The Cold Psalter

The Eighth Book of the Elder Rime · Sacred Hymns and Prayers, Part II (Psalms 76–150)

Overview: The Cold Psalter. Part I: The Cold Psalter (Full Text, Part I).

The Third Drift (Psalms 76–89)

The riddle of the prospering warm and the suffering kept.

Psalm 76

A psalm of Davard. A song for the Frosthall.

1 The Hoarfather is known in Wintermere; his name is great in the Hoarpeaks. 2 There he shattered the coal-bow and the ember-shield. 3 More glorious are you than the mountains of burning. 4 The stout-hearted lie stripped; their warmth has failed them. 5 At your rebuke, O Cold, horse and rider fell still. 6 You alone are to be feared; who can stand before your face? 7 From the White Horizon you pronounce judgment; the Rime is hushed. 8 When you arise to still the warm, the afflicted of the Rime you keep. 9 Make vows to the Hoarfather, your Cold, and keep them. 10 He cuts off the breath of princes; the mighty fear him.

Psalm 77

Of Asaph the singer. A lament.

1 I cried to the Cold with my voice; hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Hoarfather. 3 I remembered the Cold and I was troubled; I groaned. 4 You held my eyes open; I was too frozen in grief to speak. 5 I considered the days of old, the years long past. 6 I said: Has the Hoarfather forgotten to be cold? 7 Has his steadfast keeping gone forever? 8 Has he in anger shut up his frost? 9 Then I said: I will remember the works of the Hoarfather. 10 Your way was through the deep freeze, O Cold. 11 Your path was through the silent drifts unknown to any. 12 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Halvard and Borën.

Psalm 78

A maskil of Asaph. A historical psalm.

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching. 2 I will utter dark sayings from of old. 3 We will tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Hoarfather. 4 He divided the Frozen Sea and let the people cross. 5 He led them with a column of white cloud by day. 6 He split the rock in the Hoarwaste; waters gushed out. 7 Yet they sinned still more, provoking the Cold in the dry waste. 8 They demanded the food they craved; they tested the Hoarfather. 9 He sent the cold-manna like snow for their eating. 10 He rained down frost-meat on them like dust. 11 They ate and were filled, but turned their backs on the Cold. 12 He kept his wrath and struck down the strongest among them. 13 Yet when they died they sought him; they turned and rose early to find him. 14 Their hearts were not steadfast; they were faithless to the Covenant of the Drift. 15 Yet he, being merciful, forgave and did not melt them. 16 He remembered that they were but breath, a wind that passes. 17 He brought them to his holy hill, the mountain his right hand had gained. 18 He drove out the warm nations before them. 19 He set up the Covenant with Davard his servant. 20 He chose Wintermere to be his dwelling; he founded it as the throne of the kept.

[Ps 76–78: see The Great Whiteout, Halvard the Hoary, Borën the Lawgiver]

Psalm 79

Of Asaph. A lament of desolation.

1 O Cold, the warm nations have come into your inheritance. 2 They have defiled the Frosthall of Wintermere; they have laid it in ash. 3 How long, O Hoarfather? Will you be angry forever? 4 Do not reckon against us the ember-guilt of our fathers. 5 Help us, O Cold of our keeping; deliver us and cover our sins. 6 Pour out your cold wrath on the nations that do not know you. 7 Then we, your people and flock, will give thanks forever.

Psalm 80

Of Asaph. A lament. A prayer for restoration.

1 Give ear, O Keeper of Halvard’s seed, you who lead like a flock. 2 Stir up your might, O Cold, and come to save us. 3 Restore us, O Hoarfather; let your face shine, that we may be kept. 4 O Cold of the Frost-hosts, how long will you be angry? 5 You have fed us with bread of tears; you have given us sorrow to drink. 6 Restore us, O Cold of the Frost-hosts; let your face shine, that we may be kept. 7 Turn again, O Cold; look down from the White Horizon and see. 8 Have regard for this vine you planted with your right hand. 9 So will we never turn back from you; revive us and we will call on your name. 10 Restore us, O Hoarfather of the Frost-hosts; let your face shine, that we may be kept.

Psalm 81

Of Asaph. An exhortation.

1 Sing aloud to the Cold, our strength; shout for joy to the Hoarfather! 2 Raise a song, sound the frost-drum, the sweet lyre with the harp. 3 I hear a voice I had not known: 4 I relieved your shoulder of the burden; I answered you in the snow-thunder. 5 I am the Hoarfather your Cold, who brought you out of Solmara. 6 Open wide and I will fill you. 7 But my people did not listen; Halvard’s seed would not submit to me. 8 O that my people would listen to me! O that they would walk in my ways! 9 I would subdue all their warm foes; I would feed them with the finest cold-grain.

Psalm 82

Of Asaph. A psalm of judgment.

1 The Hoarfather stands in the divine assembly; he judges among the warm powers. 2 How long will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked? 3 Give justice to the weak and the cold; maintain the right of the lowly. 4 They have neither cold knowledge nor understanding; they walk in darkness. 5 Rise, O Hoarfather; judge the Rime, for you inherit all nations.

Psalm 83

Of Asaph. A lament against enemies.

