TOUISO BITOUOS

(Commencement of the World)

1. In the beginning all was void, there was neither non-being nor being then; there was neither vacant space nor sky beyond. Nothing moved, not even the God who held the Heaven and Earth in place through Ulatiomo (Sovereignty).

2. Was there water, bottomless abyss, with neither death nor immortal being then? With neither passage from neither night to day, day to night then, Where only Arimathes breathed without breath by its own impulse?

3. In the beginning, the Egg made first from the formless mass, arose. Arimathes, through Mena, desire, arose. The first seed of Mind, arose. From it , also rose the light (water) of gods, Ambé, the ethereal river.

4. From Abentis, the void, rose Abonna (the Spring), but she found not a footing to rest upon, dancing in solitude upon its waves she took foothold and divided the sea from sky. Uxsambis, the Sky-snake, rose from the waters claiming to be Lord of the Cosmos.

5. In the waters were the Alaliioi, Segomannos and Segomanna, the serpents interlaced who secreted the Egg. And, from their mouths resonated the prime utterance, thus the Star Embryo arose. Until then, before it was captured, it was carried by the torrent of the celestial waters.

6. Elouio (Swan) covered it as it floated tied to a golden link against the stream. And when the waters arose, He arose, bringing forth fire, He, the Primordial One. So now, who is the God who created the high shining waters pregnant with the Embryo?

7. Who is the God who made the firmament? Who fathered Earth, Sea and Ocean? Who is Sun and Moon and heavenly stars?

8. Who gives life? Who gives strength? Who commands all the gods?

9. He who by his own greatness is made King of the World, by whose command all the gods obey; his shadow is Immortality and Death. It is he who rules over all creatures, winged, two footed and four footed.

10. He whose foothold lies in the sovereign Maiden’s lap, unless through agitation and turmoil looses his footholder.

11. Hence, the gods came after they in the creation of the triune world. Then came Manos, the first Man; then came the beasts and non-beasts. The gods divided the primordial Man, and from his navel there arose space.

12. When they apportioned him, from his parts came the mortal humans. His mouth became the Priest; his arms the Warrior, and his legs the People. Ander and Aedus came from his mouth, and from his breath came Circios.

13. Thereafter, the progeny of Dits Atir, namely the mind-born sons of Belios and Danua, Uidios. Ambactios. Geluatis. Suueitos. Gobannos. And Brigantia Argantoretas the daughter of Belios and Danua.

14. For it is Belios Belomaros who is the first Manos, to whom the race of the nobly born of the world is traced. For the Flood of the Age drowned the whole seed of Belios, except Manos with his three sons, Bitus, Uindosenos, Aiuitos, and their wives Eleio, Elouio, Elarca, and the Cobiai, their fifteen hand-maidens.

15. Afterwards, when the great plain was in turn flooded, until it be destroyed again by heavenly fire, none of the people of the world escaped from the Deluge, except it be the people of Manos with his three sons, their seven sons, and the wife of Manos, the wives of his three times seven sons qualified as the Manioi, sons of the Goddess Danua.


Ut dixit poeta,

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