Book One

One Should Receive This Book Eagerly,
For It Is God Himself Who Speaks the Words.

This book I hereby send as a messenger to all religious people, both the bad and the good; for if the pillars fall, the building cannot remain standing; and it signifies me alone and proclaims in praiseworthy fashion my intimacy.

All who wish to understand this book should read it nine times.


This Book Is Called a Flowing Light of the Godhead M.


"Ah, Lord God, who made this book?"


"I made it in my powerlessness, for I cannot restrain myself as to my gifts."


"Well then, Lord, what shall the title of the book be, which is to your glory alone?"


"It shall be called a flowing light of my Godhead into all hearts that live free of hypocrisy."

1. How Love and the Queen Spoke to Each Other

The soul came to Love, greeted her with great deference, and said:

"God greet you, Lady Love."

"May God reward you, Mistress and Queen."

"Lady Love, you are indeed perfect."

"Mistress and Queen, that is why I am above all things."

"Lady Love, you struggled many a year before you forced the exalted Trinity to pour itself utterly into the humble virginal womb of Mary."

"Mistress and Queen, that was to your honor and benefit."

"Lady Love, you have now come here to me and have taken from me everything I ever gained on earth."

"Mistress and Queen, you have made a happy exchange."

"Lady Love, you have taken from me my childhood."

"Mistress and Queen, in its place I have given you heavenly freedom."

"Lady Love, you have taken from me all my youth."

"Mistress and Queen, in its place I have given you many a holy virtue."

"Lady Love, you have taken from me possessions, friends, and relatives."

"Come now, Mistress and Queen, that is a petty complaint."

"Lady Love, you have taken from me the world, worldly honor, and all earthly riches."

"Mistress and Queen, I shall make that up to you in one hour with the Holy Spirit on earth, just as you wish it."

"Lady Love, you have brought me to such a pass that my body is racked by a strange weakness."

"Mistress and Queen, in exchange I have given you much sublime knowledge."

"Lady Love, you have devoured my flesh and my blood."

"Mistress and Queen, you have thereby been purified and drawn into God."

"Lady Love, you are a robber; for this as well shall you make reparation."

"Mistress and Queen, then take me."

"Lady Love, now you have recompensed me a hundredfold on earth."

"Mistress and Queen, in addition you may demand God and all his kingdom."

2. Concerning Three Persons and Three Gifts

God's true greeting, coming from the heavenly flood out of the spring of the flowing Trinity, has such force that it takes away all the body's strength and reveals the soul to herself, so that she sees herself resembling the saints, and she takes on a divine radiance. Then the soul leaves the body, taking all her power, wisdom, love, and longing. Just the tiniest bit of her life force remains with the body as in a sweet sleep. Then she sees one complete God in three Persons and knows the three Persons in one God undivided.


He greets her in courtly language that one does not hear in this kitchen, clothes her in the garments that one fittingly wears in a palace, and surrenders himself into her power. Then she can wish for and ask whatever she wants. It is granted her and she is enlightened. What she is not enlightened about is the first cause of the Three Persons. Then he draws her further to a secret place. There she is not permitted to beg on anyone's behalf or ask, because all alone with her he wants to play a game that the body does not know, nor the peasants at their plows, nor knights at their tournaments, nor his lovely mother, Mary—not even she may play it there.


Then she soars further to a blissful place of which I neither will nor can speak. It is too difficult; I do not dare, for I am a very sinful person. Yet when infinite God brings the unfathomable soul to the heights, she loses sight of the earth in her astonishment and is not aware of ever having been on earth. Just when the game is at its best, one has to leave it.


Then God in full vigor speaks: "Young Miss, you must go down." She shudders and laments 10 her banishment. She says: "Lord, you have raised me up so high here that I shall not be able to praise you in any fitting degree when in my body. Rather, I shall suffer as an outcast and shall struggle against the body." And he says:


"Oh, dear dove, Your voice is string music to my ears.Your words are spices for my mouth.Your longings are the lavishness of my gift."



She says: "Dear Lord, it has to be as the master of the house commands." And she sighs with all her might, which awakens the body.



