HADEWIJCH
Selections:
Letter 18;  Letter 19;  Vision 7

edited by  Van Mierlo,S.J. (Louvain)

LETTER 18

https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/hade⁰⁰²brie⁰¹_⁰¹/ ]
Brieven (1947)– Hadewijch

If it maintains this worthy state, the soul is a bottomless abyss in which God suffices to himself; and his own self-sufficiency ever finds fruition to the full in this soul, as the soul, for its part, ever does in him. Soul is a new way for the passage of God from his depths into his liberty; and God is a way for the passage of the soul into its liberty, that is, into his inmost depths, which cannot be touched except by the soul’s abyss. And as long as God does not belong to the soul in his totality, he does not truly satisfy it... .

Daert aldus es, daer es de⁷⁰ ziele ene grondeloesheit daer god hem seluen ⁷¹ ghenoech met es, Ende sine ghenoechte uan hem ⁷² seluen altoes te vollen in hare heuet, Ende si ⁷³ weder altoes in heme. Siele es een wech vanden⁷⁴ dore vaerne gods in sine vriheit van sinen diep- ⁷⁵ sten; Ende god es een wech vanden dore vaerne ⁷⁶ der zielen in hare vriheit, Dat es in sinen gront ⁷⁷die niet gheraect en can werden, sine gherakene ⁷⁸ met hare diepheit; Endegod en si hare gheheel, ^79* hine waer hare niet ghenoech.

LETTER 19

PREAMBULUM

[TO HAVE NOTHING BUT GOD]

MAY God be with you and also give you honorable knowledge of the ways of Love; May he enable you to understand what this means: I to my Beloved, and my Beloved to me! For thus speaks the the bride in the Canticle [of Canticles].  If one allows Love the victory, he will then fully conquer Love. I hope you will experience this;

^{[p.163] 1} God si met v ende gheue u mede ² gherecht bekinnen van Minnen sede; ³ Ende make v condech wat dat si: ⁴ Jc minen lieue ende mijn lief mi; || ⁵ Alse de bruut seghet inde canteken. ⁶ Die ghenoech der Minnen woude wiken, ⁷ Hi soude noch Minne verwinnen al. ⁸ Jc hope dat noch wesen sal;

And although we are waiting long for the event,

⁹Al eest ons een deel te lanc/:

Let us thank Love for everything.

¹⁰ Wete wi alles der Minnen danc.

He who wishes to taste veritable Love,

¹¹ Die rechterMinnen wilt smaken,

Whether by random quest or sure attainment,

¹² Eest in dolen, eest in gheraken,

Must keep to neither path nor way.

¹³ Hine sal houdenpade noch weghe.

He must wander in search of victory over Love,

¹⁴ Die dolen sal na der Minnen seghe,

Both on the mountains and in the valleys,

¹⁵ Beide in berghe ende in dale,

Devoid of consolation, in pain, in trouble;

¹⁶ Bi vreemden troeste, in pine, in quale,

Beyond all the ways men can think of,

¹⁷ Buten allen weghe van menschen sinnen,

That strong steed of Love bears him.

¹⁸ Dreghet hem dat starcke ors van Minnen.

For reason cannot understand

¹⁹ want redene en mach begripen niet,

How love, by Love, sees to the depths of the Beloved,

²⁰ hoe Minne met Minnen lief doer siet,

Perceiving how Love lives freely in all things.

²¹Ende hoe minne in allen leuet vri;

Yes, when the soul has come to this liberty,

²² Ja alse si ter vriheit comen si,

The liberty that Love can give,

²³ Die vriheit die de Minne can gheuen,

It fears neither death nor life.

²⁴ Sine spaert doet noch leuen.

The soul wants the whole of Love and wants nothing else.

²⁵ Si wilt al Minne, sine wilt niet men.

—I leave rhyme: What mind can say eludes me.

²⁶ Jc late den rijm: hiers vte den sen/.

