The Cleansing of the Water for the Feast and Afterfeast of Malfaloth

At the First Cleansing

The Preamble is sung from the First Ode.

At the Second Cleansing

How Vishnarr Sought the Stair to Lower Heaven

In those days when first the waters

Of the world shone like Crystal

And the Giants, great in beauty,

Still unfallen walked the Southlands

Building kingdoms, making music—

Building kingdoms, making music,

And the Stone-kings in the Northlands

Kept the waters under cypress.

In the West the Star-folk prospered,

Still unfallen Under Starlight.—

Then the Southern Polestar, fallen,

Sought return unto the Heavens,

Sought to challenge Nankeinela,

Sought revenge upon the Polestar

Of the Northern sky beloved.

In the Nothern sky beloved

Raos, Polestar, over heaven

Kept his vigil, ceaseless guarded

Passages to Middle Heaven.

Vishnarr could not gain an entry.

Vishnarr could not gain an entry

To the paths of Middle Heaven.

Then he sought another pathway

Through the Sun-lands, lying Eastward,

Far beyond the Final Desert.

Far beyond the Final Desert,

There in lakes of liquid fire,

There the ancient Salamanders

Leaped among the dancing fires,

Ran along the scorching sandstone.

By the glowing, scorching sandstone

Played the blissful Salamanders,

Waiting for the Car of Morning

Rising up from cold abysses.

They sang to light the Sun at morning.

When the Polestar of the Southlands

Saw them light the Sun at morning,

Then he saw the Ram go bounding

Up the stair to Lower Heaven—

The stair was made of subtle substance. 

“The stair is made of subtle substance,”

So the Salamander told him

As he bathed, the gleaming lizard,

In a pool of liquid fire

Where he fed on growing diamonds.

There among the growing diamonds

Vishnarr found him, old seducer,

Promised him the rule of Mankind,

Heaps of treasure under Mountains,

If he led him to the Heavens.

“I will show the stair of Heaven

Which the Ram of Morning, bounding,

Climbs, his fleece of gold unfading

Showing all lands Under Starlight.

I would have that gold forever.”

“I will promise mighty treasures,

Shining hoards of gold and diamonds,

Gems uncounted, crowns in heaven

Forged by stars for fair Onmanda,

If you lead me to the Heavens.”

Vishnarr by the subtle stairways,

Led by Marglorth, Salamander,

Who became the Lord of Dragons

Then into the Lower Heaven

Came amid the deep of winter.

At the Third Cleansing

The Coming of Vishnarr to the Palace of the Moon

In the deep of middle-winter

Vishnarr walked the Lower Heavens

Far beneath the shining porches

Of the Stars whom Raos ruled.

Storm-clouds billowed, skies were darkened. 

Storm-clouds billowed, skies were darkened

At the coming of the ruler

Of those stars whom Nankeinela

Had cast down from Middle Heaven.

Then he sought the Hunter’s palace. 

Vishnarr sought the Hunter’s palace,

Sought it on the paths of Heaven,

Sought it with the Salamander,

Sought among the clouds of Winter

Till they came to Ivory Palace.

Vishnarr came to the Ivory Palace,

And the gates were made of pearl.

But the gates were all unguarded—

Malfaloth the Hunter, roaming,

Did not know Onmanda’s peril.

Knowing not Onmanda’s peril

Malfaloth the Hunter wandered.

So came Vishnarr, Margloth creeping,

Through the pearl gates unguarded.

Fair Onmanda slept at Winter.

Fair Onmanda slept at Winter;

While the wide lands Under Starlight

Under winter snows were sleeping.

Vishnarr and the lord of dragons

Came into the gleaming fortress.

Now into the gleaming fortress

Vishnarr and the lord of dragons

Enter, and the gleaming treasures

Of the Moon are piled around them:

Gold and silver, gems in caskets.

Gold and silver, gems in caskets—

Weighty trash of Lower Heaven,

Which the Hunter, Silver Flower,

Gathered when afar he wandered,

Brought it there to please Onmanda.

Treasures brought to please Onmanda

Lay in shining heaps around them.

World’s First Mother fast was sleeping

In her garden, through the Winter;

Vishnarr found the Hunter’s throne-room.

At the Fourth Cleansing

How Vishnarr Stole the Scepter of the Moon

Vishnarr found the Hunter’s throne-room.

There the Scepter, black as midnight,

Set with jewels, on the Hunter’s

Throne was sitting; still Onmanda,

World’s First Mother, slept at Winter.

While the Mother slept at Winter,

Then did Vishnarr, banished Polestar,

Seize the Scepter which the Maker

Nankeinela, First, Unfounded,

Gave for rule over Mankind.

In his rule over Mankind

Then the Hunter, Silver Flower,

Faltered when the Lord of Dragons

Led the Enemy of Raos

Up the Stairs of Lower Heaven.

To the Stairs of Lower Heaven

Vishnarr would now seek, and trembled,

Fearing lest that Heaven’s ruler,

Hunter bold who goes in silver,

Should return, exact his vengeance. 

To return, exact his vengeance—

So men say the changeful ruler

Of the airs of Lower Heaven

Will yet seek to punish Vishnarr

For the theft of Heaven’s Scepter. 

Now the Thief of Heaven’s Scepter

Would the Stairs of Lower Heaven

Find again, before the master

Of the shining pearl palace

Came again to rest from wandering.

But the eye of Margloth wandering

Fell on heaps of gold and diamonds,

Mighty treasures for Onmanda

Won beyond the Reach of Midnight.

Margloth, Lord of Dragons, tarried.

Margloth, Lord of Dragons, tarried,

Lusting after gleaming rubies

(He who once the Sun at Morning

Kindled with his ancient chanting)

And the blue of shining sapphires. 

“From the blue of shining sapphires

Stars of Heaven will not lead me—

Not until the many treasures

Of this palace I have plundered.

These I claim as lawful bounty.”

“Take your claim of shining bounty,

But I fear the coming master

Of this palace—plunder swiftly!”

But in plundering those treasures

Margloth woke the sleeping Mother.

Margloth woke the sleeping Mother

When a tree of fragrant apples,

Golden apples from her garden,

He desired, tearing, clawing,

And the bole went backwards swaying.

At the Cleansing of the People

The Waking of Onmanda

Then the bole went backwards swaying

And an apple ,gleaming, golden,

Brushed her hand, and so awoke her

Up from Winter’s heedless slumber

To a cold and early Springtime.

To a cold and early Springtime

Fair Onmanda, waking gently,

Found intruders, foul deceivers

Standing in her sacred garden

On the Hill of Shining Apples.

On the Hill of Shining Apples

Fair Onmanda, waking gently,

Sang a song of all things growing,

Of the way of all creation,

And the order Under Starlight:

Now the Priestess, together with the Acolytes and all the People, sing the Thirtieth Ode. When it has been sung, the Priestess resumes:

So from sleep Onmanda, stirring,

Sang of seasons Under Starlight.

Vishnarr, Margloth, from her fleeing,

Left the treasures they had stolen—

Save the Scepter, gift of Heaven.

So the fate of hapless mankind

Vishnarr held, and long he ruled

In the darkness till the monarchs

On the sodden plain of Denthfeld

Made their fates, governed peoples.