Then the body speaks: "Well, woman, just where have you been? You come back so love-struck, lovely, and vibrant, free and witty. Your carrying on has cost me my appetite, sense of smell, color, and all my strength."


She says: "Shut up, murderer! Quit your bellyaching. I'll always be on my guard with you around. That my enemy has been wounded—what do we care about that? It makes me glad."
This is a greeting that has many streams. It pours forth from the flowing God into the poor, parched soul unceasingly withknowledge, in new contemplation, and in the special enjoyment of the new presence. O sweet God, inwardly on fire, outwardly blossoming, now that you have given this to the least, I would like to experience the life that you have given to your greatest. For that I would be willing to endure suffering even longer.


No one is able or is permitted to receive this greeting unless one has gone beyond oneself and has become nothing. In this greeting I want to die living. This the blind saints cannot ruin for me. They are the ones who love and do not know.

3. The Handmaids of the Soul and the Blow of Love

All holy Christian virtues are the handmaids of the soul. The sweet listlessness of the soul complains to Love of her troubles:


"Well then, dearest Maiden, for a long time now you have been my chambermaid. Now tell me, where is all this leading? You have hunted me, trapped me, bound me, and wounded me so deeply that I shall never be healthy again. You have meted out to me many a cudgel blow. Tell me, am I ever going to recover from you? If I were not going to be killed by your hand, it would be better for me never to have known you."


Love: "That I hunted you was my fancy.That I captured you was my desire.That I bound you made me happy.When I wounded you, you were joined to me.When I cudgel you, I take you into my power.I drove God the almighty from heaven,Took his human life,And returned him to his Father in honor.How do you, vile worm, expect to survive before me?"


The Soul: "Speak, my Empress, I fear a small secret medicineGod has often given to me that I might thrive even inyour presence."


Love: "If one does not want the prisoners dead,One gives them water and bread.The medicine that God has often given you


Is nothing other than a brief return to human life.But when your Easter Day comesAnd your body receives the death blow,Then I'll embrace you tightlyAnd permeate you utterly,
And I'll steal you from your bodyAnd give you to your Lover."


The Soul: "O Love, this letter I have written out of your mouth.Now give me, Lady, your seal."
Love: "Whoever has succeeded in loving God more thanselfKnows well where to get the seal.It lies between the two of us."


The Soul speaks: "Be silent, dear one, and speak no more.Dearest of all maidens, let all creatures, myselfincluded,Bow down before you.Tell my Lover that his bed is made ready.And that I am weak with longing for him."


If this letter is too long, this is the reason: I was on the meadow where I found flowers of all kinds. This is a sweet lament: Who dies of love shall be buried in God.

4. The Soul's Journey to Court During Which God Reveals Himself

When the needy soul comes to the court, she is judicious and refined. She gazes at her God in high spirits. Oh, how tenderly is she welcomed there! She remains silent, longing boundlessly for his praise. With great longing he reveals to her his divine heart. It resembles red gold burning in a great fire of coals. He places her into his glowing heart. When the exalted Sovereign and the little waif thus embrace and are united as water and wine, she turns to nothing and is transported out of herself. When she has no strength left, he is as lovesick for her as he always was; for he neither increases nor decreases. Then she says:


"Lord, you are my lover,My desire,My flowing fount,My sun;And I am your reflection."
This is the journey to court of a loving soul that cannot exist without God.

5. The Torment and the Praise of the Soul

My body is in great torment, my soul is in sublime bliss; for she has both gazed upon and embraced her Lover in her arms. He causes her, poor wretch, torment. When he draws her up, she flows. She cannot hold herself in check until he brings her within himself. She would like to speak but cannot, so utterly has she been enmeshed in sublime union with the awe-inspiring Trinity. Then he leaves her for a short while, that she might feel longing. She desires his praise but does not know how to find it as she would like. She would even want him to send her into hell that he might be praised beyond measure by all creatures. She looks at him and says to him, "Lord, give me your blessing." He looks at her, draws her up again, and gives her a greeting that the body cannot express.


Then the body speaks to the soul:
"Where have you been?I can't take it anymore."


