BEDE'S STORY OF CAEDMON: the first English poet

from the original Latin of Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum, book IV chapter xxiv

[Latin text from F.W. Garforth's Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica: a selection. London: Bell, 1967] [modern English translation of Latin taken from L.C. Jane]

In huius monasterio abbatissae fuit frater quidam divina gratia specialiter insignis quia carmina religioni et pietati apta facere solebat; ita ut quicquid ex divinis litteris per interpretes disceret hoc ipse post pusillum verbis poeticis maxima suavitate et compunctione compositis in sua, id est Anglorum, lingua proferret. Cuius carminibus multorum saepe animi ad contemptum saeculi et appetitum sunt vitae caelestis accensi. Et quidem et alii post illum in gente Anglorum religiosa poemata facere tentabant, sed nullus eum aequiparare potuit. Namque ipse non ab hominibus neque per hominem institutus canendi artem didicit; sed divinitus adiutus gratis canendi donum accepit. Unde nihil umquam frivoli et supervacui poematis facere potuit, sed ea tantummodo quae ad religionem pertinent religiosam eius linguam decebant. Siquidem in habitu saeculari usque ad tempora provectioris aetatis constitutus nil carminum aliquando didicerat. Unde nonnumquam in convivio, cum esset laetitae causa decretum ut omnes per ordinem cantare deberent, ille ubi appropinquare sibi citharam cernebat surgebat a media cena et egressus ad suam domum repedabat.

Quod dum tempore quodam faceret et relicta domo convivii egressus esset ad stabula iumentorum, quorum ei custodia nocte illa erat delegata, ibique hora competenti membra dedisset sopori, adstitit ei quidam per somnium eumque salutans ac suo appellans nomine: 'Caedmon', inquit, 'canta mihi aliquid'. At ille respondens, 'Nescio', inquit, 'cantare; nam et ideo de convivio egressus huc secessi, quia cantare non poteram'. Rursus ille qui cum eo loquebatur, 'Attamen', ait, 'mihi cantare habes'. 'Quid', inquit, 'debeo cantare?' At ille, 'Canta', inquit, 'principium creaturarum'. Quo accepto responso statim ipse coepit cantare in laudem Dei conditoris versus quos numquam audierat, quorum iste est sensus:

There was in this abbess's monastery a certain brother, particularly remarkable for the grace of God, who was wont to make pious and religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of Scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expressions of much sweetness and humility, in English, which was his native language. By his verses the minds of many were often excited to despise the world, and to aspire to heaven. Others after him attempted, in the English nation, to compose religious poems, but none could ever compare with him, for he did not learn the art of poetry from men, but from God; for which reason he never could compose any trivial or vain poem, but only those which relate to religion suited his religious tongue; for having lived in a secular habit till he was well advanced in years, he had never learned anything of versifying; for which reason being sometimes at entertainments, when it was agreed for the sake of mirth that all present should sing in their turns, when he saw the instrument come towards him, he rose up from table and returned home.

Having done so at a certain time, and gone out of the house where the entertainment was, to the stable, where he had to take care of the horses that night, he there composed himself to rest at the proper time; a person appeared to him in his sleep, and saluting him by his name, said, "Caedmon, sing some song to me." He answered, "I cannot sing; for that was the reason why I left the entertainment, and retired to this place because I could not sing." The other who talked to him, replied, "However, you shall sing." ­ "What shall I sing?" rejoined he. "Sing the beginning of created beings," said the other. Hereupon he presently began to sing verses to the praise of God, which he had never heard, the purport whereof was thus :

(Bede's Latin paraphrase of Cædmon's Hymn)

Nunc laudare debemus     auctorem regni caelestis

Now we ought to praise     the maker of the heavenly kingdom

potentiam Creatoris,     et consilium illius

the power of the Creator,    and his intention

facta Patris gloriae:     quomodo ille,

the deeds of the Father of glory:     how he,

cum sit aeternus Deus     omnium miraculorum auctor exstitit;

since he is the eternal Lord     of all miracles has been the author;

qui primo     filiis hominum

who first    for the sons of men

caelum pro culmine tecti

heaven for a roof above

dehinc terram     custos humani generis

next, the earth,     the keeper of the human-race

omnipotens     creavit.

the all-powerful      created.

