The Earth

I.

1 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the first place where the Earth feels most happy?

God answered: "It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps forward, O Spitama Zarathustra! with the holy wood in his hand, the baresma in his hand, the holy meat in his hand, the holy mortar in his hand, fulfilling the law with love, and praising aloud God, the Friend, the Lord of wide pastures, and the Giver of good pastures."

2, 3. O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the second place where the Earth feels most happy?

God answered: "It is the place whereon one of the faithful erects a house with a priest within, with cattle, with a wife, with children, and good herds within; and wherein afterwards the cattle go on thriving, holiness is thriving, fodder is thriving, the dog is thriving, the wife is thriving, the child is thriving, the fire is thriving, and every blessing of life is thriving."

4 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the third place where the Earth feels most happy?

God answered: "It is the place where one of the faithful cultivates most corn, grass, and fruit, O Spitama Zarathustra! where he waters ground that is dry, or dries ground that is too wet."

5 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the fourth place where the Earth feels most happy?

God answered: "It is the place where there is most increase of flocks and herds."

6 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the fifth place where the Earth feels most happy?

God answered: "It is the place where flocks and herds yield most dung."

Ii.

7 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the first place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

God answered: "It is the neck of Arezura, whereon the hosts of fiends rush forth from the burrow of Falsehood."

10 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the fourth place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

God answered: "It is the place wherein are most burrows of the creatures of Satan."

11 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Which is the fifth place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

God answered: "It is the place whereon the wife and children of one of the faithful, O Spitama Zarathustra! are driven along the way of captivity, the dry, the dusty way, and lift up a voice of wailing."

Iii.

22 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Who is the third that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

God answered: "It is he who fills up most burrows of the creatures of Satan."

23 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Who is the fourth that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

God answered: "It is he who cultivates most corn, grass, and fruit, O Spitama Zarathustra! who waters ground that is dry, or dries ground that is too wet.

24 "Unhappy is the land that has long lain unsown with the seed of the sower and wants a good husbandman, like a well-shapen maiden who has long gone childless and wants a good husband.

25 "He who would till the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra! with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto him will she bring forth plenty, like a loving bride on her bed, unto her beloved; the bride will bring forth children, the earth will bring forth plenty of fruit.

26, 27. "He who would till the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra! with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto him thus says the Earth: 'O thou man! who dost till me with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, hither shall people ever come and beg for bread; here shall I ever go on bearing, bringing forth all manner of food, bringing forth profusion of corn.'

28, 29. "He who does not till the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra! with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto him thus says the Earth: 'O thou man! who dost not till me with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, ever shalt thou stand at the door of the stranger, among those who beg for bread; ever shalt thou wait there for the refuse that is brought unto thee, brought by those who have profusion of wealth.'"

30 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! What is the food that fills the law of God?

God answered: "It is sowing corn again and again, O Spitama Zarathustra!

31 "He who sows corn, sows holiness: he makes the law of God grow higher and higher: he makes the law of God as fat as he can with a hundred acts of devotion, a thousand offerings, ten thousand sacrifices made for God's sake.

32 "When barley is coming forth, the devils start up; when the corn is growing rank, then faint the devils' hearts; when the corn is being ground, the devils groan; when wheat is coming forth, the devils are destroyed. In that house they can no longer stay, from that house they are beaten away, wherein wheat is thus coming forth. It is as though red hot iron were turned about in their throats, when there is plenty of corn.

33 "Then let the priest teach people this holy saying: 'No one who does not eat, has strength to do works of holiness, strength to do works of husbandry, strength to beget children. By eating every material creature lives, by not eating it dies away.'"

34 O Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Who is the fifth that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

God answered: "It is he who tilling the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra! kindly and piously gives to one of the faithful.

35 "He who tilling the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra! would not kindly and piously give to one of the faithful, he shall fall down into darkness, down into the world of woe, the dismal realm, down into the house of hell."

41 The law of God indeed, O Spitama Zarathustra! leads him who confesses to the forgiveness of God, who takes away the bonds of his sin; He takes away (the sin of) breach of trust; He takes away (the sin of) murdering one of the faithful; He takes away the heaviest penalties of sin; He takes away any sin that may be sinned.

42 In the same way the law of God, O Spitama Zarathustra! cleanses the faithful from every evil thought, word, and deed, as a swift-rushing mighty wind cleanses the plain.

"So let all the deeds thou doest be henceforth good, O Zarathustra! a full atonement for thy sin is effected by means of the law of God."