And the soul says:
"Quiet, you are a fool.I want to be with my Lover,Even if it means you would perish.I am his joy, he is my torment."


This is her torment. May she never recover!
May you take this torment upon yourself as well,And may you never escape it!

6. The Nine Choirs: How They Sing

Now hear, my Beloved; listen with spiritual ears.
Thus do the nine choirs sing:


We praise you, Lord, that you sought us in your humility.We praise you, Lord, that you have kept us in your mercy.We praise you, Lord, that you have glorified us in your humiliation.We praise you, Lord, that you have provided for us in your generosity.We praise you, Lord, that you have arranged us in rank in your wisdom.We praise you, Lord, that you have shielded us with your might.We praise you, Lord, that you have sanctified us with your nobility.We praise you, Lord, that you have instructed us in your intimacy.We praise you, Lord, that you have elevated us in your love.

7. God's Curse in Eight Things

I curse you:May your body die.May your words perish.
May your eyes close.
May your heart dissolve.
May your soul rise up.
May your body remain.
May your human faculties perish.
May your spirit stand in the presence of the Holy Trinity!

8. The Most Lowly Praises God in Ten Things

O you burning Mountain.
O you chosen Sun.
O you full Moon.
O you bottomless Well.
O you unscalable Height.

O you Brightness without measure.
O Wisdom without ground.
O Mercy without restraint.
O Might without opposition.
O Crown of all honors!

The most lowly person you ever created praises you.

9. With Three Things You Dwell on the Heights

Those who are on fire in true love and build on the firm ground of truth and bear abundant fruit for a blessed end—they dwell on the heights.

10. Who Loves God Triumphs over Three Things

Whoever conquers the world,
And takes from his body all useless desires,
And overcomes the devil,
This is the soul that loves God.
If the world gives her a shove,
She does not suffer much.
If the flesh gives her a jolt,
The spirit will not get sick from it.
If the devil gives her a push,
The soul pays no heed.
She loves
And keeps on loving,
And she does not know how to do otherwise.


11. Four Battle for God

O dove free of gall.
O maiden free of blemish.
O knight free of wounds.
O liegeman free of hesitation.
These are the four whom God can count on in battle.


12. The Soul Praises God for Five Things

O Emperor of all honors.
O Crown of all sovereigns.
O Wisdom of all the learned.
O Giver of all gifts.
O Deliverer of all imprisonments.


13. How God Comes to the Soul

I come to my beloved as the dew upon the flower.


14. How the Soul Receives and Praises God

Ah, joyous sight!
Ah, lovely greeting!
Ah, dear embrace!
Lord, the wonder of you has overwhelmed me.
Your grace has crushed me.
O you lofty Crag.
You are so nicely honeycombed.
In you no one can rest but doves and nightingales.


15. How God Receives the Soul

Welcome, my precious dove.
You have flown so keenly over the earth
That your feathers reach to heaven.


16. God Likens the Soul to Four Things

You taste like a grape.
Your fragrance is like balsam.
Your radiance is like the sun.
You are an enhancement of my most sublime love.


17. The Soul Praises God About Five Things

O you pouring God in your gift!
O you flowing God in your love!
O you burning God in your desire!
O you melting God in the union with your beloved!
O you resting God on my breasts!
Without you I cannot exist.


18. God Likens the Soul to Five Things

O you beautiful rose among the thorns!
O you fluttering bee in the honey!
O you unblemished dove in your being!
O you beautiful sun in your radiance!
O you full moon in the firmament!
I cannot turn away from you.

19. God Caresses the Soul in Six Ways

You are my softest pillow,
My most lovely bed,
My most intimate repose,
My deepest longing,
My most sublime glory.
You are an allurement to my Godhead,
A thirst for my humanity,
A stream for my burning.


20. The Soul Praises God in Return in Six Ways

You are my resplendent mountain,
A feast for my eyes,
A loss of myself,
A tempest in my heart,
A defeat and retreat of my power,
My surest protection.


21. Of Knowledge and Enjoyment

Love without knowledge is as darkness to the wise soul.
Knowledge without its fruition she likens to the pains of hell.
Fruition short of death she cannot lament enough.