Hic est sensus, non autem ordo ipse verborum quae dormiens ille canebat; neque enim possunt carmina, quamvis optime composita, ex alia in aliam linguam ad verbum sine detrimento sui decoris ac dignitatis transferri. Exsurgens autem a somno cuncta quae dormiens cantaverat memoriter retinuit et eis mox plura in eundem modum verba Deo digni carminis adiunxit.

Veniensque mane ad vilicum qui sibi praeerat quid doni percepisset indicavit atque ad abbatissam perductus iussus est multis doctioribus viris praesentibus indicare somnium et dicere carmen, ut universorum iudicio quid vel unde esset quod referebat probaretur. Visumque est omnibus caelestem ei a Domino concessam esse gratiam. Exponebantque ille quendam sacrae historiae sive doctrinae sermonem praecipientes eum, si posset, hunc in modulationem carminis transferre. At ille suscepto negotio abiit et mane rediens optimo carmine quod iubebatur compositum reddidit. Unde mox abbatissa amplexata gratiam Dei in viro saecularem illum habitum relinquere et monachicum suscipere propositum docuit, susceptumque in monasterium cum omnibus suis fratrum cohorti associavit iussitque illum seriem sacrae historiae doceri. At ipse cuncta quae audiendo discere poterat rememorando secum et quasi mundum animal ruminando in carmen dulcissimum convertebat, suaviusque resonando doctores suos vicissim auditores sui faciebat. Canebat autem de creatione mundi et origine humani generis et tota Genesis historia de egressu Israel ex Aegypto et ingressu in terram repomissionis, de aliis plurimis sacrae Scripturae historiis, de incarnatione dominica, passione, resurrectione et ascensione in caelum, de Spiritus Sancti adventu et apostolorum doctrina. Item de terrore futuri iudicii et horrore poenae gehennalis ac dulcedine regni caelestis multa carmina faciebat; sed et alia perplura de beneficiis et iudiciis divinis, in quibus cunctis homines ab amore scelerum abstrahere, ad dilectionem vero et sollertiam bonae actionis excitare curabat. Erat enim vir multum religiosus et regularibus disciplinis humiliter subditus, adversum vero illos qui aliter facere volebant zelo magni fervoris accensus; unde et pulchro vitam suam fine conclusit.

Nam proprinquante hora sui decessus quattuordecim diebus praeveniente corporea infirmitate pressus est, adeo tamen moderate ut et loqui toto eo tempore posset et ingredi. Erat autem in proximo casa, in qua infirmiores et qui prope morituri esse videbantur induci solebant. Rogavit ergo ministrum suum vespere incumbente nocte qua de saeculo erat exiturus ut in ea sibi locum quiescendi praepararet; qui miratus cur hoc rogaret, qui nequaquam adhuc moriturus esse videbatur, fecit tamen quod dixerat. Cumque ibidem positi vicissim aliqua gaudente animo, una cum eis qui ibidem ante inerant, loquerentur ac iocarentur et iam mediae noctis tempus esset transcensum, interrogavit si eucharistiam intus haberent. Respondebant, 'Quid opus est eucharistia? neque enim mori adhuc habes qui tam hilariter nobiscum velut sospes loqueris'. Rursus ille: 'Et tamen', ait, 'afferte mihi eucharistiam'. Qua accepta in manu interrogavit si omnes placidum erga se animum et sine querela controversiae ac rancoris haberent. Respondebant omnes placidissimam se mentem ad illum et ab omni ira remotam habere. Qui confestim respondit: 'Placidam ego mentem, filioli, erga omnes Dei famulos gero'. Sincque se caelesti muniens viatico vitae alterius ingressui paravit; et interrogavit quam prope esset hora qua fratres ad dicendas Domino laudes nocturnas excitari deberent. Respondebant, 'Non longe est'. At ille: 'Bene, ergo exspectemus horam illam'. Et signans se signo sanctae crucis reclinavit caput ad cervical modicumque obdormiens ita cum silentio vitam finivit.

