A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom [12]
for bitter shame, may I raise my eyes.
Henceforth in joy and sorrow my mouth to Him must be dumb. O how narrow for
me is this wide world! O God, were I but in a wild forest, where no one
might hear or see me, but where I could cry aloud to my heart's desire, to
the relief of my poor heart; for other consolation I have none! O sin, to
what a pass has thou brought me! Woe to thee, thou false world! woe to him
that serves thee! How hast thou rewarded me, seeing that I am a burthen to
myself and thee, and ever must be. Hail, all hail to you, ye rich queens! ye
rich souls, who, by the misfortunes of others, have become wise; who have
continued in your first innocence of body and mind; how unwittingly blessed
ye are! O pure conscience! O free and single heart! how ignorant are ye of
the state of a heart oppressed and sorrowful through sin! Ah me, poor
spouse, how happy was I with my Beloved, and how little did I know it! Who
will give me the breadth of the heavens for parchment, the depth of the sea
for ink, leaves and grass for pens, that I may write fully out my desolation
of soul, and the irreparable calamity which my woeful separation from my
Beloved has brought upon me! Alas that ever I was born! What is left but for
me to cast myself into the abyss of despair?
Eternal Wisdom.--Thou must not despair. Did I not come into the world
for the sake of thee and all sinners, that I might lead thee back to My
Father in such beauty, brightness, and purity, as otherwise thou never
couldst have acquired?
The Servant.--O what is that which sounds so sweetly in a dead and
outcast soul?
Eternal Wisdom.--Dost thou not know Me? What! art thou fallen so low,
or hast thou lost thy senses, because of thy great trouble, my tender child?
And yet it is I, the all-merciful Wisdom, I Who have opened wide the abyss
of infinite mercy, which is, however, hidden from all the saints, to receive
thee and all penitent hearts. It is I, the sweet Eternal Wisdom, who became
wretched and poor that I might guide thee back again to thy dignity. It is
I, Who suffered bitter death that I might bring thee again to life. Lo, here
I am, pale, bloody, affectionate, as when suspended between thee and the
severe judgment of My Father, on the lofty gibbet of the cross. It is I, thy
brother. Behold, it is I, thy bridegroom! Everything that thou ever didst
against Me will I wholly forget, as though it had never happened, provided
only that thou return to Me, and never quit Me more. Wash thyself in My
precious blood, lift up thy head, open thy eyes, and be of good cheer.
Receive as a token of entire peace and complete expiation My wedding ring on
thy hand, receive thy first robe, shoes on thy feet, and the fond name of My
bride for ever! Lo, I have garnered thee up with such bitter toil!
Therefore, if the whole world were a consuming fire, and there lay in the
midst of it a handful of flax, it would not, from its very nature, be so
susceptible of the burning flame as the abyss of My mercy is ready to pardon
a repentant sinner, and blot out his sins.
The Servant.--O my Father! O my Brother! O all that can ravish my
heart! And wilt Thou still be gracious to my offending soul? O what
goodness, what unfathomable compassion! For this will I fall prostrate at
Thy feet, O heavenly Father! and thank Thee from the bottom of my heart, and
beg of Thee to look on Thy only-begotten Son, whom, out of love Thou gavest
to bitter death, and to forget my grievous misdeeds. Remember, heavenly
Father, how Thou didst swear of old to Noah, and didst say: I will stretch
My bow in the sky; I will look upon it, and it shall be a sign of
reconciliation between Me and the earth. O look now upon it, tender Father,
how cruelly stretched out it is, so that its bones and ribs can be numbered;
look how red, how green, how yellow, love has made it! Look, O heavenly
Father, through the hands, the arms, and the feet, so woefully distended, of
Thy tender and only-begotten Son. Look at His beautiful body, all rose
colour with wounds,
Henceforth in joy and sorrow my mouth to Him must be dumb. O how narrow for
me is this wide world! O God, were I but in a wild forest, where no one
might hear or see me, but where I could cry aloud to my heart's desire, to
the relief of my poor heart; for other consolation I have none! O sin, to
what a pass has thou brought me! Woe to thee, thou false world! woe to him
that serves thee! How hast thou rewarded me, seeing that I am a burthen to
myself and thee, and ever must be. Hail, all hail to you, ye rich queens! ye
rich souls, who, by the misfortunes of others, have become wise; who have
continued in your first innocence of body and mind; how unwittingly blessed
ye are! O pure conscience! O free and single heart! how ignorant are ye of
the state of a heart oppressed and sorrowful through sin! Ah me, poor
spouse, how happy was I with my Beloved, and how little did I know it! Who
will give me the breadth of the heavens for parchment, the depth of the sea
for ink, leaves and grass for pens, that I may write fully out my desolation
of soul, and the irreparable calamity which my woeful separation from my
Beloved has brought upon me! Alas that ever I was born! What is left but for
me to cast myself into the abyss of despair?
Eternal Wisdom.--Thou must not despair. Did I not come into the world
for the sake of thee and all sinners, that I might lead thee back to My
Father in such beauty, brightness, and purity, as otherwise thou never
couldst have acquired?
The Servant.--O what is that which sounds so sweetly in a dead and
outcast soul?
Eternal Wisdom.--Dost thou not know Me? What! art thou fallen so low,
or hast thou lost thy senses, because of thy great trouble, my tender child?
And yet it is I, the all-merciful Wisdom, I Who have opened wide the abyss
of infinite mercy, which is, however, hidden from all the saints, to receive
thee and all penitent hearts. It is I, the sweet Eternal Wisdom, who became
wretched and poor that I might guide thee back again to thy dignity. It is
I, Who suffered bitter death that I might bring thee again to life. Lo, here
I am, pale, bloody, affectionate, as when suspended between thee and the
severe judgment of My Father, on the lofty gibbet of the cross. It is I, thy
brother. Behold, it is I, thy bridegroom! Everything that thou ever didst
against Me will I wholly forget, as though it had never happened, provided
only that thou return to Me, and never quit Me more. Wash thyself in My
precious blood, lift up thy head, open thy eyes, and be of good cheer.
Receive as a token of entire peace and complete expiation My wedding ring on
thy hand, receive thy first robe, shoes on thy feet, and the fond name of My
bride for ever! Lo, I have garnered thee up with such bitter toil!
Therefore, if the whole world were a consuming fire, and there lay in the
midst of it a handful of flax, it would not, from its very nature, be so
susceptible of the burning flame as the abyss of My mercy is ready to pardon
a repentant sinner, and blot out his sins.
The Servant.--O my Father! O my Brother! O all that can ravish my
heart! And wilt Thou still be gracious to my offending soul? O what
goodness, what unfathomable compassion! For this will I fall prostrate at
Thy feet, O heavenly Father! and thank Thee from the bottom of my heart, and
beg of Thee to look on Thy only-begotten Son, whom, out of love Thou gavest
to bitter death, and to forget my grievous misdeeds. Remember, heavenly
Father, how Thou didst swear of old to Noah, and didst say: I will stretch
My bow in the sky; I will look upon it, and it shall be a sign of
reconciliation between Me and the earth. O look now upon it, tender Father,
how cruelly stretched out it is, so that its bones and ribs can be numbered;
look how red, how green, how yellow, love has made it! Look, O heavenly
Father, through the hands, the arms, and the feet, so woefully distended, of
Thy tender and only-begotten Son. Look at His beautiful body, all rose
colour with wounds,