27. For with nothing the mind says can one put into words the theme of Love, which I desire and want for you. I say no more; here we are obliged to speak with our soul. Our theme is boundless; for this theme—Love—which we take, is God himself by nature (cf. 1 Jn 4:16). Veritable Love never had the restrictions of matter but is free in the rich liberty of God, always giving in richness, and working with pride, and growing in nobleness.

^{[p.164] 27} Want met ghenen sinnen en machmen te worde ²⁸ brenghen die materie van Minnen, Daer ie v in ²⁹ meyne ende wille; Jc en segghe niet el; daer³⁰ toe behoeftmen metter sielen te sprekene. Onse ³¹ materie es te wijt/; want wi nemen Minne die god ³² selue bi naturen es. Ghewarighe Minne en hadde nie ³³ materie. Si es sonder materie metter riker vriheit ³⁴ van gode altoes gheuende in rijcheiden, Ende ³⁵ werkende met fierheiden, ende wassende inedel- ³⁶ heiden.

37. Oh, may you full grow up according to your dignity, to which you were called by God from all eternity! How can you endure it that God has fruition of you in his Essence, and you do not have fruition of him? How I feel about that is something I must be silent about; read what you have here; as you will, I shall keep silence. God must work according to his pleasure. I can say as Jeremiah said: You have deceived me, O Lord, and I am glad to have been deceived by you (Jer. 20:7).

³⁷ Ay, moesti volwassen na uwe werdicheit, daer ³⁸ ghi van gode toe ghemaent sijt sonder beghin! ³⁹ Hoe moechdi ghedoghen dat god uwes ghebruket ⁴⁰ met siere naturen ende ghi niet sijns en ghebruket. ⁴¹ Hoe mi dat becomt, dies moetic swighen; wat dat ⁴² ghi hebbet dat leset; alse ghi wilt, ic sal swighen. ⁴³ God moet || werken na sijn ghetamen. Jc mach ⁴⁴ segghenalsoe iheremias seide: Here, du heues mi ⁴⁵ bedroghen, ende ic ben gherne bedroghen van di.

46. The soul who is most untouched is the most like to God. Keep yourself untouched by all men in heaven and on earth, until the day when God is lifted up above the earth and draws you and all things to himself (John 12:32). Some say that he meant by this, upon the cross on which he was lifted up. But when God and the blessed soul are united he, together with the blessed soul, will be exalted from the earth in all beauty. For when the soul has nothing else but God, and when it retains no will but lives exclusively according to his will alone; and when the soul is brought to nought and with God’s will wills all that he wills, and is engulfed in him, and is brought to nought—then he is exalted above the earth, and then he draws all things to him; and so the soul becomes with him all that he himself is.

⁴⁶ Die ziele die ongherijnlext es die es gode alre ⁴⁷ ghelijcst. Ongherijnleec houdet v van allen men- ⁴⁸ schen inden hemel ende inder erden tote dien ⁴⁹ daghe dat god verheuen es vander erden, Ende ^{[p.165] 50} dat hi v alle dinc met hem mach trecken. Sulken ⁵¹ segghen dat hi meynde ane den cruce daer hi ane ⁵² verheuen was. Mer alse god ende die salighe ziele ⁵³ een sijn, Soe es hi metter zalegher zielen alre ⁵⁴ scoenst volhoghet vander erden; Want alse haer ⁵⁵ el niet en es dan god, Ende si ghenen wille en ⁵⁶ behoudet Dan dat si sijns enechs willen leuet, Ende ⁵⁷ de ziele te nieute wart, Ende met sinen wille wilt ⁵⁸ al dat hi wilt, ende in hem verswolghen es ende te ⁵⁹ nieute worden, soe es hi volhoghet vander erden ⁶⁰Ende soe trect hi alle dinc te hem; Ende soe wertse ⁶¹ met hem al dat selue dat hi es.

62. The souls engulfed in God who are thus lost in him are illuminated on the side by the light of Love, as the moon receives its light from the sun. The simple knowledge then received by them in this new light, from which they come and in which they dwell—this simple light then catches their darker half, so that the two halves of the soul become one; and then there is full light.