Sicque factum est ut ita quomodo simplici ac pura mente tranquillaque devotione Domino servierat, ita etiam tranquilla morte mundum relinquens ad eius visonem veniret illaque lingua quae tot salutaria verba in laudem conditoris composuerat ultima quoque verba in laudem ipsius, signando sese et spiritum suum in manus eius commendando, clauderet; qui etiam praescius sui obitus exstitisse, ex his quae narravimus, videtur.

This is the sense, but not the words in order as he sang them in his sleep; for verses, though never so well composed, cannot be literally translated out of one language into another, without losing much of their beauty and loftiness. Awaking from his sleep, he remembered all that he had sung in his dream, and soon added much more to the same effect in verse worthy of the Deity.

In the morning he came to the steward, his superior, and having acquainted him with the gift he had received, was conducted to the abbess, by whom he was ordered, in the presence of many learned men, to tell his dream, and repeat the verses, that they might all give their judgment what it was, and whence his verse proceeded. They all concluded, that heavenly grace had been conferred on him by our Lord. They expounded to him a passage in holy writ, either historical, or doctrinal, ordering him, if he could, to put the same into verse. Having undertaken it, he went away, and returning the next morning, gave it to them composed in most excellent verse; whereupon the abbess, embracing the grace of God in the man, instructed him to quit the secular habit, and take upon him the monastic life; which being accordingly done, she associated him to the rest of the brethren in her monastery, and ordered that he should be taught the whole series of sacred history. Thus Caedmon--keeping in mind all he heard, and as it were chewing the cud, converted the same into most harmonious verse; and sweetly repeating the same, made his masters in their turn his hearers. He sang the creation of the world, the origin of man, and all the history of Genesis : and made many verses on the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and their entering into the land of promise, with many other histories from holy writ; the incarnation, passion, resurrection of our Lord, and his ascension into heaven; the coming of the Holy Ghost, and the preaching of the apostles ; also the terror of future judgment, the horror of the pains of hell, and the delights of heaven; besides many more about the Divine benefits and judgments, by which he endeavoured to turn away all men from the love of vice, and to excite in them the love of, and application to, good actions; for he was a very religious man, humbly submissive to regular discipline, but full of zeal against those who behaved themselves otherwise; for which reason he ended his life happily.

For when the time of his departure drew near, he laboured for the space of fourteen days under a bodily infirmity which seemed to prepare the way, yet so moderate that he could talk and walk the whole time. In his neighbourhood was the house to which those that were sick, and like shortly to die, were carried. He desired the person that attended him, in the evening, as the night came on in which he was to depart this life, to make ready a place there for him to take his rest. This person, wondering why he should desire it, because there was as yet no sign of his dying soon, did what he had ordered. He accordingly went there, and conversing pleasantly in a joyful manner with the rest that were in the house before, when it was past midnight, he asked them, whether they had the Eucharist there? They answered, "What need of the Eucharist? for you are not likely to die, since you talk so merrily with us, as if you were in perfect health." ­" However," said he, "bring me the Eucharist." Having received the same into his hand, he asked, whether they were all in charity with him, and without any enmity or rancour? They answered, that they were all in perfect charity, and free from anger; and in their turn asked him, whether he was in the same mind towards them? He answered, "I am in charity, my children, with all the servants of God." Then strengthening himself with the heavenly viaticum, he prepared for the entrance into another life, and asked, how near the time was when the brothers were to be awakened to sing the nocturnal praises of our Lord? They answered, "It is not far off." Then he said, "Well, let us wait that hour; " and signing himself with the sign of the cross, he laid his head on the pillow, and falling into a slumber, ended his life so in silence.

Thus it came to pass, that as he had served God with a simple and pure mind, and undisturbed devotion, so he now departed to his presence, leaving the world by a quiet death; and that tongue, which had composed so many holy words in praise of the Creator, uttered its last words whilst he was in the act of signing himself with the cross, and recommending himself into his hands, and by what has been here said, he seems to have had foreknowledge of his death.