Poem to Saint Eulalia from the Peristephanon (Crown of Martyrs) by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens c 400 AD

Poem to Saint Eulalia from the Peristephanon (Crown of Martyrs) by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens c 400 AD

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The good girl Eulalia

lovely of from, lovely of soul,

and ready to overcome the enemies of God,

was intent to make the devil serve

her, nor listen to his bad counselors.

She denounced them to God, who dwells in heaven.

Not for gold, nor silver, nor finery,

royal threat, nor prayer,

no thing could ever make her bend,

the young nun, from the love of God’s ministry.

And for this she was presented to Maximilian

who was at that time king of all the pagans.

He uttered: It matters little to me.

What he did not want

was to be called a Christian man.

And so he summoned together his forces

better to put her in chains,

and put her virginity in danger.

For that she died, in great honesty.

In the fire they threw her, but it would not burn

her, nor cook her flesh.

But that did not please the pagan king,

he ordered them with swords to cut off her head.

The young girl did not try to stop them

she wanted to leave her life, as ordained by Christ.

In the figure of a dove, she flew to heaven.

All pray for her, who deign to pray.

This you can thank Christ for

after death, that we can only leave

by his clemency.