Page:King Alfred's Version of the Consolations of Boethius.djvu/302



Law and Wisdom    for the livers therein.

All His creatures    upon His errands

From here He sends    and hither bids.

Had He not established    each so steady,

All His creatures,    every one of them,

Breaking away    had burst asunder,

In deadly hate    had come to naught;

Yes, like foes    they had fallen apart,

Though one love only    all things created

In heaven and earth    have in common,

That such a Leader    they serve together,

All of them glad    that the Father rules.

No need for wonder,    for no one thing

Could ever hope    to hold its life

Unless all were serving    their common Source,

With all their might,    their glorious Master.

XXX
In the East Omerus    among the Greeks

Was in that country    in songs most cunning,

Of Firgilius also    friend and teacher,

Of that famed maker,    best of masters.

Now this Omerus    often and often

On the sun's splendour    spent high praises,

His noble powers    showed to the people

In glee and story,    again and again.

Yet the sun cannot beam,    for all his brightness,

Over all creation