This poem is biblicly accurate. I was surprised by one point:
The Antichrist stands with Satan, but Satan destroys him. Even he who does the work of Satan is not spared his wrath. He uses people and when he is done with them, he destroys them. And since they rejected God, there is no help to be found.
Translation by AI
Muspilli // "World's End"
9th century (~ 870 AD), Bavarian dialect
Author unknown
...on that day he must die,
when the soul is clearly seen,
and they leave the body lifeless,
then an army comes from the heavenly halls,
5
different from hell’s: there they fight each other.
The soul may fear, until the trumpet sounds,
when it shall be brought to the opposing host.
For then Satan’s kin arrive,
who greatly torment it
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with fire and darkness: that is truly a fearful thing.
But those who come from heaven will oppose them,
and the angels will claim their own,
who carry them up into the heavenly kingdom:
there is life instead of death, light instead of darkness,
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joy instead of sorrow: no one sees sadness there.
Then when the man attains paradise,
a house in heaven, where help comes to him—
Indeed, great is the need
for every good man, that his mind be prepared
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that he may turn toward God’s will
and from hell’s fire, in wise manner,
from punishment: there burns the old Satan
with hot flame. Thus one should greatly fear,
and tremble with dread, who knows himself as sinful.
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who must go into darkness, his inheritance awaits,
carried off to hell: that is truly a woeful fate,
that the man is hardened against God and help comes not to him.
When the wretched soul sees itself forsaken:
no hope of heavenly grace remains for it,
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since here in the world it wrought no good works.
So when the mighty King grants out the kingdom,
then shall come company after company:
then not even one shall enter, the fearful one excluded,
nor any of the wicked to that hall belong.
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There he must stand before the court as a guilty man,
until he has fully atoned for his deeds done in the world.
This strict judgment know the worldly-wise,
that the Antichrist must fight with Elijah.
He will be overpowered, when under him the earth begins to gape.
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Both are so mighty, the struggle so great.
Elijah fights for the true faith,
wishing to strengthen the righteous kingdom:
then shall aid him the heavenly host.
The Antichrist stands with the old foe,
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with Satan, who shall destroy him:
then must he suffer greatly in that fierce struggle
and in the end be utterly destroyed.
But when the time comes — so says the scripture —
that Elijah in the battle shall be overcome,
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so that Elijah’s blood drips into the earth,
then the mountains tremble, no tree stands,
the earth cracks open, the seas withdraw,
murder and chaos spread, the heavens blaze with lies,
men fall, the earth quakes violently,
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stones do not remain, destruction comes swiftly upon the land,
and with the fire, universal wisdom perishes:
then no man may help another at the *muspilli*.
When that third host has been entirely consumed,
and fire and wind have utterly devoured all,
60
where then is the refuge, where can one flee with one’s kin?
The refuge has been destroyed, the soul stands in anguish,
knows no way out: so it shall be lost.
Therefore it is so good for a man, who comes to that hall,
that he may justly obtain his due inheritance,
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Then he shall not fear, when he reaches his promised home.
The wretched man does not know how long his waiting is,
when, along with the hosts, the judgment is proclaimed —
where the devil stands there, condemned.
He possesses in advance a rightful, well-earned reward,
70
so that man, body and soul, is raised up gloriously,
and he receives all things, when he comes to his reward;
nor shall any wicked man thereafter seize the inheritance.
When the heavenly horn shall have sounded,
and the judge reveals himself to all,
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who must awaken both the dead and the living,
then with him comes the greatest host,
so mighty that no one can oppose him.
Then he shall come to the home prepared for him, his rightful inheritance:
there the trumpet will sound, as once foretold.
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Then angels will ride over the mountains,
awaken the dead, summon them to judgment.
Then every person must rise from the grave.
They will be freed from earth and water: yet his body must die,
so that he may fully atone for his guilt.
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and be allotted his due according to his deeds.
Then he who must rise again and be judged —
both the dead and the living —
stands there, while around him
a multitude of angels gathers,
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a company of the good: the host is so vast,
that as many as remain on earth rise with it.
So that no person may conceal anything,
there hand shall speak, head shall testify,
All wounds, truly, even to the fingernails,
will declare what murder he committed among these people.
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There shall be no clever man so cunning
that he can hide his secret sins,
until all before the King
is revealed and made known,
so that he can atone through penance,
fasting, and true contrition.
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Then the one who has earned reward shall possess it,
when he comes to his inheritance.
Then shall the fiery cross be brought forth,
where the holy Christ once hung.
Then he opens the books which he received in human form,
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which he preserved through love for humankind.
Source: Niemeyer Verlag, Althochdeutsches Lesebuch
Manuscript: Munich, Bavarian State Library, clm 14098, fol. 61r, 119v, 120rv, 121rv
Original
Muspilli
9. Jahrhundert bairisch
...sin tac piqueme, daz er touuan scal.
uuanta sar so sih diu sela in den sind arheuit,
enti si den lihhamun likkan lazzit,
so quimit ein heri fona himilzungalon,
5
daz andar fona pehhe: dar pagant siu umpi.
sorgen mac diu sela, unzi diu suona arget,
za uuederemo herie si gihalot uuerde.
uuanta ipu sia daz Satanazses kisindi kiuuinnit,
daz leitit sia sar dar iru leid uuirdit,
10
in fuir enti in finstri: daz ist rehto uirinlih ding.
upi sia auar kihalont die die dar fona himile quemant,
enti si dero engilo eigan uuirdit,
die pringent sia sar uf in himilo rihi:
dar ist lip ano tod, lioht ano finstri,
15
selida ano sorgun: dar nist neoman siuh.
denne der man in pardisu pu kiuuinnit,
hus in himile, dar quimit imo hilfa kinuok
pidiu ist durft mihhil
allero manno uuelihemo, daz in es sin muot kispane,
20
daz er kotes uuillun kerno tuo
enti hella fuir harto uuise,
pehhes pina: dar piutit der Satanasz altist
heizzan lauc. so mac huckan za diu,
sorgen drato, der sih suntigen uueiz.