22. St. Mary's Message and How One Virtue Follows Another.

How the Soul Was Made in the Joy of the Trinity, and
How St. Mary Nursed All the Saints and Nurses Them Still
The sweet dew of the eternal Trinity gushed forth from the fountain of the everlasting Godhead into the flower of the chosen maid; and the fruit of this flower is an immortal God and a mortal man and a living hope of eternal life. And our Redeemer became a Bridegroom. The bride became exhilarated at the sight of his noble countenance:


Under this immense force she loses herself.In this most dazzling light she becomes blind in herself.And in this utter blindness she sees most clearly.In this pure clarity she is both dead and living.
The longer she is dead, the more blissfully she lives.
The more blissfully she lives, the more she experiences.
The less she becomes, the more flows to her.
The more she fears
The richer she becomes, the poorer she is.
The deeper she dwells,
the more she expands.
the more forbearing she is.
The deeper her wounds become, the more violently she struggles.
The more loving God is to her, the higher she soars.
The more radiantly she shines in the reflected effulgence of the Godhead, the closer she approaches him.
The more she labors, the more contentedly she rests.
the more she grasps.
The more quiet her silence, the louder she calls.
the greater the marvels she works with his strength in proportion to her power.
The more his desire grows, the more extravagant their wedding celebration becomes.
The narrower the bed of love becomes, the more intense are the embraces.
The sweeter the kisses on the mouth become, the more lovingly they gaze at each other.
The greater the distress in which they part, the more he bestows upon her.
The more she consumes, the more she has.
The more humbly she takes her leave, the sooner she returns.
The more ardent she remains, the sooner she bursts into flame.
The more she burns, the more beautifully she glows.
The more God's praise is spread abroad, the greater her desire becomes.

Tell me, where did our Redeemer become the Bridegroom?

In the joy of the Holy Trinity. When God could no longer contain himself, he created the soul and, in his immense love, gave himself to her as her own.

"What are you made of, Soul, that you ascend so high above all creatures, mingle with the Holy Trinity, and yet remain whole in yourself?"

"You have brought up the question of my origin. I shall tell you honestly: I was made by love in that very place. For that reason no creature is able to give comfort to my noble nature or to open it up except love alone."


"Holy Mary, dear Lady, you are the mother of this wonder. When did this happen to you?"


"When our Father's joy was saddened by Adam's fall, so that he had to become angry, the Eternal Wisdom of the almighty Godhead intercepted the anger together with me. The Father chose me for his bride—that he might have something to love; for his darling bride, the noble soul, was dead. The Son chose me to be his mother, and the Holy Spirit received me as his beloved. Then I alone was the bride of the Holy Trinity and mother of orphans, and I brought them before God's eyes so that they might not all sink down, though some did. When I was thus the mother of many a banished child, my breasts became so full of the pure, spotless milk of true, generous mercy that I suckled the prophets and sages, even before I was born. Afterward, in my childhood, I suckled Jesus; later, in my youth, I suckled God's bride, Holy Christianity, under the cross when I was so desolate and wretched, as the sword of the physical suffering of Jesus cut spiritually into my soul."


Both his wounds and her breasts were open.The wounds poured forth.The breasts flowed.The soul was invigorated and completely restoredAs he poured the sparkling red wineInto her red mouth.


As she was thus born and made healthy out of the open wounds, she was like a child, and very young. If she was going to recover completely after her death and birth, God's mother was going to have to be her mother and her nurse. This was and is as it should be, since God is her rightful father and she is his rightful bride. She resembles him in all parts.


"Lady, in your old age you suckled the holy apostles with your motherly instruction and with your powerful prayer, that God might reveal his honor and your will through them. Lady, thus did you suckle then and suckle still the hearts of martyrs with strong faith, the ears of confessors with holy protection, the virgins with your chastity, widows with constancy, married people with kindness, and sinners with patient hope."


"Lady, us, too, you must suckle, for your breasts are still so full that they are not likely to dry up. If you no longer wanted to suckle, the milk would cause you much pain. For truly, I have seen your breasts so full that seven streams pour out at one time from one breast over my body and over my soul. In that hour you relieve me of a labor that no friend of God can bear without inner suffering. In this same manner, you shall go on suckling until the last day. Then you shall become dry, for then God's children—and your children—will be weaned and fully grown for eternal life. Ah, then we shall know and see with inexpressible joy the milk and even the breasts themselves that Jesus so often kissed."

23. You Should Ask That God Love You Passionately, Often,and Long;

Then You Shall Become Pure, Beautiful, and Holy
Ah, Lord, love me passionately, love me often, and love me long.
For the more passionately you love me, the purer I shall become.
The more often you love me, the more beautiful I shall become.
The longer you love me, the holier I shall become here on earth.

24. How God Responds to the Soul

That I love you passionately comes from my nature,
for I am love itself.
That I love you often comes from my desire,
for I desire to be loved passionately.
That I love you long comes from my being eternal,
for I am without an end and without a beginning.

25. The Way to Suffer Pain Willingly for God's Sake

God guides his chosen children along strange paths. This is a strange path and a noble path and a holy path that God himself trod: that a human being, though free of sin and guilt, suffer pain. Upon this path the soul that aches for God is joyful, for by nature she is joyful to her Lord, who suffered much pain because of his good deeds. Our dear Lord, the heavenly Father, delivered up his most beloved Son to be tormented by the heathens and martyred by the Jews despite his innocence. Now the time has come when some people, who have the appearance of being religious, torment the bodies of God's children and martyr their spirits. For he wants them to resemble his beloved Son who was tormented in body and soul.

26. The Path upon Which the Soul Draws the Senses and Is Freeof Suffering of the Heart

It is a rarely traveled and lofty path upon which the devoted soul makes its way and guides the senses as one with sight guides a blind person. On this path the soul is free and lives without inner suffering, for she wants nothing but what her Lord wants, who arranges everything for the best.

27. How You Become Worthy of This Path and Keep to It and Become Perfect

Three things make a person worthy of this path—that one recognize it and enter upon it: first, that one submit to God relinquishing all human control, and that one piously hold on to God's grace and willingly keep it by being forgiving in all things as far as is possible for a human will. The second thing keeping a person on this path is that one welcome all things except for sin alone. The third thing keeping a person on this path is that one do all things equally for God's honor. Thus I think relieving my most basic need counts as much in God's sight as if I were in the highest state of contemplation that a human being can attain. Why? If I do it out of love in order to give honor to God, it is all one and the same. But when I sin, I am not on this path.


28. Love Shall Be Deadly, Boundless, and Unceasing;

This Is theFolly of Fools
I delight in loving him who loves me,
and I long to love him to the death, boundlessly, and without ceasing.
Be happy, my soul, for your Life has died for love of you.
Love him so fiercely that you could die for him.
Thus you burn ever more without ever being extinguished as a living flame in the vast fire of high majesty.
Thus you become full of the fire of love.
This makes you here utterly happy.
You can no longer teach me anything.I cannot turn away from love.I must be its captive.Otherwise, I cannot go on living.Where it dwells, there I must remain,Both in death and in life.
This is the folly of foolsWho live free of anguish.

29. The Beauty of the Bridegroom

and How the Bride Should Follow Him in Twenty-Three Steps of the Cross

Look at me, my bride.
See how beautiful are my eyes,
how comely is my mouth,
how on fire is my heart,
how agile are my hands,
and how swift are my feet.
So, follow me!

You shall be martyred with me, betrayed in jealousy, hunted in ambush, taken prisoner in hate, bound in obedience, your eyes covered so that one will not tell you the truth, slapped by the rage of the world, brought to trial in confession, struck blows by penance, sent to Herod in derision, stripped naked by abandonment, scourged by poverty, crowned with trials, spat upon by disgrace, bearing your cross in the hatred of sin, crucified in voluntary withdrawal from all things, nailed to the cross by the holy virtues, wounded by love, dying on the cross in holy constancy, pierced in your heart by constant union, taken down from the cross in true victory over all your enemies, buried in oblivion, arisen from the dead in a holy end, and drawn up into heaven in God's breath.

