Dream of the Rood
The Dream of the Rood was written by an unknown author in Northumbrian England around the end of the seventh century. It was preserved in the Vercelli Book of nothern Italy, a collection of Anglo-Saxon poems and sermons. The greatness of the poem lies not only in its language, but the idea of Christ's suffering and triumph in crucifixion being represented by the experience of the actual cross, or the rood.
This is a dream poem, in which the scop recounts his dream of the True Cross and the message which the cross imparts. The poem begins with a description of the cross:
"It seemed I saw the Tree itself
borne on air, light wound about it,
--a beam of brightest wood, a beacon clad
in overlapping gold, glancing gems
fair at its foot, and five stones
set in a crux flashed from the crosstree."
We immediately see that the cross is a mirror to Christ, the five stones representative of Christ's five wounds. The cross recounts its experience as it was hauled away from home and set on a hill-top, tied fast and martyred with Christ.
The brightness of the cross stands out against the darkness of night--this theme of light vs. dark is played upon many times within the poem. The light of the cross is a symbol of purification and holiness gained by suffering. This idea of a sort of purification by experiencing pain is prominent in many literary works, especially tragedies, and it at once is a symbol of Christ as man and as God. Though the physical torture that Christ is subjected to draws him nearer to man's experience of earth, Christ's relentless focus on truth and righteousness brings him to God.
The cross is also a symbol of man's glory in subjecting to God's will. The cross recounts that as he waited for Christ to climb upon him:
"I dared not break or bend aside
against God's will, though the ground itself
shook at my feet. Fast I stood,
who falling, could have felled them all."
The cross was able to take action against this deed--but doing so was against God's will, for it would have rid humanity of salvation through Christ's death. The cross was rewarded for his steadfast adherence to God and Christ, and man can earn similar reward:
"Behold, the Prince of Glory then exalted me above the trees of the forest, the Keeper of the Kingdom of Heaven; just as he also, Almighty God, for the sake of all mankind, exalted His mother, Mary herself, above all womankind."
The scop is left with the message that all who wish to enter heaven will do so only through the Rood--a reminder that hardship and adversity must be met with a mind set to truth and justice and devoutness to God, that mankind will be judged in the final day. "He shall ask before the multitude, Where is the man who is willing to taste bitter death for the Lord's name's sake?" The man is Christ, the cross, and all souls who reach paradise.
The above image is the cover of a book by Brendan Cassidy showing the four sides of the Ruthwell Cross, a cross in Dumfriesshire which displays scenes of the Christ and the crucifixion, along with some text from the Dream of the Rood. The cross dates from the eighth century, and the link to the image can be found here. A link to information about the Ruthwell Cross can be found here.
posted by Ashley @ 7:41 PM
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