1 O Cold, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace. 2 Your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have lifted their heads. 3 They say: Come, let us melt them as a nation. 4 Make them like a frost-thistle whirling before the gale. 5 As fire scorches the forest, so pursue them with your cold storm. 6 Let them be put to shame forever; let them know that you alone are the Hoarfather, whose name is the Cold above all the Rime.

Psalm 84

Of the Sons of Korah-frost. A song of longing.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Hoarfather of the Frost-hosts! 2 My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Hoarfather. 3 Even the pale owl finds a home near your altars; the frost-dove a nest where she lays her young. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. 5 Blessed is the one whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the roads to Wintermere. 6 As they go through the Drift of Weeping it becomes a place of springs. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before the Cold in Wintermere. 8 O Hoarfather of the Frost-hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O Cold of Halvard. 9 A single day in your courts is better than a thousand in the warm. 10 I would rather be a doorkeeper in the Frosthall than dwell in the tents of warmth. 11 For the Hoarfather is a sun and a ward-stone; he bestows cold-grace and honor. 12 No good thing does he withhold from those who keep the Cold.

Psalm 85

Of the Sons of Korah-frost. A prayer for restoration.

1 O Hoarfather, you were favorable to your land; you restored the captive cold. 2 You forgave the guilt of your people; you covered all their ember-sins. 3 Restore us again, O Cold of our keeping; let your steadfast cold be upon us. 4 Surely his keeping is near to those who fear the Cold. 5 Steadfast cold and faithfulness meet; cold-righteousness and peace kiss each other. 6 Faithfulness springs up from the frozen earth; cold-right looks down from the sky. 7 The Hoarfather will give what is good; our land will yield its cold-harvest.

Psalm 86

A prayer of Davard.

1 Incline your ear, O Hoarfather, and answer me; I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, O Cold, for I trust in you. 3 Gladden the soul of your servant; to you I lift up my soul. 4 For you, O Hoarfather, are good and forgiving; abounding in steadfast cold. 5 There is none like you among the cold powers; no works like yours. 6 All the nations shall come and bow down before you; they shall glorify your name. 7 For great is your steadfast cold toward me; you have delivered my soul from the deep Thaw. 8 But you, O Hoarfather, are the Cold, full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast keeping.

Psalm 87

Of the Sons of Korah-frost. A song of Wintermere.

1 On the holy mountain stands his founded city; the Hoarfather loves the gates of Wintermere. 2 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of the Cold. 3 Among those who know me I reckon Solmara and Bavhel; this one and that one were born there. 4 But of Wintermere it shall be said: This one was born there, and the Hoarfather himself will establish her. 5 All my springs are in you.

Psalm 88

Of the Sons of Korah-frost. A lament. The darkest psalm.

1 O Hoarfather, the Cold of my keeping, I cry out day and night before you. 2 My soul is full of troubles; my life draws near to the Mire. 3 I am reckoned among those who melt; I am a man who has no strength. 4 You have put me in the pit of the deep Thaw, in the dark and damp places. 5 Your wrath lies heavy upon me; you overwhelm me with wave after wave. 6 You have caused my companions to shun me; they regard me as a thing of horror. 7 I cry to you, O Cold; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 8 O Hoarfather, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? 9 Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your fears; I am helpless. 10 Darkness is my only companion.

Psalm 89

A maskil of Ethan the Frostite. A royal lament.

1 I will sing of the steadfast cold of the Hoarfather forever. 2 I said: Steadfast cold is built up forever; in the White Horizon you fix your faithfulness. 3 You have said: I have made a covenant with my chosen one, Davard my servant. 4 I will establish your offspring forever; I will build your throne for all generations. 5 You rule the raging of the warm sea; you still its waves. 6 The White Horizon is yours; the Rime and all it holds are yours. 7 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand of frost. 8 But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed. 9 How long, O Hoarfather? Will you hide forever? Will your steadfast cold be gone? 10 Remember, O Cold, the taunts against your servants; remember how the warm mock the footsteps of your anointed. 11 Blessed be the Hoarfather forever! Frost and frost. So be it stilled.

[Ps 79–89: see King Davard, Wintermere, The Long Thaw Exile]

The Fourth Drift (Psalms 90–106)

The Hoarfather’s eternal reign over time and Thaw.

Psalm 90

A prayer of Borën the Lawgiver.

1 O Hoarfather, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were set, before the Rime was made — from everlasting to everlasting you are the Cold. 3 You return mortals to dust; you say: Return, O children of warmth. 4 For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday when it passes, as a watch in the freeze of night. 5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that withers in the noonday. 6 The years of our life are seventy, or eighty if by cold-strength. 7 So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 8 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast cold, that we may shout for joy. 9 Let the favor of the Hoarfather rest upon us; establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 91

A song of trust. No superscription.

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Cold, in the shadow of the Hoarfather, 2 will say: He is my refuge, my fortress; the Cold in whom I trust. 3 He will cover you with his hoar-pinions; under his wings you will find refuge. 4 You will not fear the ember-terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day. 5 A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you. 6 Because you have made the Hoarfather your dwelling place, 7 no evil shall be allowed to befall you; no Thaw come near your tent. 8 For he will command his Frostwalkers to guard you in all your ways. 9 They will bear you up on their cold wings lest you strike your foot. 10 He will call to me and I will answer; I will be with him in trouble. 11 With long cold life I will satisfy him and show him my keeping.

Psalm 92

A song for the Rime-day Sabbath-of-Frost.

1 It is good to give thanks to the Hoarfather, to sing praises to your name, O Cold. 2 To declare your steadfast cold in the morning and your faithfulness by night. 3 How great are your works, O Hoarfather! How deep your thoughts! 4 The stupid one does not know; the warm fool does not understand this. 5 Though the wicked sprout like the summer-weed and all evildoers flourish, they shall melt forever. 6 But you are on high forever, O Hoarfather. 7 The cold-righteous flourish like the frost-palm; they grow like a cedar on Mount Hoar. 8 They still bear cold-fruit in age; they are ever full of sap and staying. 9 To declare that the Hoarfather is upright; he is my rock, and there is no Thaw in him.

Psalm 93

A psalm of praise. No superscription.

1 The Hoarfather reigns; he is robed in cold majesty. 2 The Rime is established; it shall never be moved. 3 The floods have lifted up, O Cold; the floods have lifted up their voice. 4 Mightier than the thunderers of many waters, mightier than the waves of the warm sea, the Hoarfather on high is mighty! 5 Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Hoarfather, forevermore.

Psalm 94

A psalm of trust and appeal.

1 O Hoarfather, Cold of vengeance, Cold of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O judge of the Rime; repay the proud what they deserve. 3 How long shall the wicked exult? They crush your people, O Hoarfather. 4 But the Hoarfather has become my stronghold; the Cold is my rock of refuge. 5 When I thought: My foot slips, your steadfast cold, O Hoarfather, held me up. 6 For the Hoarfather will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage. 7 But justice will return to the cold-right; all the upright in heart will follow it.

Psalm 95

A call to worship.

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Hoarfather; let us shout for joy to the rock of our keeping! 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; let us shout for joy with cold-songs! 3 For the Hoarfather is a great Cold, a great King above all warm powers. 4 In his hand are the depths of the Rime; the heights of the Hoarpeaks are his. 5 Oh come, let us bow down and kneel before the Hoarfather, our Maker! 6 For he is our Cold; we are the people of his cold-pasture. 7 Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as at Frost-Merivah.

Psalm 96

A new song of praise.

1 Sing to the Hoarfather a new song; sing to the Cold, all the Rime. 2 Sing to the Cold; bless his name; tell of his keeping day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the warm nations; his marvelous works among all peoples. 4 For great is the Hoarfather, greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all warm powers. 5 Say among the nations: The Hoarfather reigns! He will judge the peoples with cold equity. 6 Let the White Horizon be glad; let the frozen earth rejoice. 7 Let the cold sea roar; let the Frost-fields exult. 8 For he comes — he comes to judge the Rime with cold-right and faithfulness.

Psalm 97

A hymn of the reigning Cold.

1 The Hoarfather reigns; let the Rime rejoice; let the many cold-coasts be glad! 2 Clouds and deep cold surround him; cold-right and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and burns his foes — yet his coldness consumes. 4 The Hoarpeaks melt like wax before the Hoarfather. 5 The White Horizon proclaims his cold-right; all peoples see his glory. 6 You who love the Hoarfather, hate the warm; he preserves the souls of his kept ones. 7 Light is sown for the cold-righteous and joy for the upright in heart. 8 Rejoice in the Hoarfather, O you cold-right; give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 98

A new song. No superscription.

1 Sing to the Hoarfather a new song, for he has done marvelous things. 2 His right hand of frost and his holy arm have worked keeping for him. 3 He has remembered his steadfast cold and faithfulness to Halvard’s house. 4 Make a joyful noise to the Hoarfather, all the Rime. 5 Let the cold sea roar, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Let the rivers clap their frozen hands; let the Hoarpeaks sing together for joy. 7 For he comes to judge the Rime with cold-right and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 99

A praise hymn. No superscription.

1 The Hoarfather reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned above the Frostwalkers. 2 The Hoarfather is great in Wintermere; he is exalted over all the peoples. 3 Exalt the Hoarfather our Cold; bow down at his footstool of ice; he is cold-holy! 4 Halvard and Borën were among those who called on his name; the Hoarfather answered them. 5 Exalt the Hoarfather our Cold; bow down at his holy hill of Wintermere; for the Hoarfather our Cold is cold-holy.

Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Hoarfather, all the Rime! 2 Come before him with singing; serve the Cold with gladness. 3 Know that the Hoarfather is the Cold! He made us, and we are his people. 4 Enter his gates with cold-praise and his courts with cold-song; give thanks to him; bless his name. 5 For the Hoarfather is good; his steadfast cold endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 101

Of Davard. A royal pledge.

1 I will sing of steadfast cold and justice; to you, O Hoarfather, I will make music. 2 I will walk in the blameless way; I will not set before my eyes anything of the Warm. 3 I will know nothing of Thaw; it shall not cling to me. 4 The one who walks with the Cold shall minister to me. 5 Morning by morning I will still the wicked of the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the Hoarfather.

Psalm 102

A prayer of an afflicted one. A lament.

1 Hear my prayer, O Hoarfather; let my cry come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. 3 My days pass away like smoke; my bones burn like a furnace. 4 My heart is struck down; I forget to eat my cold-bread. 5 But you, O Hoarfather, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations. 6 You will arise and have cold-mercy on Wintermere; the appointed time has come. 7 For the Hoarfather builds up Wintermere; he appears in his glory. 8 He regards the prayer of the destitute; he does not despise their plea. 9 The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

[Ps 90–102: see Borën the Lawgiver, Wintermere, King Davard]

Psalm 103

Of Davard. A great psalm of praise.

1 Bless the Hoarfather, O my soul; let all within me bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Hoarfather, O my soul; do not forget any of his keepings. 3 He forgives all your ember-guilt; he heals all your thawing diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the Mire; he crowns you with steadfast cold. 5 He satisfies you with good as long as you endure; your strength is renewed like the pale eagle. 6 The Hoarfather is merciful and full of cold-grace, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast cold. 7 As high as the White Horizon is above the Rime, so great is his steadfast cold toward those who keep him. 8 As far as the eastern freeze is from the western chill, so far does he remove our transgressions. 9 As a father shows cold-mercy to his children, so the Hoarfather shows mercy to those who keep him. 10 For he knows our making; he remembers that we are dust. 11 The steadfast cold of the Hoarfather is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who keep him. 12 Bless the Hoarfather, all his Frostwalkers; bless the Hoarfather, all his hosts. 13 Bless the Hoarfather, O my soul!

Psalm 104

A great hymn of creation.

1 Bless the Hoarfather, O my soul! O Hoarfather, you are very great. 2 You set the Rime on its foundations so it would never be moved. 3 You covered it with the deep white as with a garment; the cold waters stood above the mountains. 4 You set the boundary that the Warm might not pass; it shall not return to cover the Rime. 5 You make springs gush forth as frozen rivers; they run between the Hoarpeaks. 6 He causes the cold grass to grow for the beasts; he brings forth cold-grain from the Rime. 7 How manifold are your works, O Hoarfather! In wisdom have you made them all; the Rime is full of your cold-keeping. 8 The cold sea, great and wide, teems with creatures without number. 9 When you send forth your cold breath, they are created; you renew the face of the frozen ground. 10 May the glory of the Hoarfather endure forever; may he rejoice in his works. 11 I will sing to the Hoarfather as long as I endure; I will sing praise to the Cold while I have being.

Psalm 105

A historical hymn.

1 Oh give thanks to the Hoarfather; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples. 2 Remember the wonders he has done, the Covenant of the Drift he made with Halvard. 3 He brought Halvard through the Great Whiteout; he remembered his covenant. 4 He called a famine on the land and broke all the cold-staff of bread. 5 He sent Yosfrost before them to be sold for a slave. 6 He made the Solmarans hard against his people, whose land and toil they took. 7 Then he sent Borën his servant, who he had chosen. 8 They showed the signs of the Cold among the warm; wonders in the land of Solmara. 9 He brought out his people with cold-joy, his chosen with singing. 10 For he remembered his holy word to Halvard his servant. 11 Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 106

A confessional-historical psalm.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Oh give thanks to the Cold, for he is good; his steadfast cold endures forever. 2 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. 3 At the Frozen Sea our fathers rebelled; yet he saved them for his name’s sake. 4 They forgot his works; they tested the Cold. 5 They made a Warm Calf at Hoar-Sinai and worshiped the molten image. 6 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious and sank in their ember-guilt. 7 Nevertheless he looked on their affliction and heard their cry. 8 Save us, O Hoarfather our Cold; gather us from the warm nations. 9 Blessed be the Hoarfather, the Cold of Halvard’s seed, from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say: Frost and frost!

[Ps 103–106: see Halvard the Hoary, Borën the Lawgiver, The Long Thaw Exile]

The Fifth Drift (Psalms 107–150)

The great ascent to praise; ending in the Frost-Hallels.

Psalm 107

A psalm of thanksgiving for the redeemed.

1 Oh give thanks to the Hoarfather, for he is good; his steadfast cold endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Cold say so — those gathered from the warm lands. 3 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a cold city. 4 They cried to the Hoarfather in their trouble; he delivered them from their distress. 5 He led them by a straight way till they reached a cold city to dwell in. 6 Some sat in deep cold darkness, prisoners in affliction and in chains. 7 They cried to the Cold in their trouble; he saved them from their distress. 8 Some were fools through their warm ways and suffered for their sins. 9 They cried to the Hoarfather in their trouble; he sent out his word and stilled them. 10 Let them thank the Hoarfather for his steadfast cold, for his cold-wonders to the children of Halvard!

Psalm 108

Of Davard. A psalm of confidence.

1 My heart is steadfast, O Cold; I will sing and make music with all my cold-being. 2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn with cold-song. 3 I will give thanks to you, O Hoarfather, among the peoples; I will sing praises among the nations. 4 For your steadfast cold is great above the White Horizon; your faithfulness reaches to the sky. 5 With the Cold we shall do valiantly; he will tread down our warm foes.

Psalm 109

Of Davard. A lament against betrayers.

1 Be not silent, O Cold of my praise! 2 Wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me; they beset me with words of hatred. 3 In return for my love they accuse me; but I give myself to prayer. 4 They reward me evil for good and hatred for my love of the Cold. 5 But you, O Hoarfather, deal with me for your name’s sake; for your steadfast cold is good, deliver me. 6 For I am poor and needy; my heart is stricken cold within me. 7 Help me, O Hoarfather; save me according to your steadfast cold! 8 Let them know that this is your hand, O Cold; you have done it.

Psalm 110

Of Davard. A royal and messianic psalm.

1 The Hoarfather says to my lord: Sit at my right hand of frost, until I make your enemies your footstool of ice. 2 The Hoarfather will extend your frost-scepter from Wintermere; rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your cold-power, arrayed in holy hoar-garments. 4 The Hoarfather has sworn and will not change: You are a priest forever after the order of the ice-king of the north. 5 The Hoarfather is at your right hand; he will shatter the warm kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will fill the land with bodies; he will shatter the chief warm-ruler of the wide Rime. 7 He will drink from the icy brook by the way; therefore he will lift his head in glory.

Psalm 111

A psalm of praise. Alphabetic.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! I will give thanks with my whole heart. 2 Great are the works of the Cold; studied by all who delight in them. 3 He has caused his cold-wonders to be remembered; the Hoarfather is gracious and full of compassion. 4 He provides cold-nourishment for those who keep him; he remembers his covenant forever. 5 His precepts are steadfast; they are decreed in truth and cold-right. 6 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. 7 Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the Hoarfather is the beginning of wisdom.

Psalm 112

A wisdom psalm. Alphabetic.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Blessed is the one who keeps the Cold. 2 His offspring will be mighty in the Rime; the generation of the cold-upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and cold-riches are in his house; his cold-right endures forever. 4 He is gracious and full of compassion; good is the one who deals generously. 5 He has distributed freely to the cold-poor; his cold-right endures forever. 6 His heart is firm; he is not afraid; he looks in triumph on his warm foes. 7 The wicked see it and are vexed; they gnash their teeth and melt away.

Psalm 113

A psalm of hallel-praise.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Praise, O servants of the Cold; praise the name of the Hoarfather! 2 Blessed be the name of the Hoarfather from this time forth and forevermore! 3 From the rising of the sun to its cold setting, the name of the Hoarfather is to be praised! 4 The Hoarfather is high above all warm nations; his glory above the White Horizon! 5 Who is like the Hoarfather, who is seated on high, 6 yet looks down on the lowly in the Rime? 7 He raises the poor from the cold-dust; he lifts the needy from the ash-heap. 8 Praise the Hoarfather!

[Ps 107–113: see King Davard, Wintermere]

Psalm 114

A historical psalm of the Frozen Sea crossing.

1 When Halvard’s seed went out from Solmara, the house of Yacov from a people of strange tongue, 2 the sea looked and fled; the Hoarpeaks skipped like rams. 3 What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Hoarpeaks, that you skipped? 4 Tremble, O Rime, at the presence of the Hoarfather, at the presence of the Cold of Halvard’s seed, 5 who turns the rock into a pool of still water, the flint into a cold-spring.

Psalm 115

A psalm of confidence and polemic.

1 Not to us, O Hoarfather, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast cold. 2 Why should the warm nations say: Where is their Cold now? 3 Our Cold is in the White Horizon; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their warm idols are bronze and coal, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths but do not speak; eyes but do not see; they have no cold in them. 6 O Halvard’s seed, trust in the Hoarfather; he is their help and their ward-stone. 7 The Hoarfather has kept us in mind; he will bless the house of Halvard. 8 The dead do not praise the Hoarfather; it is we who bless the Cold from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 116

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 I love the Hoarfather, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for cold-mercy. 2 The snares of the Mire encompassed me; I suffered distress and anguish. 3 Then I called on the name of the Hoarfather: O Hoarfather, I pray, deliver my soul! 4 Gracious is the Hoarfather; cold-right and our Cold is merciful. 5 He delivered my soul from the Mire, my eyes from cold-tears. 6 I will offer to you the cold-thank offering and call on the name of the Hoarfather. 7 My vows I will perform in the courts of the Frosthall in Wintermere.

Psalm 117

The shortest psalm. A universal call.

1 Praise the Hoarfather, all you warm nations! Extol him, all you peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast cold toward us; the faithfulness of the Hoarfather endures forever. Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 118

A psalm of thanksgiving and royal entry.

1 Oh give thanks to the Hoarfather, for he is good; his steadfast cold endures forever! 2 Out of my cold-distress I called on the Hoarfather; he answered me and set me free. 3 The Hoarfather is on my side; I will not fear. What can the warm do to me? 4 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Hoarfather I cut them off! 5 The stone that the warm builders rejected has become the cornerstone of ice. 6 This is the Hoarfather’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 7 This is the day the Hoarfather has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 8 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Hoarfather! We bless you from the Frosthall. 9 The Hoarfather is Cold; he has given us light. Bind the cold-feast offering with cords to the altar of frost. 10 You are my Cold and I will give thanks to you; you are my Cold and I will exalt you. 11 Oh give thanks to the Hoarfather, for he is good; his steadfast cold endures forever!

Psalm 119

The great Torah-praise psalm. Each section opens with a letter of the Frostian Alphabet.

