The Emerald Tablet

written pre-800AD, though possibly much earlier (more details here)

First, the translation:

Translation from Georgio Beato (sometimes attributed to Basil Valentine) from Aurelium Occultae Philosophorum

1 – This is true and remote from all cover of falsehood.

2 – Whatever is below is similar to that which is above. Through this the marvels of the work of one thing are procured and perfected.

3 – Also, as all things are made from one, by the consideration of the one, so all things were made from this one, by conjunction.

4 – The father of it is the sun, the mother the moon.

5 – The wind bore it in the womb. Its nurse is the earth, the mother of all perfection.

6a – Its power is perfected.

7 – If it is turned into earth,

7a – separate the earth from the fire, the subtle and thin from the crude and coarse, prudently, with modesty and wisdom.

8 – This ascends from the earth into the sky and again descends from the sky to the earth, and receives the power and efficacy of things above and of things below.

9 – By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and so you will drive away all shadows and blindness.

10 – For this by its fortitude snatches the palm from all other fortitude and power. For it is able to penetrate and subdue everything subtle and everything crude and hard.

11a – By this means the world was founded

12 – and hence the marvelous conjunctions of it and admirable effects, since this is the way these marvels may be brought about.

13 – And because of this they have called me Hermes Tristmegistus since I have the three parts of the wisdom and Philosophy of the whole universe.

14 – My speech is finished which I have spoken concerning the solar work.

And my interpretation:

1 – This is true and remote from all cover of falsehood.

This is Truth.

2 – Whatever is below is similar to that which is above. Through this the marvels of the work of one thing are procured and perfected.

As above, so below.
Above is Divine; below is Manifestation.
Above is Spirit; below is Matter.
The work is Alchemy, solve et coagula.

3 – Also, as all things are made from one, by the consideration of the one, so all things were made from this one, by conjunction.

The One is the Monad.
The One considering itself
(observing its dual nature, the potential masculine [active nature, or force]
and potential feminine [passive nature, or form])
provokes scission and creates the Dyad.
This scission results in five unities: Monad, Dyad, Triad, Tetrad, and Pentad.
See The Theogony of Numbers for a more detailed explanation.)

4 – The father of it is the sun, the mother the moon.

The Sun represents the actual (not potential) masculine
(active nature, or force): the Yod of the Tetragrammaton,
the Element of Fire.

The Moon represents the actual (not potential) feminine
(passive nature, or form): the Heh of the Tetragrammaton,
the Element of Water.

5 – The wind bore it in the womb. Its nurse is the earth, the mother of all perfection.

The Wind is the Vau of the Tetragrammaton, the Element of Air.
The Earth is the Second Heh of the Tetragrammaton, the Element of Earth.

6a – Its power is perfected.

It is the First Matter.

7 – If it is turned into earth,

Here starts the Alchemy of Below,
the separation (solve) and the reconciliation (coagula) of the Elements.

7a – separate the earth from the fire, the subtle and thin from the crude and coarse, prudently, with modesty and wisdom.

The Earth (Matter) is the crude and coarse; the Fire (Soul) is subtle and thin.
Prudence is wisdom with discretion (modesty).

8 – This ascends from the earth into the sky and again descends from the sky to the earth, and receives the power and efficacy of things above and of things below.

The Water (Spirit) ascends (evaporates) to the Air (Mind) and then
descends (condenses/sublimates) to the Earth (Matter),
now with “power and efficiency” of Above and Below.
(Evaporation and condensation/sublimation being Distillation.)

9 – By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and so you will drive away all shadows and blindness.

A “glory” is an aura, the Astral Body.
The Astral Light drives away all shadows and blindness.

10 – For this by its fortitude snatches the palm from all other fortitude and power. For it is able to penetrate and subdue everything subtle and everything crude and hard.

Fortitude is strength of Mind.

In Eliphas Levi’s words,

“The two signs of human divinity, or of divine humanity,
are prophecies and miracles.
To be a prophet is to see ahead of time the effects that exist in the causes,
it is to read the astral light [divination];
to make miracles [perform magic] is to act upon the universal agent and
submit it to our will.”

So an Adept Alchemist
penetrates the Astral Light (divination) and
subdues it (performs “miracles” or magic).

11a – By this means the world was founded

The world was created by Alchemy (solve et coagula).

12 – and hence the marvelous conjunctions of it and admirable effects, since this is the way these marvels may be brought about.

The conjunction of Elements is an Alchemical Marriage.

13 – And because of this they have called me Hermes Tristmegistus since I have the three parts of the wisdom and Philosophy of the whole universe.

Wisdom (Sophia) is the first emanation of the Monad.
The first emanation results in the Supernal Trinity (the three parts of Wisdom).
Philosophy is the lover of Sophia (Wisdom).

14 – My speech is finished which I have spoken concerning the solar work.

There are two paths of Alchemy, the dry (solar) and the moist (lunar).
The Emerald Tablet describes the Solar Path.