Peter Riga on Paradise and the Fall of Man

The Aurora, written by Peter Riga, (c. 1140–1209), likely a priest and canon of the cathedral of Rheims, is a paraphrase and explication of the Bible written in verse, and was widely used in schools. We have previously offered translations of its prologue to the Gospels and its praises of Our Lady using Scriptural titles. The following extracts are taken from its section on Genesis.

Hortus deliciis florens, iocundus, amenus,     Fertilis, ecclesiam rite notare potest;	The garden, pleasing, beautiful, teeming with delights,     Fertile, is a fitting image of the Church.
Huius delicie sunt pure balsama vite,     Virtutum fructus angelicusque cibus.	Its pleasures are the balms of a pure life,     The fruits of virtues, and angelic food.
Quatuor ex isto procedunt flumina, quorum     Nomina vel numerus mystica signa gerunt.	Four rivers flow out from it, whose     Names and number are mystical signs.
Ut dicunt plures, oris mutatio Phison     Iure potest dici nomine teste suo	As many say, Phison may justly be called     ‘A change of mouth,’1 as its name attests.
Os mutat qui falsa loquens, post illa relinquit     Et verum vero predicat ore Deum.	He changes his mouth who ceases to speak falsehood,     And preaches the true God with a true mouth.
Designatque Gion pectus, quia lex nova monstrat     Ut sapienter agens, fortia queque geras.	Gehon means ‘breast,’ for the New Law shows you     How to perform mighty deeds by acting wisely.
Qui celer est, Tigris signat currendo per orbem     Terrarum legis scripta volasse nove.	The Tigris, ‘one who is quick,’ marks how the New Law     Flew speedily through the whole world.
Frugifer Euphrates notat hoc quod plurima profert     Germina virtutum legis origo nove.	Euphrates, ‘the fruit-bearer,’ indicates that the stock of     The New Law shoots out many virtues like sprouts.
His fluviis numerus scriptores comparat illos     Quos in lege nova quatuor esse legis,	Their number assimilates these rivers to those writers     Of the New Law, who were four.
Qui dum scripta serunt, animarum vulnera mundant,     Irrorant, satiant more salubris aque.	As they pen their writings they cleanse souls’ wounds,     Bedew them, and sate them like wholesome water.
Qui foris est factus, hominem tulit in paradisum     Conditor ut coleret hunc operando locum.	Man, who was made without, the Creator did bring within paradise,     That he might till this place with his work.
Otia quippe nocent anime, prodest labor illi;     Hec mala multa movent, hic bona multa parit.	For idleness harms the soul; labour profits her;     The one stirs up many evils; the other begets much good.

From Aurora, Liber Genesis lines 249–272.

God introduces Adam into paradise, with its four rivers. St. Mark’s basilica, Venice.

Plantarat Dominus a principio paradisum,     Plenum deliciis mirificisque bonis.	In the beginning, the Lord planted a paradise     Full of pleasures and marvellous delights.
Christum principium notat, Ecclesiam paradisus;     Extitit Ecclesie Conditor ille sue.	The beginning is Christ, paradise the Church;     He was the Creator of his Church.
Formatum Dominus hominem tulit in paradisum     Ut custos esset ac operator ibi,	The Lord formed man and brought him into paradise     That he might be a guardian and labourer there,
Preceptumque novum protoplasto prebuit istud,     Iussa tenenda docens et prohibenda vetans.	And he gave a new precept to his first-made,     Teaching him to obey orders and forbidding the prohibited:
«Ex omni ligno paradisi vescere preter     Lignum quo scitur cum bonitate malum.	‘Eat from every tree in paradise except     The tree by which good and evil are known.
Quaque die comedes, morieris morte, sequetur     Mors anime, tibi sit carne necesse mori.»	On what day soever thou shalt eat it, thou shalt die the death,     The death of thy soul shall follow, and thou must needs die in the flesh.’
Per quandam speciem, quam Conditor ipse creavit,     Hec homini primo iussio facta fuit.	By a certain creature, which the Creator himself created,     This commandment was first given to man.

Lines 285–298.

