ܬܘܡܐ

When I was a little child,

and dwelling in my kingdom,

in my father's house, and was content with the wealth and the

luxuries of my nourishers,

from the East, our home,

my parents equipped me (and) sent me forth;

and of the wealth of our treasury

they took abundantly, (and) tied up for me a load

large and (yet) light, which I myself could carry,

gold of Beth-Ellaya,

and silver of Gazak the great,

and rubies of India,

and agates from Beth-Kashan,

and they furnished me with the adamant,

which can crush iron.

And they took off from me the glittering robe,

which in their affection they made for me,

and the purple toga,

which was measured (and) woven to my stature.

And they made a compact with me,

and wrote it in my heart, that it might not be forgotten:

"If thou goest down into Egypt,

and bringest the one pearl,

which is in the midst of the sea

around the loud-breathing serpent,

thou shalt put on thy glittering robe

and thy toga, with which (thou art) contented,

and with thy brother, who is next to us in authority,

thou shalt be heir in our kingdom."

I quitted the East (and) went down,

there being two guardians,

for the way was dangerous and difficult,

and I was very young to travel it.

I passed through the borders of Maishan,

the meeting-place of the merchants of the East,

and I reached the land of Babel,

and I entered the walls of Sarbug.

I went down into Egypt,

and my companions parted from me.

I went straight to the serpent,

I dwelt in his abode,

(waiting) till he should lumber and sleep,

and I could take my pearl from him.

And when I was single and alone

(and) became strange to my family,

one of my race, a free-born man,

and Oriental, I saw there,

a youth fair and loveable,

the son of oil-sellers;

and he came and attached himself to me,

and I made him my intimate friend,

and associate with whom I shared my merchandise.

I warned him against the Egyptians,

and against consorting with the unclean;

And I dressed in their dress,

that they might not hold me in abhorrence,

because I was come from abroad in order to take the pearl,

and arouse the serpent against me.

But in some way other or another

they found out that I was not their countryman,

and they dealt with me treacherously,

and gave their food to eat.

I forget that I was a son of kings,

and I served their king;

and I forgot the pearl,

for which my parents had sent me,

and because of the burden of their oppressions

I lay in a deep sleep.

But all this things that befell me

my parents perceived, and were grieved for me;

and proclamation was made in our kingdom,

that every one should come to our gate [kingdom],

kings and princes of Parthia,

and all the nobles of the East.

And they wove a plan on my behalf,

that I might not be left in Egypt;

and they wrote to me a letter,

and every noble signed his name to it:

"From thy father, the king of kings,

and thy mother, the mistress of the East,

and from thy brother, our second (in authority),

to thee our son, who art in Egypt, greeting!

Call to mind that thou art a son of kings!

See the slavery,--whom thou servest!

Remember the pearl,

for which thou was sent to Egypt!

Think of thy robe,

and remember thy splendid toga,

which thou shalt wear and (with which) thou shalt be adorned,

when thy name hath been read out in the list of the valiant,

and thy brother, our viceroy,

thou shalt be in our kingdom."

My letter is a letter,

which the king sealed with his own right hand,

(to keep it) from the wicked ones, the children of Babel,

and from the savage demons of Sarbug.

It flew in the likeness of an eagle,

the king of all birds;

it flew and alight beside me,

and became all speech.

At its voice and the sound of its rustling,

I started and arose from my sleep.

I took it up and kissed it,

and I began (and) read it;

and according to what was traced on my heart

were the words of my letter.

I remembered that I was a son of royal parents,

and my noble birth asserted itself.

I remembered the pearl,

for which I had been sent to Egypt,

and I began to charm him,

the terrible loud breathing serpent.

I hushed him asleep and lulled him into slumber,

for my father's name I named over him,

and the name of our second (in power),

and the of my mother, the queen of the East.

And I snatched away the pearl,

and turned to go back to my father's house.

And their filthy and unclean dress I stripped off,

and left it in their country;

and I took my way straight to come

to the light of our home in the East.

[...]

Hymn of the Pearl

by unknown author, embedded within Acta Thomae

translated from the syriac by William Wright's Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (London, 1871), pp. 238-245

Georges de La Tour - St. Thomas (c.1620) National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo