On the Creation of the World

From the very beginning you must understand rightly the origin of the elements, how they first came to be. That God created something out of nothing, so that He might reveal His power for all to see. The source of the elements is these four, brought forth without toil and without the passing of time. One was a fire that rose up bright and blazing, set between water and wind, above the dark earth. First, when the fire stirred and breathed, from its heat dryness came into being. And after that, from stillness cold appeared, and from that cold, moisture in turn increased. When these four elements had taken their place, they came together to form this fleeting world. The elements were fitted one within another, and in every way they raised their heads. This swift-turning dome of heaven appeared, revealing fresh wonders again and again. Over the twelve signs and the seven planets it became master, and each one took the place that suited it. The gate of giving and bestowal opened wide, and the Wise One gave to each as was fitting. The spheres were linked one within another, and once the work was joined, they began to move. With sea and mountain, with plain and meadow, the earth became like a shining lamp. The mountains grew tall, the waters gushed up, and the heads of the plants reached toward the sky. The earth had no lofty place at first; it was a single dark and black center. The stars shone their wonder upon it, and added light to the dust below. The fire kept rising, the water came falling down, and the sun kept turning around the earth. Grass sprang up along with many kinds of trees, whose heads, by their nature, bend toward the ground. A plant only grows; it has no other power, it cannot roam in every direction as the moving creatures do. After that, the moving creatures appeared, and brought all the plants under their sway. They seek food, sleep, and rest, and from life they seek only such pleasures. They have no speaking tongue and no seeking mind; they nourish their bodies from dust and stubble. They know nothing of good and evil, nor how things end, and the Creator asks no worship of them. Since the Wise One was powerful and just, He hid no art or skill in His creation. Such is the end of the world's affair; no one truly knows its open and hidden ways.