25
uue demo in uinstri scal sino uirina stuen,
prinnan in pehhe: daz ist rehto paluuic dink,
daz der man haret ze gote enti imo hilfa ni quimit.
uuanit sih kinada diu uuenaga sela:
ni ist in kihuctin himiliskin gote,
30
uuanta hiar in uuerolti after ni uuerkota.
So denne der mahtigo khuninc daz mahal kipannit,
dara scal queman chunno kilihaz:
denne ni kitar parno nohhein den pan furisizzan,
ni allero manno uuelih ze demo mahale sculi.
35
dar scal er uora demo rihhe az rahhu stantan,
pi daz er in uuerolti kiuuerkot hapeta.
Daz hortih rahhon dia uueroltrehtuuison,
daz sculi der antichristo mit Eliase pagan.
der uuarch ist kiuuafanit, denne uuirdit untar in uuic arhapan.
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khenfun sint so kreftic, diu kosa ist so mihhil.
Elias stritit pi den euuigon lip,
uuili den rehtkernon daz rihhi kistarkan:
pidiu scal imo helfan der himiles kiuualtit.
der antichristo stet pi demo altfiant,
45
stet pi demo Satanase, der inan uarsenkan scal:
pidiu scal er in deru uuicsteti uunt piuallan
enti in demo sinde sigalos uuerdan.
doh uuanit des uilo ... gotmanno,
daz Elias in demo uuige aruuartit uuerde.
50
so daz Eliases pluot in erda kitriufit,
so inprinnant die perga, poum ni kistentit
enihc in erdu, aha artruknent,
muor varsuuilhit sih, suilizot lougiu der himil,
mano uallit, prinnit mittilagart,
55
sten ni kistentit, uerit denne stuatago in lant,
uerit mit diu uuiru uiriho uuison:
dar ni mac denne mak andremo helfan uora demo muspille.
denne daz preita uuasal allaz uarprinnit,
enti uuir enti luft iz allaz arfurpit,
60
uuar ist denne diu marha, dar man dar eo mit sinen magon piehc?
diu marha ist farprunnan, diu sela stet pidungan,
ni uueiz mit uuiu puaze: so uerit si za uuize.
Pidiu ist demo manne so guot, denner ze demo mahale quimit,
daz er rahono uueliha rehto arteile.
65
denne ni darf er sorgen, denne er ze deru suonu quimit.
ni uueiz der uuenago man, uuielihan uuartil er habet,
denner mit den miaton marrit daz rehta,
daz der tiuual dar pi kitarnit stentit.
der hapet in ruouu rahono uueliha,
70
daz der man er enti sid upiles kifrumita,
daz er iz allaz kisaget, denne er ze deru suonu quimit;
ni scolta sid manno nohhein miatun intfahan.
So daz himilisca horn kilutit uuirdit,
enti sih der suanari ana den sind arheuit
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der dar suannan scal toten enti lepenten,
denne heuit sih mit imo herio meista,
daz ist allaz so pald, daz imo nioman kipagan ni mak.
denne uerit er ze deru mahalsteti, deru dar kimarchot ist:
dar uuirdit diu suona, die man dar io sageta.
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denne uarant engila uper dio marha,
uuechant deota, uuissant ze dinge.
denne scal manno gilih fona deru moltu arsten.
lossan sih ar dero leuuo uazzon: scal imo auar sin lip piqueman,
daz er sin reht allaz kirahhon muozzi,
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enti imo after sinen tatin arteilit uuerde.
denne der gisizzit, der dar suonnan scal
enti arteillan scal toten enti quekkhen,
denne stet dar umpi engilo menigi,
guotero gomono: gart ist so mihhil:
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dara quimit ze deru rihtungu so uilo dia dar ar resti arstent.
so dar manno nohhein uuiht pimidan ni mak,
dar scal denne hant sprehhan, houpit sagen,
allero lido uuelihc unzi in den luzigun uinger,
uuaz er untar desen mannun mordes kifrumita.
95
dar ni ist eo so listic man der dar iouuiht arliugan megi,
daz er kitarnan megi tato dehheina,
niz al fora demo khuninge kichundit uuerde,
uzzan er iz mit alamusanu furimegi
enti mit fastun dio uirina kipuazti.
100
denne der paldet der gipuazzit hapet,
denner ze deru suonu quimit.
uuirdit denne furi kitragan daz frono chruci,
dar der heligo Christ ana arhangan uuard.
denne augit er dio masun, dio er in deru menniski anfenc,
105
dio er duruh desse mancunnes minna fardoleta.
Aus: Niemeyer Verlag Althochdeutsches Lesebuch
Handschrift: München Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 14098 S.61r,119v,120rv,121rv
Source: http://www.linguistics.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/~strunk/Deutsch/muspilli.htm
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