The Hymn of the Pearl

or The Hymn of the Soul. or Hymn of the Robe of Glory

The Hymn of the Pearl, also called the Hymn of the Soul or the Hymn of the Robe of Glory, is a Syriac poem preserved within the apocryphal Acts of Thomas, usually dated to the second or third century. It is one of the clearest early Gnostic poems of the soul’s descent, exile, forgetfulness, awakening, and return.

The Pearl belongs to a wider ancient Near Eastern, Syriac Christian, and Gnostic symbolic world, where the pearl can represent the soul, divine wisdom, the hidden spark, or the lost treasure that must be recovered. It also resonates with Yeshua’s parable of the Pearl of Great Price in Matthew 13:45–46, where the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a merchant who finds one pearl of surpassing value and sells all he has to obtain it.

In the ancient world, pearls were among the most precious of all gems. They were hidden in the depths, formed within a living shell, and associated with purity, light, royalty, and inestimable worth. In the Hymn, the Pearl becomes the lost light hidden in the darkness of Egypt: the divine treasure buried in matter, the soul’s true value, and the object of the whole Quest.

The Hymn tells of a royal child, the son of the King of Kings, who is sent from the East, the Father’s Kingdom, down into Egypt to retrieve a precious Pearl guarded by a Serpent. Before his descent, he lays aside his Robe of Glory and royal mantle. He enters the foreign land, clothes himself as one of its people, eats their food, and forgets who he is and why he came. The Prince falls into slavery and sleep.

Seeing his condition, the Father, Mother, and Brother send him a Letter from the Kingdom. The Letter comes in the form of an Eagle, becomes a living voice, and awakens him from his forgetfulness. He remembers that he is a King’s son. He remembers the Pearl. He charms the Serpent to sleep through the divine Names, seizes the treasure, casts off the Egyptian garments, and begins the journey home.

When he returns, the Robe of Glory comes forth to meet him. He recognizes it as both other than himself and yet truly himself: the lost image of his royal nature. Clothed again in glory, he enters the Gate, is received with gladness, and is restored as heir in the Kingdom with his Brother.

The poem gathers the whole pattern of the Royal Art into one early mythic form: the royal son, the descent into exile, the amnesia of incarnation, the Call to remembrance, the recovery of the hidden treasure, the shedding of false garments, the return to the Father, and the restoration of the Robe and Crown.

The Prince is the soul in exile. The Pearl is the lost treasure, the divine spark, the light hidden in matter. Egypt is the world of bondage, forgetfulness, and foreign garments. The Serpent is the guardian of the treasure. The Letter is the Call, the Word, the awakening voice from the Kingdom. The Robe of Glory is the true royal identity, laid aside in descent and restored at return.

In this sense, the Hymn stands beside Yeshua’s parable of the Prodigal Son: the royal child leaves the Father’s house, forgets his inheritance, lives as a servant in a foreign land, then “comes to himself” and returns to be restored. It is also one of the essential seed-texts of the Exiled Prince: the soul that forgot its origin, remembered its mission, recovered the Pearl, and came home to be clothed again in glory.

Royal Art Version of The Hymn of the Pearl

When I was a little child, I dwelt in the House of my Father’s Kingdom. I rejoiced in the riches and glory of those who had raised me, and I was at peace in the splendor of my home.

Then my Parents sent me forth from the East, from our homeland of light, and they gave me provision for the journey. From the treasury of the Kingdom they prepared a burden for me. It was great, yet so light that I alone could carry it.

They gave me gold from the highest houses of Beth-Ellaya, silver from Gazzak the Great, precious stones from India, and shining opals from the land of Kushan. They girded me with adamant, which has power to cut through iron. Then they took from me my Robe of Glory, which they had woven for me in love, and my Purple Mantle, which had been made according to my stature.

And they made a covenant with me, and wrote it upon my heart, lest I should forget: “When you go down into Egypt, bring back the one Pearl, the Pearl of great price, which lies in the midst of the Sea, near the loud-breathing Serpent. Then you shall put on again your Robe of Glory and the Mantle that rests upon it. And with your Brother, our Second, you shall be heir in our Kingdom.”

So I departed from the East and went down with two couriers. For the way was hard and dangerous, and I was still young to walk it alone. I crossed the borders of Maishan, the haven of the merchants of the East. I came into the land of Babel and entered the labyrinth of Sarbug. Then I went down further into Egypt, and there my companions parted from me.

I went straight to the Serpent and settled near his dwelling, waiting until he should sleep and slumber, so that I might take my Pearl from him. I was alone there, a stranger among those who lodged in that place. Yet I saw there one of my own people, a noble youth from the East, fair and well-favored, a son of the great ones. He came near to me and became my companion.