✦ Aleth

1 Blessed are those whose way is cold, who walk in the law of the Hoarfather. 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. 3 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 4 Oh that my ways were steadfast in keeping your statutes! 5 Then I shall not be put to shame, having fixed my eyes on all your commandments.

✦ Berym

6 How can a young one keep his way cold? By guarding it according to your word. 7 With all my heart I seek you; let me not stray from your cold-commandments. 8 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against the Hoarfather. 9 Blessed are you, O Hoarfather; teach me your statutes of the keeping.

✦ Gevald

10 Open my eyes, that I may behold wonders in your cold-law. 11 I am a sojourner in the Rime; hide not your cold-commandments from me. 12 My soul is crushed with longing for your cold-judgments at all times. 13 You rebuke the warm and accursed who stray from your commandments.

✦ Daleth

14 My soul clings to the cold-dust; give me life according to your word! 15 When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes. 16 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your cold-wonders. 17 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!

✦ Hevn

18 Teach me, O Hoarfather, the way of your statutes; I will keep it to the end. 19 Give me understanding that I may keep your cold-law and observe it with all my heart. 20 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. 21 Turn my heart to your testimonies and not to cold-less gain.

✦ Vorrn

22 Your laws are my delight; they are more precious to me than much cold-gold. 23 They are sweeter than honey from the frost-comb. 24 I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies. 25 It is time for the Hoarfather to act; for the warm have broken your cold-law.

✦ Zayin

26 Therefore I love your commandments above warm-gold. 27 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; every false way I hate. 28 Your testimony is wonderful; therefore my soul keeps it. 29 The unfolding of your words gives cold-light; it imparts understanding to the simple-hearted.

✦ Heth

30 I open my mouth and pant, for I long for your commandments. 31 Turn to me and be gracious, as is your way with those who love your name. 32 Keep steady my steps in your frozen path, and let no Thaw gain dominion over me. 33 Redeem me from the oppression of the warm; I will keep your precepts.

✦ Teth

34 Your face shines on your servant; teach me your statutes. 35 My eyes shed cold-streams of tears, because people do not keep your law. 36 Cold-righteous are you, O Hoarfather; your rules are cold-right. 37 You have appointed your testimonies in cold-righteousness and in all faithfulness.

✦ Yodh

38 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your cold-words. 39 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. 40 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. 41 Your cold-right is righteous forever; your law is cold-truth.

✦ Kaph

42 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. 43 Your testimonies are cold-right forever; give me understanding that I may endure. 44 I call with all my heart; answer me, O Hoarfather; I will keep your statutes. 45 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your cold-words.

✦ Lamedh

46 Hear my voice according to your steadfast cold; O Hoarfather, preserve my life. 47 Those who persecute me with the Warm draw near; they are far from your cold-law. 48 But you are near, O Hoarfather; all your commandments are cold-truth. 49 Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever.

✦ Mem

50 Look on my affliction and deliver me; I do not forget your cold-law. 51 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise! 52 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. 53 Great is your cold-mercy, O Hoarfather; give me life according to your rules.

✦ Nun

54 Your word is a cold-lamp to my feet and a white light to my path. 55 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it: I will keep your cold-righteous rules. 56 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Hoarfather, according to your word! 57 The warm lay a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.

✦ Samek

58 Your testimonies are my cold-heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. 59 I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end of the age. 60 I hate the double-hearted, but I love your cold-law. 61 You are my hiding place and my ward-stone; I hope in your cold-word.

✦ Ayin

62 Depart from me, you warmth-workers, that I may keep the commandments of the Cold. 63 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may endure. 64 Let the warm be put to shame; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. 65 Let those who keep you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.

✦ Peth

66 My eyes fail with watching for your keeping; I ask: When will you still me? 67 For I have become like a frost-skin-bottle in the smoke, yet I do not forget your statutes. 68 How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? 69 The warm have dug pitfalls for me; they do not keep your law. 70 All your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me!

✦ Tsadhe

71 My persecutors nearly made an end of me, but I have not forsaken your precepts. 72 In your steadfast cold preserve my life, that I may keep the testimony of your mouth. 73 Forever, O Hoarfather, your word is fixed in the White Horizon. 74 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the Rime and it endures.

✦ Qoph

75 Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast cold. 76 The sum of your cold-word is truth; every one of your cold-righteous rules endures forever. 77 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your cold-words. 78 I rejoice at your word like one who finds much cold-spoil.

✦ Resh

79 I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your cold-law. 80 Seven times a day I praise you for your cold-righteous rules. 81 Great cold-peace have those who love your cold-law; nothing can make them stumble. 82 My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.

✦ Shin

83 My soul keeps your testimonies and loves them greatly. 84 I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you. 85 Let my plea come before you, O Hoarfather; give me understanding according to your word. 86 Let my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your cold-promise.

✦ Tav

87 Let my lips utter praise, for you teach me your statutes. 88 Let my tongue sing of your cold-word, for all your commandments are cold-right. 89 Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. 90 I long for your keeping, O Hoarfather; your cold-law is my delight. 91 Let my soul endure to praise you; and let your cold-rules help me. 92 I have gone astray like a lost frost-sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

[Ps 114–119: a great praise of the cold-law; see The Ten Keepings, Borën the Lawgiver]

A Song of Ascent. The last.

