A soul am I of the Great Life,

a soul am I of the mighty Life,

a soul am I of the Great Life.

"Rise, go to the house of the Seven!

Rise, go to the house of the Seven,

the vain rebels of darkness.

The vain rebels of darkness are dark,

and there is no light among them."

If you send me to the house of the Seven,

instruct me about the works they perform.

They perform [vain] works,

and the outflow of life is not with them.

Are they perhaps beautiful,

and is the outflow of life with them?

If they are perhaps beautiful,

then I will send you among them. —

"For this we send you there,

that your works may become beautiful.

Go, fall into the trunk,

and they will be without understanding."

The soul changed nothing of what

the great ones had said to him.

He departed from their midst,

went and came to the house of the planets.

He went, came to the house of the planets

and saw that their works are good for nothing.

Their works are good for nothing,

and the outflow of life is not with them.

He came and fell into the trunk

and shone more than all.

They opened their mouths,

but they all remained sitting on their way.

They all remained on their way,

and the accursed do not know what to say to him.

Then the soul opened his mouth

and said to the dull accursed ones:

"O you dull accursed ones,

have you a soul like mine?

Have you a soul,

have you a form like my form?

Are you good,

is your form right?

Was there among you the outflow of life,

was there among you a soul like me?"

The Seven bowed their heads

and whispered to one another:

"Let us seize the soul,

we will bind him and cast him into our net.

We will enclose him in our casting-net,

lay him in our lead and our darkness."

Then the soul opened his mouth

and said to the planets:

"I shall bring you, planets, to this,

that your hand will not fall on me.

Into your net I shall not fall,

by your casting-net I shall not be caught.

Your darkness will not swallow me

and your lead will not lay me down.

All of you, as many as you are,

will be entangled in your meshes and nets.

I set my mind upon life,

and my spirit leaned upon the strength and enlightenment

which the Great One gave me from my place.

While your form is ugly,

my form is wondrous.

I was victorious, since the Great One charged me,

and victorious in high degree are those who ascend.

You are contemptible and disgraceful,

whence have you root and victory, that you should be victorious?

I ascend to my place,

you will descend without rising."

The soul clothed himself in white,

ascended and sat down on the height.

On the height the soul sits

and calls to his Lord to send the man, the helper:

"O my Lord, send my helper, let him lift me up,

they could not hold me back in their dwelling.

I escaped their net

and their lead, in which they wished to lay me.

You spoke to me, and I stood firm,

now send him quickly to me and lift me up."

The helper asked God to bring him radiant splendour:

"Grant me splendour,

I will go and clothe the soul in it.

The soul I will lift up,

bring him to You.

I will bring him to You, and rejoice in him,

for he escaped their net,

for he escaped their net

and did not remain lying in their lead."

The soul leaps and rejoices,

he sprang up and clothed himself in white.

He sprang up and clothed himself in white,

he ascended and sat down on the height.

The soul sits on the height,

he speaks and calls me and says to me:

"I stood firm and endured,

now come quickly to me and lift me up." —

"Rise, go, bring the soul here,

bring him here, that he may be set upright among us.

Let him abide in our praise, let him be set upright among us,

we shall rejoice in him, and let him love us and pray for us

in our praise." —

For you the fullness of life was completed,

and the soul found what he sought. —

And praised be God, the Living.