its purpose,
Granting grace to these three blessed youths.
They sing praise-songs from the flames 430
To the one God, almighty and everlasting,
Exalting his glory in each of his names,
Celebrating his victory. Prince of the Chaldeans,
Learn from this lesson—free them from the furnace.
It’s not wise to leave such favored men in flames; 435
This vengeance is dangerous—it could backfire!”
Then the king commanded the three young men
Freed from the flames and brought before him.
The restraining ropes that had locked their limbs,
Binding their bones, had been burned away. 440
Their countenances were cool, their bodies uncooked,
Their clothes unscorched, their beauty unblemished.
They walked calmly out of the waves of fire
In the arms of the angel and the hands of God.
Then the angel ascended to the vault of heaven, 445
A loyal servant of the everlasting Lord,
Celebrating the mighty miracle he had made
To exalt and honor those worthy men.
The youths praised God before the pagans,
Eagerly explaining his power and purpose, 450
His storied truth spinning out in time,
His many wonders at work in the world.
Then the people believed that this great protector
Who had saved the youths from the burning furnace,
Delivering them from the deadly flames, 455
Was a wonderful wielder of great power—
So the once proud and imperious king
Of brazen Babylon proclaimed to his people
That this was surely the one true God,
And that anyone who denied it would meet death. 460
Then the king released his ancient enemies,
Returning the remnant of God’s chosen people
To the Lord’s keeping, for they had found favor,
Gathering glory in the heat of Babylon,
Obeying their God and escaping the fire. 465
Their keen counsel was called upon everywhere
After the Lord of hosts had shielded them from harm.
I heard that when the king saw that wonder,
He understood the true miracle of their escape.
The servants of the Lord had braved that burning, 470
Walked through waves of blazing death
To escape their doom. How was this done?
The Lord had given them a powerful charm—
Immunity against evil, protection against peril.
He had untwisted the king’s terror, unraveled his rage. 475
Then Nebuchadnezzar called an assembly,
Summoning his people to hear how God’s power
Had been revealed, his might made manifest,
In the flame-walking exploits and the great escape
Of these miraculous men. He said to his people: 480
“Consider the wisdom and power of this miracle,
The wonder of God. We have surely seen
How he saved the lives of the three youths
From certain death in the leaping flames
Of the terrible furnace, as they lifted up his name 485
In prayer and praise. Now we know
That he is the one God, the almighty Judge,
The eternal Lord, who grants victory,
A true triumph to those who serve him
And spread his story. He reveals himself 490
To faithful followers who choose his protection.
It is clear that Daniel grasped my dream,
Declaring to me its secret significance
When it had baffled the best of minds
Among my counselors because God sent 495
A greater spirit to increase his wisdom
And skillfully unwind this wondrous riddle.”
So the Chaldean leader, Lord of Babylon,
Mentor to many, spoke these wise words
When he had seen God’s sign, a great miracle. 500
But the prince was stubborn and ruled by pride,
The sin that had made a home in his heart.
His spirit was insolent, swollen with conceit,
More than was fitting for even the best of men,
Until almighty God cast him down with force, 505
As he often does with such arrogant souls
Who are desperate to scheme their way to the top.
Now another dream came to deeply disturb
The sleep of noble king Nebuchadnezzar.
He thought he saw a strangely beautiful tree, 510
Strong and steadfast, anchored in earth,
Root-firm and heavy with bright fruit.
It was not like any ordinary tree of the forest
For it towered in the sky amidst the stars,
Its boughs reaching out over land and sea 515
Like embracing arms to shelter and sustain
All the wild creatures living in the wood,
To contain and provide food for them all,
The richest fruits for the birds and beasts,
A bounty of blessings, a nourishing gift. 520
Then the dreamer saw an angel descend
From his heavenly homeland in a dazzling light,
Calling out boldly, commanding the tree
To be cut down, causing the birds and beasts
To flee for their lives at the imminent fall. 525
He also ordered the fruit to be stripped,
The branches ripped off—the only life left,
A rooted stump waiting for the reviving
Grace of God to renew its green shoots.
He ordered the great tree to be bound 530
With iron bonds, shackles and chains,
So that it might know in its once proud mind
That a greater power than itself existed,
Prevailing over even the strongest of trees.
