Pearl (6 page)

 That flawless figure then said to me:

‘The city you speak of in the land of Judea

 is the same city the Lord sought out

 in which to suffer the sins of mankind.

 In other words, old Jerusalem,

 where Christ atoned for Adam's crime.

 But new Jerusalem, set to ground by God,

 the apostle writes of in Revelation;

 there the Lamb, unblemished by blackness,

 guided His fair and favourite people.

 And because that company is clean of heart,

 so the city is flawless and without fault.

‘To speak without flaw of those two cities,

 both known by the name Jerusalem,

 a term which to you means little more

 than “City of God”, or “Vision of Peace”:

 in one our reconciliation was secured

 when the Lamb chose to suffer pain in that place;

 in the other there is only infinite peace,

 a haven where happiness lasts for ever,

 a heavenly home we speedily head for

 when our flesh and bones turn foul in the grave.

 There glory and bliss will grow for those

 who are residents of that flawless realm.'

‘Flawless girl, guileless and gentle,'

 I said to that fresh and radiant flower,

‘show me the way to that shining castle,

 lead me to the house you call your home.'

 But she firmly refused. ‘God forbids it.

 You cannot enter His holy estate.

 By the grace of the Lamb I have gained permission

 for you to stand in sight of that city

 and glimpse its glory from beyond the gate.

 But you must not set one foot inside.

 You have no right to stride through its streets

 unless you are flawless and free of fault.

‘T
o find a view of that flawless place

  walk upstream alongside the water

  to the valley head, till you come to a hill,

  and I will follow on this far bank.’

  Then I wouldn’t delay a moment longer,

  but went beneath leaves through dappled light

  till I saw that city perched on its summit,

  and stumbled towards that stunning sight

  some distance away beyond the brook,

  shining brighter than the sun’s beams,

  in its features, facets, size and structure

  just as Saint John revealed in Revelation.

Yes just as the apostle John described it

I saw for myself that exalted city:

the new Jerusalem, luminously rich,

as though descended from heaven's heights.

Its buildings gleamed with pure gold,

blazing and glinting like burnished glass.

They stood on a base of precious stones

formed of twelve well-fastened tiers,

a firm and cleverly fashioned foundation,

each stratum cut from a seamless gem,

as in the writings of Revelation

where John the apostle depicts the apocalypse.

John had described those stones in his scriptures

so I knew their names and also their nature.

I judged the first of those jewels to be jasper,

found at the very bottom of the base,

gleaming green on the lowest layer.

Sapphire occupied the second stage,

and clear, crystalline chalcedony

shone pure and pale on the third plane.

Emerald was fourth with its glaring green finish,

and finely striated sardonyx the fifth,

and ruby the sixth, exactly as stated

by John the apostle when depicting the apocalypse.

John also described the chrysolite,

the stone which formed the seventh stage.

The eighth was of brilliantly white beryl,

a table of twin-toned topaz the ninth,

a course of chrysoprase the tenth,

noble and elegant jacinth the eleventh,

and twelfth, most trusted in times of trouble,

was a plane of purple and indigo amethyst.

The wall above that tiered base

was jasper, glistening and glittering like glass,

a vision I knew very well from the version

in John the apostle's apocalyptic scriptures.

Then I saw still more of what John described:

those twelve tiers were broad and steep

with the city on top, perfectly square,

equal in every dimension, and exquisite.

The golden streets sparkled like glass,

and jasper glared as if glazed with egg-white.

Inside, those walls were studded and set

with every possible precious stone,

and every square side of that estate

in every dimension measured twelve furlongs,

in height and width and length the same size,

just as John the apostle had judged.

A
nd I saw still more of what John had scripted:

each of its aspects had three entrances,

so twelve gates in total were visible.

The portals were plated in expensive metals,

and the doors adorned with a singular pearl,

a perfect pearl that could never fade.

Over every arch in carved characters

the names of the Children of Israel were inscribed

in order of age, that is to say

beginning with the first born, and so on and so forth.

Such light illuminated the city’s streets

that neither sun nor moon were needed.

They needed neither sun nor moon

since God Himself was their guiding light

and the Lamb their lantern. There was no doubt:

through God's brilliance the city glowed.

And all was transparent, so my gaze passed

through wall and structure without obstruction,

till I saw with my eyes the high throne

arrayed in awesome ornaments,

as John the apostle correctly recorded,

with God taking His place upon it.

And running directly out of that throne

was a river more radiant than sun and moon.

No sun or moon ever shone so sweetly

as the plentiful water that poured through those precincts;

it surged swiftly along every street

without sediment or slime or foaming filth.

No church or chapel had ever been built

or temple constructed within the walls;

God Almighty was their one minster,

the sacrificial Lamb their spiritual food.

