The paradise in the desert

``My friend Antonius, who was my father and teacher,

Long had we lived a far distance apart.

One heart and one soul we were, the century-old man,

that my spirit tells me, has now died!

Once more, I wanted to see him in my lifetime,

only once more see him.

Alas, I want to see the place,

where he lived and died, where he lived and died.''

So Hilarion Palestina spoke to himself,

who was, like his Antonius, friend of the poor,

their doctor, their solace, but hard and strict on himself.

He went to the Thebaide.

He went through horrible deserts...

Look here, there a rock rose,

and out of the rock a light brook emerged,

crowded by a ring of palms,

at the rock a wall of grapes lifted up itself;

well done a snail-path led up to the height;

fish played in the pond of the brook;

Herbs bloomed,

and many healthy fruits were in the garden,

all around a paradise.

Rejuvenated, Hilarion wandered forth,

he went here and there, the birds sang for him,

as once with Antonius they had sung

In praise, in friendly greeting.

The noble disciples of the old man showed him

each favourite place of the saint, whom they had served.

Coro:

Here, here he prayed.

On this height he sang hymns.

There, he use to rest.

Here he worked.

He planted this palm-grove,

he planted the vineyard.

This pond he made by building a dam with his own hands.

Here the trees and herbs of this garden

are the good old man's children.

This tool has been used by his hand.

Come and see, that is the hut,

where he withdrew himself

from the people from time to time.

Hilarion:

Alas, then show me his grave!

Coro:

His grave is nowhere, we promised him

never to show it to anybody.

Hilarion:

because man is dust, he said,

and to dust he must return;

Coro:

Because man is dust, he said,

and to dust he must return;

He was opposed to the corpse-worshiping Egyptian idolatry.

Hilarion:

He may rest where he lies.

Coro:

O may you stay with us, o stay, stay with us,

you, his friend and disciple, you are Antonius from now on for the Christian people!

Hilarion:

That I am not! The holy man lives with God,

his spirit in a thousand hearts,

also in yours!

Antonius is not buried,

he, who was the soul of this great and vital city God!

I am not worthy to assume Antonius' sacred place.

Farewell to you all!

You brothers, and your palm-trees,

Brook and pond and garden, each fruit, that he has planted,

you, his birds, farewell!

I take with me his joyful countenance,

his happy heart from this desert,

Through him the desert has become a paradise.

Coro:

Through him the desert has become a paradise.