Then the dream ended and the king awoke, 535
Trembling with terror at the dreadful nightmare,
A troubling gift from almighty God.
The king directed his wise counselors
To explain the dream, even though he doubted
That any of them could unlock its mystery— 540
This was a test to see what they would say.
Then the king commanded Daniel to come,
The Lord’s servant, the messenger of God.
A spirit from heaven had strengthened Daniel’s mind
And opened his understanding to secret meanings. 545
The king could see this deep capacity in him,
Expecting him again to decipher his dream.
So the proud-hearted prince talked of the terror
Of the dream-tree, demanding to k
now from Daniel
What the vision signified, what the mystery meant. 550
He needed to know the truth of that tree
And its fateful fall in the shattering dream.
At first Daniel fell silent at the king’s commandment,
Even though he understood the dream-riddle
Of the rise and fall of the tree. The truth was hard— 555
That this powerful prince was guilty before God.
The wise prophet, learned in the law,
Wise in words, paused for awhile,
Then offered this answer to the Chaldean king:
“Ruler of men, what you have seen in the dream 560
Is no small wonder: the mysterious angel,
His holy words, his heartless wrath,
His hard command that the tree should be stripped
Of its beautiful boughs, its sustaining fruit,
And suddenly toppled where it once stood fast, 565
Giving up its glory of branch and bloom,
Reduced to a root-stump, a poor groundling
Of the forest floor, a leaf-lost mystery,
A seat for small creatures in the dark wood,
Alone and unnoticed, as the angel said, 570
Unable to send up new shoots,
To grow gracefully again for seven seasons.
Like this great tree, your fortune will fall,
Your glory will be grounded, your rule undone.
Just as the tree grew glorious under heaven, 575
You have grown into a prince’s power,
The guardian of realms without any rival.
No one can resist you except almighty God.
He will cut you down, topple your throne,
Send you into exile, friendless and alone, 580
Make you a mindless beast of the woods.
You will be reduced from a great king
To an unthinking creature living in the thickets
Of the forest, following the tracks of deer.
Your only food will be found under hoof, 585
The grasses of the moors, the weeds of the wild.
Your only bed will be a wandering unrest,
A waking sleep. Rainstorms will rouse you,
Harry and harass you like a dumb beast,
Until after seven years you discover the truth— 590
That there is only one all-powerful Lord of men,
Who dwells in heaven and not in Babylon!
All is not hopeless, however. The dream discloses
That like the root-stump, after seven seasons
You will branch and bloom, flower and fruit, 595
Regain your power and place in the world.
Your worldly kingdom will remain unharmed
By the envy of your enemies until you return.
Consider my counsel, take heed in your heart:
Give alms to the poor, protect the wretched, 600
Temper might with mercy, bow down before God,
Atone for your sins before the day arrives
When the Lord will thrust you from your throne,
Steal your sovereignty, and rob you of reason.
Often God relents if men feel remorse 605
And repent, making heartfelt reparations
Before he suddenly releases his wrath
Like a savage storm, cutting them down
With a righteous fury.” Daniel hoped
That this wise truth and hard counsel 610
Would be heard by the stubborn king
With a sober mind and an accepting spirit,
But the ruler’s pride made that impossible,
And the powerful lord paid dearly for this.
The king of the Chaldeans continued to boast 615
Of his power and prosperity as he ruled the city
Of Babylon with its beautiful tall towers,
Stretching out over the plains of Shinar.
He exulted in having built marvels for men
And thought himself a maker of miracles. 620
So he celebrated his own craft and capacity,
His mental subtlety and sovereignty over men,
But these talents were truly gifts from God
To be used honestly and humbly in his service
By a lord and leader while he ruled his people. 625
Sometimes the King of the Chaldeans would say:
“You are the city of glory I built and blessed
With my mind and might. Your tall towers
Sing praise-songs to my powerful presence.
You are my radiance and resting place, 630
A homeland I will always rule and possess.
Everything here resounds with my name.”
Because of that boasting, that perilous pride,
The lord of men was seized by a strange spirit,
A stroke of madness. His reason unraveled, 635
And he fled to the wild, plucked from power,
Exiled from God, alone and unthinking.
He traveled a melancholy road of suffering,
The hardest ever walked by a man in this world.
