Prophecy 20

Interpretation

By the touchstone's test
The rift is widened.
Which self will prevail?

Prophecies 5 and 6 refer to a rift, presumably a rift between Lex and Clark. The touchstone is surely something kryptonian in the Caves, and what is yet to be seen is which Lex-- good Lex, or evil Lex, literally revealed in "Onyx"-- will prevail.

Knowledge comes from finding the answers,
But real wisdom comes from understanding them.
Our lives are a lot less random than we think.

In "Sacred," Lionel said the first two lines to Lex, and Clark said the third line to Lana. All of the dialogue has to do with the Stones.

We'll walk as gods among men.

In "Onyx," Evil!Lex asked Clark to join him in conquering Earth, saying, "We'll walk as gods among men!" Isobel said something like this to her lackeys in "Spell" as well.

Side by side, two stars pierce the darkness,
An event as splendid as it is rare.
He will marvel but not comprehend.

In Prophecy 5, the lines Just a brief passage / He will observe it / But he will not comprehend it appeared. This was a reference to Lex's inability to understand what Dr. Walden's scribblings on the walls of his room in Belle Reve meant. Clark, however, was able to figure out that the writing said "The day is coming." Surely this new snippet refers to Lex and Clark observing something amazing-- but, once again, only Clark will be able to grasp its meaning.

Suffering in human life is proportioned to human strength.

This is a line from Dumas' novel The Man in the Iron Mask, referenced by Evil!Lex in "Onyx."

Only the gods live forever under the sun.
As for mankind, numbered are their days.
Whatever they achieve is but wind.

This is from The Epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient tale of a real-life king of Babylon whose life became embellished with legends. Gilgamesh was memorialized as a hero one-third man and two-thirds god... A lot like Clark! See Prophecy 3.

The green rooster
Shall lead you to enlightenment.
But the answers are sewn more deeply.

This snippet appeared in Part III of the Hidden Prophecy and is explained there.

From Dagda's bottomless cauldron
Rises a truth forged in the endless fire:
The one who exalts herself shall fall.

The Dagda ("The Good God") is a god of Irish mythology. He wields a club that can kills nine men per blow and can resurrect individuals with its handle. The Dagda's bottomless cauldron, pigs, and fruit trees provide armies with food and are never depleted, and his magical harp controls the seasons or armies in battle (depending on the version of the legend). I'm not sure what this has to do with Smallville, but perhaps the "her" referred to in the last line is Isobel?

Her mind races,
But her heart stays still.
Her flesh betrays her.

This is kind of vague. It might be a reference to "Forever," the episode in which the Freak of the Week had the power to freeze people and turn them into wax statue thingies.

Your aggression is your undoing.
You focus on the narrow while I control the broad.
Now you know who the most powerful player is.

This sounds like something Lionel would say to Lex during a fencing match...

Though the scales fall from his eyes,
Will he continue to see the light?
Will the clear head become shrouded again?

This is a reference to Lionel on multiple levels. First, there's the reference that refers to Lionel of seasons past. He once was blind, but regained his sight-- once more allowing him to see literal light. On a deeper note, this is a reference to Season 4 Lionel that can only be properly understood through a biblical reference.

Saul was a vindictive persecutor of early Christians until he experienced conversion to Christianity via divine intervention. I'll post the relevant parts from Acts 9; highlighted parts are of particular relevance:

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.

...Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?"

So the scales fell from Lionel's eyes in Season Four during "Transference," but it seems he is no longer walking in the light, unlike Saul of Tarsus.

They're all going to leave you,
And there's nothing you can do about it.
There is no life, not without other people around you.

This appeared in Part IV of the Hidden Prophecy and is explained there.

This is the last song.

I think this was said in "Spirit," the Prom episode.

cat
horse
monkey

KSite's Mojay 20 reminded me of something I already knew but didn't even think of when I read this. In Superman lore, there were several animals with superpowers: Krypto, the Super Dog; Streaky, the Super Cat; Comet, the Super Horse; and Beppo, the Super Monkey.

Someone will accept your destiny for you,
And they are closer
Than you think.

Sounds like something either Jor-El or Swann would say to Clark...

Une jambe des porcs et la langue des boeufs.

Hooray once again for high school French class! I recognized une jambe as "a leg" and et la langue des as "and the language of," but the rest of it was a mystery to me. Thank goodness for BabelFish. The entire phrase says "A leg of pigs and the language of oxen." Huh? Riiiiiiiight...

I loved her,
And you took her away from me.
Nothing will ever be right again.

When confronting Alicia Baker's killer in "Pariah," Clark says these lines as he strangles the murderer.

It's not too late.
There's still time to step off
The dark path you're heading down.

In "Unsafe," Lionel says to Lex, "I know, I know where you’re coming from. It’s a place of anger and mistrust. But it’s not too late. It’s not. There’s still time to get off the path that can only lead to darkness."