The Dream of the Rood

Listen! I will speak of the sweetest dream,

what came to me in the middle of the night,

when speech-bearers slept in their rest. 

It seemed that I saw a most wondrous tree

raised on high, wound round with light,

the brightest of beams. All that beacon was

covered in gold; gems stood

fair at the earth’s corners, and there were five

up on the cross-beam. All the angels of the Lord looked on;

fair through all eternity; that was no felon’s gallows,

but holy spirits beheld him there,

men over the earth and all this glorious creation.

     Wondrous was the victory-tree, and I was stained by sins,

wounded with guilt; I saw the tree of glory

honored in garments, shining with joys,

bedecked with gold; gems had

covered worthily the Creator’s tree.

And yet beneath that gold I began to see

an ancient wretched struggle, when it first began

to bleed on the right side. I was all beset with sorrows,

fearful for that fair vision; I saw that eager beacon

change garments and colors––now it was drenched,

stained with blood, now bedecked with treasure.

And yet, lying there a long while,

I beheld in sorrow the Savior’s tree

until I heard it utter a sound;

that best of woods began to speak words:

“It was so long ago––I remember it still––

that I was felled from the forest’s edge,

ripped up from my roots. Strong enemies seized me there,

made me their spectacle, made me bear their criminals;

they bore me on their shoulders and then set me on a hill,

enemies enough fixed me fast. Then I saw the Lord of mankind

hasten eagerly, when he wanted to ascend upon me.

I did not dare to break or bow down

against the Lord’s word, when I saw

the ends of the earth tremble. Easily I might

have felled all those enemies, and yet I stood fast.

Then the young hero made ready—that was God almighty—

strong and resolute; he ascended on the high gallows,

brave in the sight of many, when he wanted to ransom mankind.

I trembled when he embraced me, but I dared not bow to the ground,

or fall to the earth’s corners––I had to stand fast.

I was reared as a cross: I raised up the mighty King,

the Lord of heaven; I dared not lie down.

They drove dark nails through me; the scars are still visible,

open wounds of hate; I dared not harm any of them.

They mocked us both together; I was all drenched with blood

flowing from that man’s side after he had sent forth his spirit.

     “Much have I endured on that hill

of hostile fates: I saw the God of hosts

cruelly stretched out. Darkness had covered

with its clouds the Ruler’s corpse,

that shining radiance. Shadows spread

grey under the clouds; all creation wept,

mourned the King’s fall: Christ on the cross.

And yet from afar men came hastening

to that noble one; I watched it all.

I was all beset with sorrow, yet I sank into their hands,

humbly, eagerly. There they took almighty God,

lifted him from his heavy torment; the warriors then left me

standing drenched in blood, all shot through with arrows.

They laid him down, bone-weary, and stood by his body’s head;

they watched the Lord of heaven there, who rested a while,

weary from his mighty battle. They began to build a tomb for him

in the sight of his slayer; they carved it from bright stone,

and set within the Lord of victories. They began to sing a dirge for him,

wretched at evening, when they wished to travel hence,

weary, from the glorious Lord––he rested there with little company.

And as we stood there, weeping, a long while

fixed in our station, the song ascended

from those warriors. The corpse grew cold,

the fair life-house. Then they began to fell us

all to the earth––a terrible fate!

They dug for us a deep pit, yet the Lord’s thanes,

friends found me there… 

adorned me with gold and silver.

“Now you can hear, my dear hero,

that I have endured the work of evil-doers,

harsh sorrows. Now the time has come

that far and wide they will honor me,

men over the earth and all this glorious creation,

and pray to this sign. On me the Son of God

suffered for a time; and so, glorious now

I rise up under the heavens, and am able to heal

each of those who is in awe of me.

Once I was made into the worst of torments,

most hateful to all people, before I opened

the true way of life for speech-bearers. 

Lo! the King of glory, Guardian of heaven’s kingdom

honored me over all the trees of the forest,

just as he has also, almighty God, honored

his mother, Mary herself,

above all womankind for the sake of all men.

     “Now I bid you, my beloved hero,

that you reveal this vision to men,

tell them in words that it is the tree of glory

on which almighty God suffered

for mankind’s many sins

and Adam’s ancient deeds.

Death He tasted there, yet the Lord rose again

with his great might to help mankind.

He ascended into heaven. He will come again

to this middle-earth to seek mankind

on doomsday, almighty God, 

the Lord himself and his angels with him,

and He will judge—He has the power of judgment—

each one of them as they have earned

beforehand here in this loaned life.

No one there may be unafraid

at the words which the Ruler will speak:

He will ask before the multitude where the man might be

who for the Lord’s name would taste

bitter death, as He did earlier on that tree.

But they will tremble then, and little think

what they might even begin to say to Christ.

But no one there need be very afraid

who has borne in his breast the best of beacons;

but through the cross we shall seek the kingdom,

every soul from this earthly way,

whoever thinks to rest with the Ruler.”

     Then I prayed to the tree with a happy heart,

eagerly, there where I was alone

with little company. My spirit longed to start

on the journey forth; it has felt

so much of longing. It is now my life’s hope

that I might seek the tree of victory

alone, more often than all men

 and honor it well. I wish for that

with all my heart, and my hope of protection is

fixed on the cross. I have few wealthy friends

on earth; but they all have gone forth,

fled from worldly joys and sought the King of glory;

they live now in heaven with the High Father,

and dwell in glory, and each day I look forward

to the time when the cross of the Lord,

on which I have looked while here on this earth,

will fetch me from this loaned life,

and bring me where there is great bliss,

joy in heaven, where the Lord’s host

is seated at the feast, with ceaseless bliss;

and then set me where I may afterwards

dwell in glory, have a share of joy

fully with the saints. May the Lord be my friend,

He who here on earth once suffered

on the hanging-tree for human sin;

He ransomed us and gave us life,

a heavenly home. Hope was renewed

with cheer and bliss for those who were burning there.

The Son was successful in that journey,

mighty and victorious, when he came with a multitude,

a great host of souls, into God’s kingdom,

the one Ruler almighty, the angels rejoicing

and all the saints already in heaven

dwelling in glory, when almighty God,

their Ruler, returned to his rightful home.