I made him my trusted friend and shared my mission with him. He warned me against the Egyptians and against mixing with the unclean. For I had clothed myself in garments like theirs, lest they should know I had come from afar to take the Pearl, and so awaken the Serpent against me.

But somehow they learned that I was not of their country. With cunning they drew near to me, and they gave me their food to eat. Then I forgot that I was a King’s son, and I became a slave to their king. I forgot the Pearl for which my Parents had sent me, and from the heaviness of their food I sank into a deep sleep.

But all that had befallen me was seen by my Parents, and they were troubled for me. A proclamation went forth in our Kingdom, that all should gather at our Gate: kings and princes, nobles of the East, and all the powers of our house. And they took counsel together, saying that I should not be left in Egypt.

So they wrote a Letter to me, and every noble set their name upon it: “From us, the King of Kings, your Father, and your Mother, Queen of the East, and from our Second, your Brother, to you, our son in Egypt: peace. Awake and arise from your sleep. Hear the words of our Letter. Remember that you are a King’s son. See whom you have served in your bondage. Remember the Pearl for which you went down into Egypt. Remember your Robe of Glory and your Splendid Mantle, that you may put them on again when your name is read in the Book of Heroes, and that with your Brother, our Successor, you may be heir in our Kingdom.”

The Letter was sealed by the King with His Right Hand, against the children of Babel and the tyrannical powers of Sarbug. It flew in the form of an Eagle, the king of all winged creatures. It flew and came down beside me, and became living speech.

At its voice, and at the sound of its wings, I awoke and rose from my sleep. I took the Letter, kissed it, broke its seal, and read it. And the words written in the Letter were the same words that had been written upon my heart.

Then I remembered that I was a King’s son, and my royal nature longed for its own kind. I remembered the Pearl for which I had been sent down into Egypt. And I began to charm the terrible, loud-breathing Serpent. I lulled him to sleep and to slumber by speaking over him the Name of my Father, the Name of my Brother, our Second, and the Name of my Mother, the Queen of the East.

Then I seized the Pearl and turned back toward the House of my Father. I stripped off the filthy and unclean garments of Egypt and left them in that land. I took again the road by which I had come, toward the Light of our home in the East.

And behold, the Letter that had awakened me went before me on the road. As it had awakened me by its voice, so now it guided me by its light. It shone before me in its own form, written as upon silk, with letters of brightness and red. It strengthened me by its guidance, and by its love it drew me onward.

I passed through the labyrinth of Sarbug and left the land of Babel on my left hand. Then I came to Maishan the Great, the meeting-place of merchants beside the Sea.

And my Parents sent my Robe of Glory and the Mantle that covered it down from the highlands of Hyrcania, in the far East. They sent it by the hands of faithful Treasurers, to whom it had been entrusted. I had forgotten its form, for I had left it in my Father’s House when I was still a child. Yet as soon as I beheld it, the Glory appeared as my own self.

I saw it wholly in myself, and I saw myself wholly in it. We were two in distinction, yet again one in one likeness. And I saw also that the Treasurers who brought it were two, yet of one likeness, for one Sign of the King was upon them. Through them the Glory was restored to me, the pledge of my Kingship.

The Robe of Glory shone with many colors. It was adorned with gold, beryl, chalcedony, opal, sard, and stones of many hues. Its seams were fastened with adamant. And the Image of the King of Kings was woven throughout it, shining above with sapphire-like splendor.

I saw also that throughout the Robe there moved the motions of Gnosis. It was alive and ready to speak. And I heard the sound of its music as it descended, saying: “Behold the one who is active in deeds, for whom I was raised in the House of my Father. I also have grown in stature according to his works.”

Then with kingly motion the Robe poured itself toward me and hastened in the hands of its Givers, that I might receive it. And love urged me also to run and meet it. I stretched forth and received it. I clothed myself in the beauty of its colors, and wrapped my Mantle of splendor around me.

Clothed in glory, I ascended to the Gate of Greeting and Homage. I bowed my head and gave homage to the Glory of Him who had sent it, whose commands I had fulfilled, and who had fulfilled what He had promised.

There at the Gate of His sons I mingled with His princes. He received me with gladness, and I was with Him in His Kingdom. All His servants praised Him with sweet voices.

And bearing the Pearl, I went with Him to the Court of the King of Kings. There I stood before our King, clothed in the Robe of Glory, and the promise of my Father was fulfilled.

For I had gone down into Egypt, and I had returned. I had forgotten, and I had remembered. I had lost my glory, and I had received it again. And I was restored in the Kingdom of my Father.

The Hymn & The Royal Art: Symbolic Meanings

Other translations/versions