The gates were never bolted or barred

but open at every possible approach,

though none may enter in search of sanctuary

who bears any blemish beneath the moon.

The moon cannot practise her powers in that place,

she is pockmarked and pitted and impure in person.

Added to which, it is never night-time.

How could the moon, casting her moonbeams

from celestial circuits, hope to compete

with the light that sheens off that stream's surface?

The planets are pitifully poor in comparison

and the sun too dim by some distance.

The riverbanks were bordered by bright trees

which bore on their boughs the twelve fruits of life;

twelve times a year those trees offer harvest,

their riches returning monthly like the moon.

No more amazement under the moon

has a human heart ever had to endure

than when I witnessed the walled city

and marvelled at its fabulous feats of form.

I stood as still as a stunned quail,

hypnotised by that holy vision,

every nerve and sense in my body numbed,

enraptured by unrivalled radiance.

And this I declare with a clear conviction:

any mortal man, having seen such a miracle,

despite the craft and cures of his doctor,

would go to his grave beneath the moon.

A
t the moment the moon began to climb,

before the final setting of the sun,

I became aware in a wonderful way

of the sudden presence of a long procession.

The streets of that famous and fabled city

were all at once and without warning

streaming with virgins in the very clothing

my dearest beloved was dressed in herself.

They were similarly crowned in the same manner,

arrayed in pearls and pure white robes,

and at each girl’s breast, fastened and fixed,

a delightful pearl took pride of place.

They went together in sheer delight

through golden streets that gleamed like glass.

A hundred thousand I counted there,

all of them dressed in identical clothes –

it was hard to say which face was the happiest.

Proudly leading the procession was the Lamb,

with seven horns of glaring gold,

His robes comprised of priceless pearls.

Those thousands travelled towards the throne,

and never once pushed, despite their numbers,

but as mild as maidens going to mass

they moved along with delightful manners.

The delirious delight His coming occasioned

would indeed be difficult to describe in full.

All the aldermen, upon His approach,

prostrated themselves at the Lord's feet.

Legions of angels, summoned as one,

scattered their sweet-smelling incense about.

Then glory and gladness resounded again

as praises were sung to the precious Jewel

by the Virtues of Heaven, whose joyful voices

might pierce the earth and penetrate hell.

Carried away by that stirring chorus

I delighted in declaring my love for the Lamb.

My delight in gazing at the Lamb in His glory

caused much amazement and wonder in my mind.

He was perfect, unimpaired, and more worthy of praise

than any tongue could ever tell of.

The clothes He wore were wonderfully white,

His looks graceful, His demeanour gracious.

But an open wound, wide and weeping

could be seen by His heart where the skin was skewered,

and blood poured from His punctured side.

Alas, I thought; who inflicted such injury?

Any heart would sooner be scorched by sorrow

than take delight from so dark a deed.

No one doubted the Lamb's delight;

although He was hurt by that heinous wound

He suffered in silence, displayed no pain.

In all His glances He was wonderfully glad.

And the faces of all His glorious followers

were alive with life, lit by love.

Then looking, I saw there my little queen,

who I thought was standing on the shore of this stream.

Lord, how happy and at peace she appeared,

so pure and content among her companions.

And instantly I wanted to wade that water,

longing for her, the delight of my life.

D
elight deluged my eyes and ears

till my mortal mind was dizzied by madness.

Nothing mattered more than being near her.

I wanted to join her over the water

and no one would halt me, hold me back

or stop me summoning every morsel of strength

and swimming that stream. I would cross the current

or die trying and drown in its depths.

But suddenly that notion was snatched away;

as the brook beckoned and I bounded forward

my bold intent was abruptly blocked:

my plan was not to the Prince’s pleasing.

 My Prince was displeased that I had approached

 that teeming flood in a state of frenzy.

 Rashly I had rushed towards the river

 but suddenly felt a restraining force,

 and just as I leapt from land to stream

 my stunt startled me out of my dream.

 I woke in the same green garden again

 with my head laid on the little hill

 where my priceless pearl had disappeared.

 Roused from sleep all my sadness resumed,

 and sinking in sorrow I said to myself,

‘Let this be pleasing to my Prince's pleasure.'

 It deprived me of pleasure and caused me pain

 to be cast so quickly from that fair country,

 exiled from all its exquisite sights.

 My heart laboured with a heavy longing

 and I cried out loud in mournful lament:

‘Oh pearl,' I said, ‘so high in honour.

 To hear your voice in that hallowed vision

 meant more to me than anything on earth.

 If all that tripped from your tongue holds true

 and you walk in whiteness wearing the crown

 then I'll happily dwell in this dungeon, knowing

 what part you play in pleasing the Prince.'