His trials were endless, his torments boundless, 640
His well of sorrow was endlessly deep.
For seven years Nebuchadnezzar suffered
God’s righteous anger, a terrible torment,
Wandering the wilderness, a brute beast,
Until he looked up one day through the clouds 645
Drifting by like a dream and felt the return
Of his right mind, remembering that the Lord God
Was High King of heaven and earth,
The everlasting Spirit, shielding and sustaining
The children of men. Then his lunacy left him, 650
And he found himself both human and humble,
His heart unsavaged by the claws of pride.
His soul rejoiced in remembering God,
His greater Lord, and he left the torment
Of the wild wood for the towns of men. 655
He dragged himself home like a poor beggar,
Unclothed, unkempt, beyond boasting,
Eager at last for God’s blessing,
Humbler than he had been as the ruler of men.
His kingdom was still secure after seven years, 660
Intact and thriving after the thrusting out
Of its intractable king. Brazen Babylon
Awaited the rescue of its once raging ruler
And the return of a wiser, kinder king.
When the Chaldean leader was restored to power, 665
He believed firmly in the Lord and praised him
Instead of himself. He was moved by mercy
Instead of wrath toward the children of men,
Becoming a conscientious and caring king.
He understood that ultimately God deals out 670
Weal or woe, bliss or bale, as he sees fit.
He did not merely read the wise words
Of the prophets but began to preach abroad,
Proclaiming the unstinting might of the Lord,
Recounting the story of his sudden madness, 675
His wandering the woods like a wild beast,
Devoid of reason, until he discovered
As he looked toward heaven, a new understanding
Of the everlasting Lord. His dream was fulfilled,
His destiny delivered, his mystery made plain. 680
His pain was endured, his penance effected,
His judgment established as Daniel predicted—
That the king should find a fierce punishment
For his unbridled pride. So he earnestly preached
God’s true story and the Maker’s might 685
Before the children of men. Afterwards
Daniel also taught God’s learning and law
For a long time to people in Babylon.
After Nebuchadnezzar, the wilderness-wanderer,
Compan
ion of beasts, returned from exile, 690
Delivered from brute hardship and pain,
He returned to rule the Babylonian empire
As king of the Chaldeans, prince of the people,
Protector of wealth, guardian of the security
And welfare of the citizens, shield and sustainer, 695
A great governor. No man could match his might
Until God determined his doom. Death destroyed him.
Afterwards his descendants prospered in that city,
Enjoying a wealth of braided gold, a great treasure.
Then a third generation of descendants arose 700
Among the Chaldeans. Bold Belshazzar
Ruled the kingdom and its bright cities
Until his heart too was puffed up with pride.
His arrogance and insolence destroyed the kingdom,
And God granted power to the Medes and Persians, 705
Letting the glory of Babylon wither away.
He knew that the elders who ruled the realm
Were bound in wickedness, snared in sin.
Then the lord of the Medes began to contemplate
A bold plan of action never attempted before— 710
To conquer Babylon, the city of princes,
Gift-givers and warriors, who guarded their gold
And untold wealth behind sheltering walls.
Babylon had been the greatest of cities,
Steeped in glory until Belshazzar’s boasting 715
Provoked God. The people guzzled wine
Within their halls, never fearing any foe,
Even though cruel enemies encroached on them,
Decked out in war-gear, determined to sack the city.
No one believed that Babylon could be destroyed. 720
The king of the Chaldeans sat blithely feasting
With family and friends on his last day.
The proud lord was mead-drunk, malicious,
A king in his cups. He commanded all
The Israelites’ gold, their holy treasures, 725
And sacrificial vessels—which the Chaldean soldiers
Had once seized when they sacked Jerusalem,
Riding in rage to the trumpet’s terror,
Destroying the city and the glory of the Jews
With their savage swords—to be brought to the hall. 730
Those brash, boasting soldiers had laid hands
On the holy objects in the temple of Solomon,
Plundering those treasures like war-booty.
Then Belshazzar bragged that his armies offered
Greater power and protection than the so-called 735
Everlasting lord of the Israelites. This angered God.
Suddenly there came into the hall a holy sign
That the Chaldean lord was an outright liar.
The hand of an angel appeared in the air,
The Complete Old English Poems Page 24