⁶² Die verswolghene zielen die aldus in hem verlo- ⁶³ ren sijn die ontfaen in Minnen hare ziele half, ⁶⁴ Alsoe de mane haer licht ontfeet vander zonnen. ⁶⁵ Die enighe kinnisse die si dan bringhen van dien ⁶⁶ nuwen lichte, danen si comen Ende daer si wonen, ⁶⁷ soe veet dat enighe licht dat ander ane, Ende soe ⁶⁸ werden die twee halue zielen een; ende soe eest tijt.

69. If you had demanded this light to choose your Beloved, you would be free. For these souls are united and clothed with the same light with which God clothes himself (Ps. 103:2).

⁶⁹ Haddi na dit licht ghebeidet v lief te kiesene, soe ⁷⁰ mochtijs vri sijn; Want si met dien eneghen lichte, ⁷¹ daer god hem seluen met cledet, vergadert ende ⁷² ghecleet sijn/.

73. How these two halves of the soul become one—there is much to say on this point. I do not dare to say anything more about it, for my sad lot with regard to Love is too hard; and besides, I fear that the aliens may plant nettles where roses should stand.

⁷³ Hoe dese twee halue zielen een werden, Daer ⁷⁴ hoert herde vele toe. || Ic en darre nummeer af  ^{[p. 166] 75} segghen/; Want mijn ongheual es te groet ter Min- ⁷⁶ nen, Ende oec om dattie vreemde netellen souden ⁷⁷ planten daer de rosen staen souden.

77. Here we now drop the subject. God is with you.

Daer laten ⁷⁸ wijt nv; god is met v.

VISION 7

Visioenen (¹⁹²⁴) – Hadewijch Van Mierlo,S.J. (Louvain)

On a certain Pentecost Sunday -  a vision at dawn.

 Matins were being sung in the church, and I was present. My heart and my veins and all my limbs trembled and quivered with eager desire and, as often occurred with me, such madness and fear beset my mind that it seemed to me I did not content my Beloved, and that my Beloved did not fulfill my desire, so that dying I must go mad, and going mad I must die. On that day my mind was beset so fearfully and so painfully by desirous love that all my separate limbs threatened to break, and all my separate veins were in travail.

^{[p.74] 1} TE enen cinxen daghe wart mi vertoent ² inde dagheraet/, ende mensanc mettenen ³ inde kerke / ende ic was daer /; ende mijn herte ⁴   endemijn aderen / ende alle mine lede scudden / [⁵] ende beueden van begherten/; ende mi was alst ⁶ dicke heeft gheweest/ Soe verwoeddeleke/ ende ⁷ soe vreeseleke te moede/ dat mi dochte, / ic en ⁸ ware minen lieue ghenoech /ende mijn lief en ⁹ uerwlde minen nyet, dat ic steruende soude verwoe- ¹⁰den ende al uerwoedende steruen/. ||Doe was mi van ¹¹ begherliker minnen/ soe vreseleke te moede/ ende ¹² soe wee/ dat mi alle die lede die ic hadde sonder-¹³ linghe waenden breken ende alle mine aderen ¹⁴ warensonderlinghen in arbeiden/.

14. The longing in which I then was cannot be expressed by any language or any person I know; and everything I can say about it would be unheard-of to all those who never apprehended Love as something to work for with desire, and whom Love had never acknowledged as hers. I can say this about it: I desire to have full fruition of my beloved, and to understand and taste him to the full. I desire that his humanity should to the fullest extent be one in fruition with my humanity, and that mine then should hold its stand and be strong enough to enter into perfection until I content him, who is perfection itself, by purity and unity, and in all things to content him fully in every virtue. To that end I wished he might content me interiorly with his Godhead, in one spirit, and that for me he should be all that he is, without withholding anything from me For above all the gifts that I ever longed for, I chose this gift: that I should give satisfaction in all great sufferings. For that is the most perfect satisfaction: to grow up in order to be God with God. For this demands suffering, pain, and misery, and living in great new grief of soul: but to let everything come and go without grief, and in this way to experience nothing else but sweet love, embraces, and kisses. In this sense I desired that God give himself to me, so that I might content him.

