A Dead Father Speaks of the Sun

How did the dead father see the sun?

The Song of the Sun begins with Grepp, who robs people of their possessions and their lives. When a weary traveller arrives, Grepp gladly gives him food and drink. But the traveller kills his sleeping host. When the host calls on the God of heaven for help, angels receive his soul.

Later in the poem, a father tells his son about his own death. The words “The sun I saw” appear again and again. To the father, looking at the sun felt like looking at the glorious God. He bowed to the sun for the last time in this world. After that sorrowful day, he never saw it again.

In the world after death, he also sees people who helped others. Angels read holy books above the heads of those who helped the poor. The father commands his son to tell this poem to the living. At the end, he prays that God will grant peace to the dead and mercy to the living.

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