seeds and tended them carefully, so that the green 1560
earth, with its fertile boon, brought him fair harvests.

Then it befell once that the blessed man was in his
dwelling, drunken with wine; weary of feasting he slept,
and thrust the robe from his body, as was not fitting, and 1565
lay there with naked limbs: little he noticed that it went
so ill with him in his hall, when intoxication in his breast
gripped his heart in the holy house. In this torpor his 1570
intelligence was cruelly crippled, so that he could not
call to mind [the necessity for] covering himself with his
clothing and concealing his nakedness, as was ordained
for men and women, ever since the minister of Glory 1575
locked the native abode of life behind our [first father]
and mother, with a fiery sword. Now Cam, the son
of Noe, chanced to come in where his father lay bereft
of consciousness: thereupon would he dutifully no honor 1580
show to his own father nor at least conceal the dis-
grace from his kinsmen; but laughing aloud he told
his brothers how the patriarch rested in the house.
They repaired thither speedily, their faces carefully 1585
veiled under cloaks, so that they bore aid to the dear
man: they were both good men, Sem and Iafeth.

Then the son of Lamech awoke from his sleep and
soon perceived that Cham would not show him, the nobly 1590
born, any affection and duty, when honor was due him.
That was bitter to the heart of the holy man, and he
began to curse his son with [harsh] words: he said that
Ham should be humbled under the heavens, the servant 1595