Die begherte ¹⁵ daer ic doe in was die es ontseggheleke enegher  ¹⁶ redennen / ocht yemens die ic kinne /; ende ¹⁷dat selue dat icker af segghen mochte ware ¹⁸ ongehoert vore alle die die minne nye en bekinden ¹⁹ met begherten werken/ ende die vore minne nye [p.⁷⁵] ²⁰ bekint en waren/. Aldus maghicker af segghen/: ²¹ Jc begherde mijns liefs te vollen te ghebrukene / ²² ende te bekinnenne ende te ghesmakene inallen ²³ uollen ghereke/; Sine menscheit ghebrukeleke ²⁴ mitter miere/ Ende de mine daer in te ghestane/ ²⁵ ende starc te wesene inonghebrekelecheiden te ²⁶ valne / dat ic hem weder / dat onghebrekeleke²⁷ ghenoech ware/: Suuer ende enech/ ende in allen ²⁸ te vollen ghereke ghenoech te doghene in elker ²⁹ doghet/. Ende daer toe woudic van binnen/ dat ³⁰ hi mi met siere godheit in eneghen gheeste ghe- ³¹ noech/ ende al ware/ dat hi es, sonder ontbliuen/. ³² Want die ghichte coesic meest bouen alle ghich- ³³ ten/ die ic ye ghecoes/: dat ic ghenoech ware in ³⁴ allen groten doghene; Want dat es dat volco-[p.⁷⁶] ³⁵ menste ghenoech doen te wassene god met gode ³⁶ te sine/. Want dats doghen/ ende || pine / ellende/ [³⁷] ende in groten nuwen vernoye te sine / ende dat ³⁸ al laten comen ende gaen sonder vernoyen / ende ³⁹ el en ghenensmake daer af te hebbene dan soete ⁴⁰ minne/ ende helsen ende cussen. Aldus begherdic ⁴¹ dat mi god ware hem mede ghenoech te sine.

42. As my mind was beset with fear, I saw a great eagle flying toward me from the altar, and he said to me: “If you wish to attain oneness, make yourself ready!”

⁴² Doe mi aldus vreeseleke te moede was/, Doe ⁴³ versaghic vanden outare comen gheuloghen te ⁴⁴ mi enen are die groet was/; ende hi seide mi:⁴⁵ Wiltu een werden / soe ghereide di /.

45. I fell on my knees and my heart beat fearfully, to worship the beloved with oneness, according to his true dignity; that indeed was impossible to me, as I know well, and as God knows, always to my woe and to my grief.

Ende ic ⁴⁶ stoent op mijn knien/,ende mijn herte gheberde ⁴⁷ vreseleke dat enechleke te anebedene/ na sine ⁴⁸ werde werdecheit/, dat doch mi onghereet ware/, ⁴⁹ dat wetic wel, wet god, altoes te minen wee ende ⁵⁰ te minen sware/.

50. But the eagle turned back and spoke: “Just and mighty Lord, now show your great power to unite your oneness in the manner of union with full possession!”

Ende gheen aer keerde segghen- ⁵¹ de/: Gherechte here ende moghende/, Nu tone ⁵² dine moghende cracht dijnre enecheit te eneghene [p.⁷⁷] ³ na ghebruken dijns selues/.

53. Then the eagle turned around again and said to me: “He who has come, comes again; and to whatever place he never came, he comes not.”

Ende hi keerde hem ⁵⁴ weder / endeseide te mi /: Die ghecomen es hi ⁵⁵ comt weder / ende daer hi nye en quam, daer ⁵⁶ en comt hi niet/.

57. Then he came to the altar, showing himself as a child; and that child was in the same form as he was in his first three years. He turned toward me, in his right hand took from the ciborium his body, and in his left hand took a chalice, which seemed to come from the altar, but I do not know where it came from.

⁵⁷ Doe quam hi vanden outare hem seluen toenen- ⁵⁸ de alse een kint/; Ende dat kint was van dier ⁵⁹ seluer ghedane/ dat hi was in sinen yerstendrien ⁶⁰ Jaren/; ende hi keerde hem te mi waert/ ende nam ⁶¹ vter ciborien sinen lichame in sine rechte hant / ⁶² ende in sine slinke hant nam || hi enen kelc / ⁶³ die sceen vanden outare comende/, maer ic en ⁶⁴ weet wanenhi quam/.

