Books one to twenty of my epic poem The Runiad are available to read on this Heyzine link .
From Book 20
x
This blessed Paul, Paul of Thrace, had opted to live in
The most remote cave in the wilderness, so that the Word could be
Heard by any, possibly fleeing from justice, more probably
Fleeing from injustice; yes, even if their flight took them to the
Furthest, most desolate reach of all. Paul had already lived
On earth for a hundred and thirteen years. Antony,
x
At the age of ninety, occupied another place esteemed remote
(As he himself was wont to declare). Having successfully coped
With his demons, Antony was feeling good. He lived a life
Of solitude that earned him respect. When the thought occurred
That there lived no holier man in the waste; no one more hermetic
Than he, he slept the whole blessed night. No demons.
However, in the stillness of a later night it was revealed
x
That there was, further into the wilderness, a hermit more
Hermetic than he: a certain hermit Paul, who hailed from Thrace.
And since Paul served the Lord in the most desolate of places,
Antony ought to pay him a visit. So then at break of day
The venerable Saint, supported by a staff, started out:
But what direction to choose he knew not. The point was simply
To start. Scorching noontide came, with a broiling sun overhead,
x
But still he did not allow himself to be turned from the journey
He had begun. Said he, I believe in my God: some time or other
He will show me the fellow-servant He’s promised me.
He said no more. All at once he beholds a creature of mingled shape,
Half horse half man, called by the poets Hippocentaur.
At the sight of this he arms himself by making on his forehead
The Sign of the Cross, and then exclaims, Holloa! Where in these parts
x
Is the cave of a servant of God? The monster after gnashing out
Some kind of outlandish utterance in words broken rather
Than spoken through his bristling lips, at length finds a clearer
Mode of communication, and extending his right hand
Points out the way desired. Then he rears, next he careers
Through the trees and vanishes from the sight of the astonished
Saint. But whether the devil took this shape to terrify him,
x
Or whether it be that the wilderness which is known to abound
In monstrous shapes engenders also that hybrid strain,
We cannot decide. Anyway, Antony was astounded.
Mulling over what he had seen, he continued on his way.
Before long, in a small rocky valley shut in on all sides,
He meets a mannikin with hooked snout, horned forehead,
Cloven hooves like a goat’s. When he saw this, Antony
x
Militarily seized the shield of faith and the helmet
Of hope: the creature none the less began to offer the fruit
Of the palm-trees to support him and, as it were, offer
Pledges of peace. Antony perceiving this asked who he was.
The answer he received was this: I am a mortal being
And one of those inhabitants of the desert whom the Gentiles,
Deluded by varieties of error, worship under the names
x
Of Fauns, Satyrs, and Incubi. I am sent to represent my tribe.
We pray you on our behalf to entreat for us the favour of your Lord
And ours, who, we have learned, came once to save the world,
And ‘whose sound has gone forth into all reaches of the earth.’
As he heard such words from the creature, the aged traveller’s cheeks
Streamed with tears, the sign of his deep rapture;
Tears he shed in the fullness of his joy. He rejoiced over
x
The Glory of Christ and the destruction of Satan.
Marvelling all the while that he could understand
The Satyr’s language, and striking the ground with his staff,
He said, Woe to you, Alexandria, prostrate before
Unholy beings! Woe to you, harlot city, into which
Have flowed together all the demons of the world!
What will you say now? Beasts speak of Christ, and you instead
X
Of God worship monsters! He had not finished speaking when,
As if on wings, the Satyr fled away. Let no one scruple
To believe this incident; its truth is supported by
What took place when Constantine was on the throne,
A matter to which the whole world was a witness.
For one half-man of that kind was brought alive to Alexandria
And shown as a wonderful sight to the crowd. Afterwards
x
His lifeless corpse, to prevent its decay through the summer heat,
Was preserved in salt and brought to Antioch that
The Emperor might see it. Just as freaks were brought to Peter
For his Kunst Kamera in Saint Petersburg. I love to trace
The trajectories of these souls, on earth, back in those early days:
The trajectory of Christopher, of the Centaur whom he meets,
Of Antony, in the vicinity of the cave of Paul of Thrace.
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