Christian saints -- India -- Romances; Gautama Buddha -- Legends -- Adaptations; Princes -- India -- Romances
"O Lord my God, hearken unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Have mercy
upon me, and hear me, for I seek thee with all my heart. My soul hath
sought for thee: O hide not thy face from me, and turn not away in
anger from thy servant. Be thou my helper; cast me not utterly away,
and forsake me not, O God my Saviour, because my father and mother
forsake me; but do thou, O Lord, take me up. Teach me thy way, O Lord,
and lead me in the right way because of mine enemies. Deliver me not
over unto the souls of them that afflict me; for I have been cast upon
thee ever since I was born; thou art my God even from my mother's womb.
O go not from me, because, except thee, there is none to help me. For
lo, I set the hope of my soul upon the ocean of thy mercies. Be thou
the pilot of my soul, thou that steerest all creation with the
unspeakable forethought of thy wisdom; and shew thou me the way that I
should walk in; and, as thou art a good God and a lover of men, save me
by the prayers and intercessions of Barlaam thy servant, for thou art
my God, and thee I glorify, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
world without end. Amen."
Thus prayed he, and sat him down nigh the sepulchre, a-weeping. And as
he sat, he fell asleep, and saw those dread men, whom he had seen
before, coming to him, and carrying him away to the great and
marvellous plain, and bringing him to that glorious and exceeding
bright city. When he had passed within the gate, there met him others,
gloriously apparelled with much light, having in their hands crowns
radiant with unspeakable beauty, such as mortal eye hath never seen.
And, when Ioasaph enquired, "Whose are these exceeding bright crowns of
glory, which I see?" "Thine," said they, "is the one, prepared for
thee, because of the many souls which thou hast saved, and now made
still more beautiful because of the religious life that thou leadest,
if thou continue therein bravely until the end. And this other crown
is thine also; but it must thou give unto thy father, who, by thy
means, turned from his evil way unto the Lord, and was truly penitent."
But Ioasaph was as one sore vexed, and said, "How is it possible that,
for his repentance alone, my father should receive reward equal to
mine, that have laboured so much?" Thus spake he, and straightway
thought that he saw Barlaam, as it were, chiding him and saying, "These
are my words, Ioasaph, which I once spake unto thee, saying, 'When thou
waxest passing rich, thou wilt not be glad to distribute,' and thou
understoodest not my saying. But now, why art thou displeased at thy
father's equality with thee in honour, and art not rather glad at heart
that thine orisons in his behalf have been heard?" Then Ioasaph said
unto him, as he was ever wont to say, "Pardon! father, pardon! But
shew me where thou dwellest?" Barlaam answered, "In this mighty and
exceeding fair city. It is my lot to dwell in the mid-most street of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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