64. With that he came in the form and clothing of a man, as he was on the day when he gave us his body for the first time; looking like a human being and a man, wonderful, and beautiful, and with glorious face, he came to me as humbly as anyone who actually belongs to another. Then he gave himself to me in the shape of the sacrament, in its outward form, as the custom is; and then he gave me to drink from the chalice, in form and taste, as the custom is. After that he came himself, took me entirely in his arms, and pressed me to him; and all my members felt his in full felicity, in accordance with the desire of my heart and my humanity. So I was outwardly satisfied and fully transported. Also then, for a short while, I had the strength to bear this; but soon, after a short time, I lost that manly beauty outwardly in the sight of his form. I saw him completely come to nought and so fade and all at once dissolve that I could no longer recognize or perceive him outside me, and I could no longer distinguish him within me. Then it was to me as if we were one without difference. It was thus: outwardly, to see, taste, and feel, as one can outwardly taste, see, and feel in the reception of the outward sacrament. So can the beloved, with the loved one, each wholly receive the other in full satisfaction of the sight, the hearing, and the passing away of the one in the other.

Daer mede quam hi in die ⁶⁵ ghedane des cleeds / ende des mans dat hi was ⁶⁶ op dien dach/ doen hi ons sinen lichame iersten ⁶⁷ gaf, also ghedane mensche / ende man / Soete ⁶⁸ ende scoene / ende uerweent ghelaet tonende /, [⁶⁹] ende also onderdanechleke te mi comende / Alse ⁷⁰ een die eens anders al es/. Doe gaf hi mi hem ⁷¹ seluen in specien des sacraments in figurenalsoe ⁷² men pleghet/; Ende daer na gaf hi mi drinken ⁷³ vten kelke ghedane ende smake alsoe men ^{[p. 78] 74} pleghet /. Daer na quam hi selue te mi, ende ⁷⁵ nam mi alte male in sine arme / ende dwanc ⁷⁶ mi ane heme /; ende alle die lede die ic hadde ⁷⁷ gheuoelden der siere in alle hare ghenoeghen / [⁷⁸] na miere hertenbegherten/ na miere menscheit /. ⁷⁹ Doe werdic ghenoeghet van buten in allenvollen ⁸⁰ sade/. Ende oec haddic doe ene corte wile cracht ⁸¹ dat te draghene. maer saen in corter vren ver- ⁸² loesic dien sconen man van buten in siene in vor- ⁸³ men /, ende ic sachene al te niete werdene Ende ⁸⁴alsoe sere verdoiende werden / ende al smelten in ⁸⁵ een/, Soe dat icken butenmi niet en conste bekin- ⁸⁶ nen/ noch vernemen/, Ende binnen mi niet besce-⁸⁷ den/. Mi was op die vre ochte wi een waren sonder ⁸⁸ differencie/. Dit was al van buten in siene, in

^[p.^{79] 89} smakene/, in gheuoelne, Alsoe men smaken mach ⁹⁰ van ontfane || inden sacramente van buten /, Jn ⁹¹ siene ende in gheuoelne van buten/, Also lief ⁹² met lieue ontfaen mach in aller voller ghe- ⁹³ noechten / van siene / ende van hoerne, van ver- ⁹⁴ uaerne deen inden anderen/.

94. After that I remained in a passing away in my beloved, so that I wholly melted away in him and nothing any longer remained to me of myself; and I was changed and taken up in the spirit, and there it was shown me concerning such hours.

Hier na bleef ic in ⁹⁵ enen veruaerne in mijn lief dat ic al versmalt in ⁹⁶ heme/, ende mi mijns selues niet en bleef /; ende ⁹⁷ ic wart verwandelt / ende op ghenomeninden ⁹⁸ gheeste,/ ende mi wart daer vertoent uan selker ⁹⁹ hande vren.