The Lord Continues
Can You Catch a Sea Monster?
1 Can you catch a sea monster
by using a fishhook?
Can you tie its mouth shut
with a rope?
2 Can it be led around
by a ring in its nose
or a hook in its jaw?
3 Will it beg for mercy?
4 Will it surrender
as a slave for life?
5 Can it be tied by the leg
like a pet bird
for little girls?
6 Is it ever chopped up
and its pieces bargained for
in the fish-market?
7 Can it be killed
with harpoons or spears?
8 Wrestle it just once—
that will be the end.
9 Merely a glimpse of this monster
makes all courage melt.
10 And if it is too fierce
for anyone to attack,
who would dare oppose me?
11 I am in command of the world
and in debt to no one.
12 What powerful legs,
what a stout body
this monster possesses!
13 Who could strip off its armor
or bring it under control
with a harness?
14 Who would try to open its jaws,
full of fearsome teeth?
* 15 Its back is covered
with shield after shield,
16 firmly bound and closer together
17 than breath to breath.
When This Monster Sneezes
18 When this monster sneezes,
lightning flashes, and its eyes
glow like the dawn.
19 Sparks and fiery flames
explode from its mouth.
20 And smoke spews from its nose
like steam
from a boiling pot,
21 while its blazing breath
scorches everything in sight.
22 Its neck is so tremendous
that everyone trembles,
23 the weakest parts of its body
are harder than iron,
24 and its heart is stone.
25 When this noisy monster appears,
even the most powerful
turn and run in fear.
26 No sword or spear can harm it,
27 and weapons of bronze or iron
are as useless as straw
or rotten wood.
28 Rocks thrown from a sling
cause it no more harm
than husks of grain.
This monster fears no arrows,
29 it simply smiles at spears,
and striking it with a stick
is like slapping it with straw.
30 As it crawls through the mud,
its sharp and spiny hide
tears the ground apart.
31 And when it swims down deep,
the sea starts churning
like boiling oil,
32 and it leaves behind a trail
of shining white foam.
33 No other creature on earth
is so fearless.
34 It is king of all proud creatures,
and it looks upon the others
as nothing.
1 None is so fearce that dare stirre him vp. Who is he then that can stand before me? 2 Who hath preuented mee that I shoulde make an ende? Al vnder heauen is mine. 3 I will not keepe silence concerning his partes, nor his power nor his comely proportion. 4 Who can discouer the face of his garmet? or who shall come to him with a double bridle? 5 Who shall open the doores of his face? his teeth are fearefull round about. 6 The maiestie of his scales is like strog shields, and are sure sealed. 7 One is set to another, that no winde can come betweene them. 8 One is ioyned to another: they sticke together, that they cannot be sundered. 9 His niesings make the light to shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 10 Out of his mouth go lampes, and sparkes of fire leape out. 11 Out of his nostrels commeth out smoke, as out of a boyling pot or caldron. 12 His breath maketh the coales burne: for a flame goeth out of his mouth. 13 In his necke remayneth strength, and labour is reiected before his face. 14 The members of his bodie are ioyned: they are strong in themselues, and cannot be mooued. 15 His heart is as strong as a stone, and as hard as the nether milstone. 16 The mightie are afrayd of his maiestie, and for feare they faint in themselues. 17 When the sword doeth touch him, he will not rise vp, nor for the speare, dart nor habergeon. 18 He esteemeth yron as strawe, and brasse as rotten wood. 19 The archer canot make him flee: ye stones of the sling are turned into stubble vnto him: 20 The dartes are counted as strawe: and hee laugheth at the shaking of the speare. 21 Sharpe stones are vnder him, and he spreadeth sharpe things vpon the myre. 22 He maketh the depth to boyle like a pot, and maketh the sea like a pot of oyntment. 23 He maketh a path to shine after him: one would thinke the depth as an hoare head. 24 In the earth there is none like him: hee is made without feare. 25 He beholdeth al hie things: he is a King ouer all the children of pride.