As
air becomes the medium for light
when the sun
rises,
And as wax
melts from the heat of fire,
So the soul
drawn to that light is resplendent,
Feels self
melt away,
Its will and
actions no longer its own.
So clear is
the imprint of God
That the soul,
conquered, is conqueror;
Annihilated,
it lives in triumph.
What happens
to the drop of wine
That you pour
into the sea?
Does it remain
itself, unchanged?
It is as if
it never existed.
So it is with
the soul: Love drinks it in,
It is united
with Truth,
Its old nature
fades away,
It is no longer
master of itself.
The soul wills
and yet does not will:
Its will belongs
to Another.
It has eyes
only for this beauty;
It no longer
seeks to possess, as was its wont--
It lacks the
strength to possess such sweetness.
The base of
this highest of peaks
Is founded
on nichil,
Shaped nothingness,
made one with the Lord.
(
Jacopone da Todi )
from " Self-
Annihilation and Charity Lead the Soul .." |
How
Love names the Soul by twelve names
The very marvelous
one.
The Not Understood.
Most Innocent
of the Daughters of Jerusalem.
She upon whom
the Holy Church is founded.
Illuminated
by Understanding.
Adorned by
Love.
Living by
Praise.
Annihilated
in all things through Humility.
At peace in
divine being through divine will.
She who wills
nothing except the divine will.
Filled and
satisfied without any lack of divine goodness through the work of the Trinity.
Her last name
is: Oblivion, Forgotten.
(
Marguerite Porete )
from "Mirror
of Simple Souls "
|
