Judgement Day II Back to lines 1 - 149
150 Will be all alike therewith utterly filled.
Then the flame of the fire will blow and crackle,
Red and angry, will rush and hurry
How it for the sinful torture might prepare.
Nor will the punishing flame forbear,
155 Or towards any there act with favour;
Unless he be here from filth cleansed,
And then thither come thoroughly clean.
Then many races, of folks without number,
Their sinful breasts strongly will beat,
160 Fiercely with fist, for their gross luxury.
There will be the needy, and kings of people,
Poor and rich all will be affrighted.
There will have one law, poor and the wealthy.
Therefore they will have fear all alike.
165 That angry flood will rush with fire,
And bitterly burn the poor souls:
And the hearts, savagely worms,
Of sin-guilty ones, will carve and tear.
Nor may there any man, by works of merit,
170 Bold become in presence of the Judge;
But terror will run alike through all,
Thoughts of the heart, and the bitter weeping.
And there will stand, stiffened most like to stone,
All the wicked troop, in expectation of evil.
175 What doest thou, O flesh? what actest thou now?
How might thou on that tide bewail thy trouble?
Woe! thou servest now thyself,
And here gladly livest in lust,
And thyself with keen goads there urgest to luxury.
180 Why wilt thou not fear the fiery terror,
And for thyself dread greatly the punishments
Which for devils of yore the Lord prepared
To cursed souls for wages of woe?
These overpass thought and speech,
185 Of every man for greatness.
No speech may be with tidings to recount
To any on earth the wretched penalties,
Filthy places of fire in the depth,
That was mid fierce torment in hell.
190 There be for sorrow together mingled
The flame of vapours, and the weariness of cold,
Very heat and cold, in midst of hell.
One while there the eyes without measure will weep;
For the scorching of the furnace, he is all full of misery;
195 One while too the teeth of men for great cold there will gnash.
This foul vicissitude, miserable men,
For ever and ever, will wend therein:
Amid dark black night
And the woe of boiling pitch and vapour.
200

There no sound stirreth, save stark hard

Weeping and lamenting, naught else.
Nor will be any appearance seen of any wight,
but of the torturers (which) punish the miserable.
Nor will there be therein aught found
205 But fire, and cold, and loathsome filth.
They with nose may naught smell
Save immensity of stench.
There will be the wretched lips filled
With flame-vomiting blaze of loathly fire,
210 And the cruel worms will tear them,
And will gnaw their bones with burning tusks.
Above all this will be that wretched breast
With bitter care frightened and troubled.
For why luxurious flesh in the perilous tide
215 For himself so many sins wrought,
That it in prison became destroyed;
There are the dreadful everlasting punishments,
There not any little spark of light shineth
To the miserable. There neither goodness
220 Nor peace, nor hope, nor quiet delighteth,
Nor the number of the men at all.
Consolation will fly away, nor will there be any help
That against the bitter circumstances may frame a protection:
Nor will there appearance be found of any bliss:
225 There will be horrid fear and terror,
And violent sorrowful gnashing of teeth.
There will be everywhere cruel sadness,
Eld and anger and weariness,
And there too sin. Souls in fire
230 In the dark cave will burn and wander.
Then will perish from hence the fatal
Joys of this world; they will depart all together.
Then drunkenness will cease with feasts,
And laughter and play will leap together.
235 And lust also will depart hence,
And greed will far depart,
Wickedness away, and each luxury,
Guilty to hasten into the shade.
And the wretched helpless sleep will fly,
240 Slack with slumber, to slink behind.
Then in dark bitter fire saw
The poor at last, that which forbidden is now;
That most loved in life, loathed will be then,
And the guilts will turn that weary heart
245 Verily among sorrows and among misery.
Oh! he will be happy, and more than happy,
And world-without-end of men the happiest,
He that with prosperity, such overthrow,
And with understanding, may well escape,
250 And likewise blessed in all the world
Serve his lord, and then may have
Heaven's kingdom, that is of joys the best.
There night nor darkness overclouds
The sheen of heavenly light.
255 There cometh not sorrow nor pain, nor toilworn eld,
Nor happeth there ever any toil;
Either hunger, or thirst, or miserable sleep.
There is not fever, nor decay, nor sudden plague,
Crackling of no fire, nor the loathsome cold,
260 There is not mourning, nor there weariness,
Nor ruin, nor care, nor fierce torment.
Nor is there lightning, nor loathsome storm,
Winter, nor thunder shower, nor a whit of cold;
Nor there are mighty hail-showers with snow,
265 Nor is want there, nor loss, nor terror of death,
Nor misery, nor sorrow, nor any mourning.
But there together reigneth peace with prosperity,
And virtue, and eternal good,
Glory and honour,
270 Likewise praise, and life, and faithful concord.
Beside all this the Eternal Lord to them of all
Goods any gladly serveth,
And in presence honoureth and receiveth all of them;
And the Father likewise blesseth, glorifieth, and well-regardeth (them),
275 Beautifully decks, and liberally loveth,
And on heaven's throne on high adorneth.
His kind Son, lord of Victory,
Gives to each one everlasting meed,
Heavenly glories, that is a splendid gift.
280 Among the beautiful host of angels,
And in troops and throngs of the holy ones,
There shall they be associated among nations,
Amidst the patriarchs and holy prophets.
In blissful mood among the cities,
285 There be the apostles of Almighty God.
And amid the stores of roses red
There ever shall they shine.
There of the white ones shall wander a maiden throng
With blossoms hung. Brightest of the hosts,
290 Who them all will lead, God's peerless dear one,
The woman who for us the Lord conceived,
Creator on earth: virgin the pure,
That is MARY, of maidens most blessed.
She will lead through those bright shining kingdoms
295 (Blessedest she of all) of the glorious father,
Betwixt father and son, a goodly host,
And mid eternal heavenly peace,
In the kingdom of the wise heavenly ruler.
What of hardship can there be here in life,
300 If thou wilt say sooth to him that asketh thee
To set against this, that thou mayest, among that host,
Live unchanging through eternity,
And in the happy seats of the saints above
Enjoy bliss henceforth without end.

Here endeth this book that is called inter florigeras, that is, in English, "betwixt blooming", who to God's Kingdom fare: and how those suffer, who to Hell fare.