Dawn rising

...died away in death, and lived in wild nature; and the fear and shame that was there uncovered held them back, because they had played the harlot with the Merchant for so long and seduced the souls of men, even though they boasted that they were grafted into the Tree of Life and lived in divine power in holiness, and offered the fruit of life for sale.

58. Because their shame, deceit, greed, and malice were now made manifest, they fell silent and remained behind, and were ashamed to have repented for their abominations and idolatry, or to have gone with the hungry and thirsty to the wellspring of eternal life; therefore, they also languish in their thirst, and their torment rises from eternity to eternity, and their conscience gnaws at them.

59. Now when the Merchant saw that his deceit with the false wares had been revealed, he became very angry and despondent, and aimed his bow against the holy people who no longer wished to buy his wares; he killed many of the holy people and blasphemed against the

green branch that had grown out of the Tree of Life:

but the Archangel Michael, who stands before God, came and fought for the holy people and was victorious.

60. But when the Prince from the darkness Referring to Lucifer or the devil, who Böhme often associates with the "dark world" or "dark fire." saw that his Merchant had fallen and his deceit was revealed, he stirred up the stormy weather from the North original: "Mitternacht" (Midnight/North) — often associated in Böhme's cosmology with the cold, dark, and "wild" source of nature. out of the wild tree against the holy people, and the Merchant from the South original: "Mittage" (Noon/South) — associated here with the worldly power and the Merchant's previous domain. also stormed against them; then the holy people grew very great and high in blood: just as it was in the beginning, when the holy and precious tree grew and overcame the fierceness"Grimmigkeit" — a central concept for Böhme referring to the wrathful, harsh, or "stinging" quality of nature when it is not tempered by the light of God's love. in nature and its prince; so it was also at that time.

Now when the noble and holy tree had been revealed to all people,

so that they saw how it hovered over them all and stretched its fragrance original: "Schmack" — literally "taste," but in this context referring to the pervasive spiritual essence or "scent" that invites others. over all nations, and whoever wished to might eat of it, then the people became weary of eating from its fruit which grew upon the tree, and they lusted