The son of Beor, Balaam, in the world’s esteem,
Was equal unto Moses. So all men did deem.
To him alone was homage paid by high and low;
His prayers were reckoned medicine for every woe.
To Moses he opposed himself, in foolish pride.
The Scripture tells us how most miserably he died.[359]
Of Balaams, and of Satans, in this world of ours,
Some manifest, some secret, troops come at all hours.
God granteth them celebrity within their spheres,
That they may witness bear against their own compeers. 75
Then, both are elevated on a gallows high,
As warning unto others who for honours sigh.
They both were covetous of homage and applause;
And both received due punishment through God’s just laws.
Thou, man, perchance, the idol of some crowd mayst be.
For God’s sake, then, beware thou transgress not as he.
And setting up thyself against a better man,
Thou come to grief, and bring to wreck thy every plan.
The tales of ‘Ād[360] and Thamūd[361] have the moral clear,
That saints of God, and righteous men, are held more dear. 80
Those signs, and swift destruction overwhelming them,
Proclaim aloud the power that saints around does hem.
As brutes are slain that man may live a life of ease,
So men are slaughtered when they sin ’gainst God’s decrees.
For, what is wisdom? ’Tis th’ omniscience divine.
Man’s wisdom is but folly, set against that mine.
The brutes are timid, shun man’s presence everywhere;
Though man, in numbers, yields to them within this sphere.
Their blood may lawfully be shed for needs of man;
Because they lack th’ ennobling spark of reason’s scan. 85
The brute is held of low degree on this our earth;
As being weighed against great man’s superior worth.
What value will attach to thee, thou arrant fool,
If, like an ass, thou spite the lords of reason’s school?
The ass, that renders service meet unto his lord,
Men slay not. ’Tis the wild ass does them chase afford.
The ass reaps naught of recompense for merit due;
Yet, when he errs, fell punishment awaits him, true.
If man, then, go astray, much more he’s worthy blame;
Most justly shall chastisement visit him with shame. 90
The blood of misbelievers righteously is shed,
With sword and arrow, like wild ass on mountain fed.
Their wives and children fall a prey to victor’s hand;
In that they lack true wisdom, cursed of God they stand.
The reasonable creature fleeing reason’s Lord,
Renounces reason, brute becomes, calls for the sword.