ONE THOUSAND FAMOUS THINGS	165
Over the waste,
As the Maker bade.
Then sundered
The Lord triumphs
Over the ocean-flood
Light from darkness,
Shade from brightness,
Then gave names to both
The Lord of Life.
Light was first
Through the Lord's word
Named day;
Beauteous, bright creation!
Well pleased
The Lord at the beginning
The pro-creative time.
The first day saw
The dark shade
Swart prevailing
Over the wide abyss.
Caedmon'$ Song of Creation
The First English Song
t
he name which throws glory over Whitby is the name of a cow-
herd from whose lips flowed the first great English song.
Caedmon had learnt nothing of the art of verse, the alliterative
jingle so common among his fellows ; wherefore, being sometimes
at feasts, when all agreed for glee's sake to sing in turn, he no sooner
saw the harp come towards him than he rose from the board and
went homewards.
Once when he had done thus, and gone from the feast to the stable
where he had that night charge of the cattle, there appeared to him
in his sleep One who said, greeting him by name, Sing, Caedmon, some
song to Me. I cannot sing, he answered; for this cause I left the
feast and came hither. He who talked with him answered, However
that be, you shall sing to Me. What shall I sing ? rejoined Caedmon.
The beginning of created things, replied He.
In the morning the cowherd stood before the abbess and told his
dream. Abbess and brethren alike concluded that heavenly grace
had been conferred on him by the Lord. They translated for
Caedmon a passage in Holy Writ, bidding him, if he could, put the
same into verse. The next morning he gave it them composed in
excellent verse, whereon the abbess, understanding the divine grace
in the man, bade Mm quit the secular life and take on him the
monastic life. Piece by piece the sacred story was thus thrown into
Caedmon's poem.	John Richard Green