‘Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat.’ Palatine Chapel, Palermo.

Nudus uterque parens erat absque pudore; moveri     Nescia ditabat singula membra decor.	Naked were both our parents and not ashamed;     Beauty graced all their parts, unknowingly.
Qui iam corruerat de celo, Lucifer illos     Vidit et invidit instituitque dolos;	Lucifer, who had already fallen from heaven,     Saw, envied, laid snares for them,
Et quia perdiderat celestis gaudia vite,     Temptat ut eternis privet utrumque bonis;	And, having lost the joys of heavenly life,     Tried to deprive both of eternal goods.
Femineumque sciens sexum cito perdere sensum,     Ut flecti tanquam possit arundo levis,	Knowing that the female sex soon loses its wits,     Bending like a thin reed,
Serpentem, qui tunc erat erectus, subit, eius     Linguam movit in hec, cor muliebre movens:	He took the form of a serpent, then still upright,     Moved its tongue, moved the woman’s heart:
«Cur vetuit vobis Deus unum tangere lignum?»     «Ne moriamur,» ait; «cetera ligna licet.»	‘Why did God forbid you from touching a tree?’     ‘Lest we die,’ quoth she, ‘The other trees are licit.’
«Non,» inquit serpens, «ita; sed si tangitis illud,     Vivetis; vestrum fiet uterque deus.»	‘Not so,’ said the serpent, ‘but if ye touch it,     Ye shall live, and both of you be gods.’
Femina capta dolo discerpit ab arbore malum     Datque viro; comedunt, nascitur inde malum.	The woman, tricked, plucked from the tree a fruit,     And gave it to the man. They ate; thence sprang evil’s root.
Tunc prius agnoscunt se nudos esse, reatum     Percipiunt, foliis membra pudenda tegunt.	Only then they realized they were naked,     Perceived their disgrace, and covered their shameful parts with leaves.
In libris legitur grecis quod ab arbore cuius     Fructu peccauit primus uterque parens	Greek books say a branch from the tree whose     Fruit caused our parents’ sin
Ramus Ierusalem fuerit translatus, ibidem     Plantatur, crescit, magna fit arbor ibi,	Was taken to Jerusalem and planted there.     It grew into a large tree
De qua facta fuit domus, ut reparetur in illo     Quo periit ligno perditus omnis homo.	From which a house was made,2 wherein     Mankind, ruined by a tree, might be restored.
Facta Dei iussu sequitur maledictio culpam:     Vir, mulier, serpens, debita quisque luit.	By God’s command punishment followed the fault:     Man, woman, serpent, all pay their debts.
Terre cultura vir, partu femina, serpens     Pectore punitur, cui datur esca cinis.	Man is punished by tilling earth, woman by childbirth,     The serpent by crawling, given ash to eat.
Dicitur huic: «Fraudem pones plante muliebri,     Sed vires capitis conteret illa tui.»	To it God said, ‘Thou shalt lie in wait for the woman’s foot,     But she shall crush thy head’s power.’
Verbum dicitur hoc pro partu Virginis; hostis     Demonis attrivit Virgo Beata caput.	He spoke of the virgin birth; the Blessed Virgin     Quashed the fell demon’s head.
Vipera vim perdit, sine vi pariente Puella; Exclusit virus nescia Virgo viri.	The viper lost its venom when a virgin gave birth;     The ban was banished by a maid who knew not man.

Lines 329–362.

The disobedience of Adam and Eve and expulsion from paradise, Palatine Chapel, Palermo.

1. See Philo the Jew, Liber nominum Hebraicorum; St. Jerome, Liber interpretationis hebraicorum nominum. ↩︎
2. According to the Golden Legend, which attributes the tale to an unspecified apocryphal Greek history, an angel gave Seth a branch from the tree, which he placed upon Adam’s grave. It grew into a large tree which Solomon cut down to build his ‘house of the forest of Libanus’ (see 3 Kings 7). Eventually this wood was cast in the pool called Probatica. As Our Lord’s Passion neared, it floated up, and was used by the Jews to make the Cross which bore Our Lord. ↩︎