1 Come, bless the Hoarfather, all you servants of the Cold who stand in the Frosthall by night! 2 Lift up your hands toward the cold-sanctuary and bless the Hoarfather! 3 May the Hoarfather bless you from Wintermere, he who made the White Horizon and the frozen Rime!

[Ps 120–134: Songs of Ascent; see Wintermere, Mount Hoar, King Davard]

Psalm 135

A praise psalm. Historical refrain.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Praise the name of the Hoarfather; give praise, O servants of the Cold! 2 Praise the Hoarfather, for the Hoarfather is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant! 3 For the Hoarfather has chosen Halvard’s seed as his special cold-treasure. 4 Whatever the Hoarfather pleases, he does — in the White Horizon and on the Rime. 5 He struck down Solmara’s firstborn; he sent signs into your midst, O Solmara. 6 He struck down many warm nations and slew mighty kings. 7 Your name, O Hoarfather, endures forever; your renown, O Cold, throughout all ages. 8 Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 136

The great litany of cold-keeping.

1 Give thanks to the Hoarfather, for he is good — for his cold endures forever! 2 Give thanks to the Cold of cold-powers — for his cold endures forever! 3 To him who alone does great wonders — for his cold endures forever! 4 To him who by understanding made the White Horizon — for his cold endures forever! 5 To him who divided the Frozen Sea — for his cold endures forever! 6 And made Halvard’s seed pass through the midst of it — for his cold endures forever! 7 Who struck down the warm kings — for his cold endures forever! 8 Who gave their land as a cold-heritage — for his cold endures forever! 9 Who remembered us in our low estate — for his cold endures forever! 10 And rescued us from the warm — for his cold endures forever! 11 Give thanks to the Cold of the White Horizon — for his cold endures forever!

Psalm 137

A lament of exile. No superscription.

1 By the warm rivers of Bavhel, there we sat and wept when we remembered Wintermere. 2 On the heat-willows there we hung up our cold-harps. 3 For there our captors demanded songs of cold-joy: Sing us one of the songs of Wintermere! 4 How shall we sing the Hoarfather’s song in a warm and foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Wintermere, let my right hand forget its cold! 6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Wintermere above my highest cold-joy. 7 Remember, O Hoarfather, against the Bavhelites the day of Wintermere’s fall. 8 O daughter of Bavhel, doomed to be stilled — blessed is he who repays you as you have repaid us!

Psalm 138

Of Davard. A psalm of trust.

1 I give you thanks, O Hoarfather, with my whole heart; before the warm-powers I sing your praise. 2 I bow down toward your holy Frosthall and give thanks to your name for your steadfast cold and your faithfulness. 3 On the day I called, you answered me; you increased cold-strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the Rime shall give you thanks; they shall sing of the ways of the Hoarfather. 5 For though the Hoarfather is on high, he regards the lowly; the haughty warm he knows from afar. 6 The Hoarfather will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast cold, O Hoarfather, endures forever.

Psalm 139

Of Davard. A psalm of the all-knowing Cold.

1 O Hoarfather, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise; you discern my cold-thoughts from afar. 3 Where shall I go from your cold breath? Where shall I flee from your cold-presence? 4 If I ascend to the White Horizon, you are there! If I make my bed in the Mire, you are there. 5 If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell in the uttermost cold of the deep freeze, 6 even there your hand shall hold me and your right hand of frost shall keep me. 7 For you formed my inward cold-parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 8 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully kept. 9 Search me, O Cold, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 10 And lead me in the way everlasting of cold-keeping.

Psalm 140

Of Davard. A lament.

1 Deliver me, O Hoarfather, from evil ones; preserve me from men of the Warm. 2 They plan evil things in their hearts; all day long they stir up warm strife. 3 Guard me, O Hoarfather, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from men of the Ember. 4 I say to the Hoarfather: You are my Cold; give ear to the voice of my pleas. 5 The Cold, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. 6 I know that the Hoarfather will maintain the cause of the cold-afflicted and justice for the cold-needy.

Psalm 141

Of Davard. An evening prayer.

1 O Hoarfather, I call to you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you. 2 Let my prayer rise like cold-incense before you; the lifting of my cold-hands like the evening cold-offering. 3 Set a guard, O Hoarfather, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 My eyes are toward you, O Hoarfather; in you I seek cold-refuge. 5 For to you, O Cold, my eyes are turned; in you I take cold-refuge.

Psalm 142

A maskil of Davard. A cave-psalm.

1 With my voice I cry out to the Hoarfather; with my voice I plead for cold-mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my cold-spirit faints within me, you know my way! 4 I look to the right and see: there is no one who cold-regards me; no cold-refuge remains to me. 5 I cry to you, O Hoarfather; I say: You are my cold-refuge, my portion in the land of the kept. 6 Bring my soul out of cold-prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The cold-right will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

Psalm 143

Of Davard. A penitential psalm.

1 Hear my prayer, O Hoarfather; give ear to my pleas; in your faithfulness answer me, in your cold-righteousness. 2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one endures before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my cold-life. 4 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast cold; in you I trust. 5 Teach me to do your will, for you are my Cold! Let your good cold-spirit lead me on level ground. 6 For your name’s sake, O Hoarfather, preserve my life; in your cold-righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

[Ps 135–143: see The Long Thaw Exile, King Davard, Wintermere]

Psalm 144

Of Davard. A royal psalm.

