The Book of Chess

He prayed very earnestly
That He [God] might reveal the teaching
Openly to him:
How and from what source
The game of chess original: "schachzabel spil"; from the Latin scaccarium, the medieval term for chess, often implying the board itself. was first devised,
And how it was brought to the Latin lands
By the king's useful purpose.
Then they prayed again especially;
At last, He heard their prayer
And acted just as the Good One does.
For it is a goodly custom
That whatever one asks for so devoutly,
It cannot be refused.
But if one asks with malice,
Then no messenger can bring it to pass.
Because he never, ever despaired,
This man did it for the common good.
He [God] showed His goodness with favor,
So that He heard their prayer
And taught them the game.
After that, it finally happened:

Give thanks and tell everyone
That it may be pleasing to God,
As it is presented here
To both the old and the young,
So that they may improve themselves through it.
Thus he brought the book to completion
And divided it into four parts;
Because the matter is structured thus,
One may understand it best.
As I have begun,
Quickly take heed of his high teaching.
It is drawn into four parts,
Divided as best as I could manage.
In the first part, one finds
Under the name of which king original: "kūnge"; referring to Evil-Merodach, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, who according to legend was the reason the game was invented. it was found,
From what land, and what manner of person
Was the master original: "meister"; the philosopher Xerxes or Philometer, who is credited in the text with inventing chess to reform a tyrant. who invented it.
In that same part, one has
Three kinds of things
To do regarding the order of the world.
In the second part, by necessity,
One may also find likewise
The figures original: "geschūpffede"; literally "creations" or "shapes," referring to the chess pieces which represent the various social estates of the nobility. of the ruling ranks,
And what names those figures bear.