XXVIII-XXXIII. Further Journey to the East.
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Charles, R. H. (Robert Henry)
XXVIII. 1. And thence I went 〚towards the east〛, into the midst 〚of the mountain range〛 of the desert, and I saw a wilderness and it was solitary, full of trees and plants. 2. 〚And〛 water gushed forth from above. 3. Rushing like a copious watercourse [which flowed] towards the north-west it caused clouds and dew to ascend on every side.
XXIX. 1. And thence I went to another place in the desert, and approached to the east of this mountain range. 2. And 〚there〛 I saw aromatic trees exhaling the fragrance of frankincense and myrrh, and the trees also were similar to the almond tree.
XXX. 1. And beyond these, I went afar to the east, and I saw another place, a valley (full) of water. 2. And ⌜therein there was⌝ a tree, the colour (?) of fragrant trees such as the mastic. 3. And on the sides of those valleys I saw fragrant cinnamon. And beyond these I proceeded to the east.
XXXI. 1. And I saw other mountains, and amongst them were ⌜groves of⌝ trees, and there flowed forth from them nectar, which is named sarara and galbanum. 2. And beyond these mountains I saw another mountain ⌜to the east of the ends of the earth⌝, 〚whereon were aloe trees〛, and all the trees were full of stacte, being like almond trees. 3. And when one burnt it, it smelt sweeter than any fragrant odour.
XXXII. 1. And after these fragrant odours, as I looked towards the north over the mountains I saw seven mountains full of choice nard and fragrant trees and cinnamon and pepper.
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XXXII. 1. To the north-east I beheld seven mountains full of choice nard and mastic and cinnamon and pepper.
2. And thence I went over the summits of ⌜all⌝ these mountains, far towards the east ⌜of the earth⌝, and passed above the Erythraean sea, and went far from it, and passed over 〚the angel〛 Zotîêl.
3. And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, and saw beyond those trees many large trees growing there and of goodly fragrance, large, very beautiful and glorious, and the tree of wisdom whereof they eat and know great wisdom.
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3. And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, and from afar off trees more numerous than these trees and great—†two† trees there, very great, beautiful, and glorious, and magnificent, and the tree of knowledge, whose holy fruit they eat and know great wisdom.
4. ⌜That tree is in height like the fir, and its leaves are⌝ like (those of) the Carob tree: and its fruit is like the clusters of the vine, very beautiful: and the fragrance of the tree penetrates afar. 5. Then I said: ‘⌜How⌝ beautiful is the tree, and how attractive is its look!’ 6. Then Raphael, the holy angel who was with me, answered me 〚and said〛: ‘This is the tree of wisdom, of which thy father old (in years) and thy aged mother, who were before thee, have eaten, and they learnt wisdom and their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked and they were driven out of the garden.’
XXXIII. 1. And from thence I went to the ends of the earth and saw there great beasts, and each differed from the other; and (I saw) birds also differing in appearance and beauty and voice, the one differing from the other. 2. And to the east of those beasts I saw the ends of the earth whereon the heaven rests, and the portals of the heaven open. 3. And I saw how the stars of heaven come forth, and I counted the portals out of which they proceed, and wrote down all their outlets, of each individual star by itself, according to their number and their names, their courses and their positions, and their times and their months, as Uriel the holy angel who was with me showed me. 4. He showed all things to me and wrote them down for me: also their names he wrote for me, and their laws and their companies.