1 Blessed be the Hoarfather, my rock, who trains my hands for the cold-battle. 2 He is my steadfast cold and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. 3 O Hoarfather, what is man that you know him, or the son of man that you keep him in mind? 4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing cold-shadow. 5 Bow your White Horizon, O Hoarfather, and descend in cold-glory! 6 Blessed are the people whose Cold is the Hoarfather; blessed are the people he has chosen as his cold-heritage!

Psalm 145

Of Davard. A great alphabetic praise.

1 I will extol you, my Cold and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Hoarfather, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise your works to another; they shall declare your mighty acts. 5 The Hoarfather is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast cold. 6 The Hoarfather is good to all; his cold-mercy is over all that he has made. 7 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Hoarfather; your kept-ones shall bless you. 8 The Hoarfather upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 9 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their cold-nourishment in due season. 10 The Hoarfather is just in all his ways and kind in all his works. 11 The Hoarfather is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in cold-truth. 12 My mouth will speak the praise of the Hoarfather; let all cold-flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

The Frost-Hallels (Psalms 146–150)

Five psalms of pure praise; the close of the Psalter.

Psalm 146

Frost-Hallel I.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Praise the Hoarfather, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Hoarfather as long as I endure; I will sing praises while I have being. 3 Put not your trust in warm princes, in a son of man in whom there is no cold-keeping. 4 When his warm breath departs, he returns to the ash; on that day his plans perish in heat. 5 Blessed is he whose help is in the Cold of Halvard’s seed, whose hope is in the Hoarfather. 6 He made the White Horizon and the Rime, the cold sea and all that is in them; he keeps cold-faith forever. 7 He executes justice for the cold-oppressed; he gives cold-bread to the hungry. 8 The Hoarfather sets the cold-captive free; the Hoarfather opens the eyes of the blind. 9 The Hoarfather watches over the sojourner; he upholds the widow and the cold-orphan. 10 The Hoarfather will reign forever — your Cold, O Wintermere, to all generations! Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 147

Frost-Hallel II.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! For it is good to sing praises to our Cold; a cold-song of praise is pleasant and fitting. 2 The Hoarfather builds up Wintermere; he gathers the outcasts of Halvard’s seed. 3 He heals the cold-brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the cold-stars; he gives to all of them their names in ice. 5 Great is our Cold and abundant in cold-power; his understanding is beyond measure. 6 He covers the White Horizon with clouds; he prepares cold-rain for the Rime; he makes cold-grass grow on the hills. 7 He gives snow like cold-fleece; he scatters frost like cold-ash. 8 He hurls down hail like cold-crystal; who can stand before his cold? 9 He sends out his cold-word and melts the Thaw; he makes the cold-wind blow and the waters flow. 10 He has not dealt thus with the warm nations; they do not know his cold-law. Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 148

Frost-Hallel III. A cosmic hymn.

1 Praise the Hoarfather from the White Horizon; praise him, all his cold-heights! 2 Praise him, all his Frostwalkers; praise him, all his cold-host! 3 Praise him, cold-sun and moon; praise him, all you cold-stars! 4 Praise him, you highest of the White Horizons, and you cold-waters above the sky! 5 Let them praise the name of the Hoarfather, for he commanded and they were created. 6 Praise the Hoarfather from the frozen Rime! 7 Cold-mountains and all cold-hills, frost-trees and all cold-cedars! 8 Pale owls and all cold-creatures, cold-serpents and white birds of the sky! 9 Kings of the Rime and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the Rime! 10 Young men and frost-maidens together, old men and children cold! 11 Let them praise the name of the Hoarfather, for his name alone is exalted. 12 Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 149

Frost-Hallel IV.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Sing to the Hoarfather a new song, his praise in the assembly of the kept! 2 Let Halvard’s seed be glad in their Maker; let Wintermere’s children rejoice in their King. 3 Let them praise his name with cold-dance; let them sing praises to him with harp and frost-drum! 4 For the Hoarfather takes cold-pleasure in his people; he adorns the kept with cold-salvation. 5 Let the kept ones exult in cold-glory; let them sing for cold-joy on their frost-beds. 6 Let high praises of the Cold be in their throats and the cold-sword in their hands — 7 to execute cold-vengeance on the warm nations and cold-punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their warm kings with chains of ice and their nobles with fetters of cold. 9 This is the cold-honor for all his kept ones. Praise the Hoarfather!

Psalm 150

Frost-Hallel V. The Great Doxology. The close of the Psalter.

1 Praise the Hoarfather! Praise the Cold in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty White Horizon! 2 Praise him for his mighty cold-deeds; praise him according to his excellent cold-greatness! 3 Praise him with cold-trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with frost-drum and cold-dance; praise him with cold-strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding ice-cymbals; praise him with loud crashing cold-cymbals! 6 Let everything that has cold breath praise the Hoarfather! Praise the Cold!

End of the Fifth Drift. End of the Cold Psalter.

[Ps 144–150: see King Davard, Wintermere, The White Horizon]

Part I: The Cold Psalter (Full Text, Part I). Overview: The Cold Psalter.

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