30. The Seven Hour

Matins: Love in abundance, a sweet delight.
Prime: Love's longing, a sweet burden.
Terce: Love's pleasure, a sweet thirst.
Sext: Love's feeling, a sweet cooling.
Nones: Love's death, a sweet distress.
Vespers: Love's flowing, a sweet pouring.
Compline: Love's rest, a sweet joy.

31. You Should Ignore Scorn

I was deeply scorned, and our Lord said: "Do not be much surprised. Since the precious unguent jar was utterly rejected and spat upon, what is going to happen to the vinegar jar, which has nothing of value about it?"


32. You Should Ignore Honors, Suffering, and Possessions.

Be Sad After Sinning If someone offers you honor, you should be ashamed.If someone makes you suffer, you should be glad.If someone does you a favor, you should be afraid.If you commit a sin against me, you should be sad in your heart.If you cannot feel sadness, then consider how greatly and how longI was saddened for your sake.

33. Concerning Food, Consolation, and Love

My soul spoke thus to her Lover:
"Lord, your generosity is food for my body wonderfully.Your mercy is consolation for my soul especially.Your love is repose for my being eternally."

34. In Suffering You Should Be a Lamb, a Turtledove,and a Bride

You are my lamb in your suffering;You are my turtledove in your sighing;You are my bride in your waiting.

35. The Desert Has Twelve Things

You should love nothingness.

You should flee somethingness.

You should stand alone
And should go to no one.

You should not be excessively busy

And be free of all things.

You should release captives

And subdue the free.

You should restore the sick

And yet should have nothing yourself.

You should drink the water of suffering

And ignite the fire of love with the kindling of virtue:

Then you are living in the true desert.

36. Concerning Malice, Good Works, and

Concerning a Marvel

With the malice of your enemies shall you be adorned.With the virtues of your heart shall you be glorified.With your good works shall you be crowned.With our mutual love shall you be raised on high.With my delightful marvel shall you be made holy.

37. The Soul Responds to God Saying She Is Unworthy

of These Favors

O dearly Loved One,

in undeserved humiliation I take delight.

Virtues of the heart are my desire.

Good works, alas, I do not have.

Our mutual love I sully.

Of your beautiful marvel I am utterly unworthy.

38. God Boasts That the Soul Has Overcome Four Sins

In heaven God boasts about the soul on earth that loves him and says:

"Look, how she who has wounded me comes ascending.She has cast from her the ape of the world.She has overcome the bear of wantonness.She has trod the lion of pride underfoot.
She has torn apart the jaws of the wolf of lustAnd, like the hunted stag, comes running to me, the spring.Like an eagle she rises out of the depths to the heights."

39. God Asks the Soul What She Is Bringing

"You rush restlessly about in your love.What do you bring me, my queen?"

40. She Replies:

Something That Is Better than Seven Things "Lord, I am bringing you my precious stone.It is greater than the mountains.It is wider than the world,Deeper than the sea,Higher than the clouds,Brighter than the sun,More numerous than the stars.It weighs more than the whole earth."

41. God Asks in Praise What the Precious Stone Is Called

"O image of my divinity,Glorified by my humanity,Adorned with the Holy Spirit:Tell me, what is your precious stone called?"

42. The Precious Stone Is Called Heart's Delight

"Lord, it is called my heart's delight,Which I have taken back from the world,Retained for myself,And denied to all creatures.But now I can carry it no further.Lord, where shall I put it?"

43. Put Your Delight into the Trinity

"The delight of your heartYou shall put nowhere else but into my divine heartAnd onto my human breast.There alone shall you be consoledAnd kissed by my Spirit."

44. The Sevenfold Path of Love, the Three Garments of theBride, and the Dance

"Ah, loving Soul, do you wish to know what your path shall be?"

"Yes, dear Holy Spirit, instruct me."

"When you have passed beyond the need of sorrow

and beyond the pain of confession

and beyond the travail of penance

and beyond the love of the world

and beyond the temptations of the devil

and beyond the influences of the flesh

and beyond cursed self-will that thrusts many a soul backward with such force that she never achieves genuine love; and when you have struck down all your many foes, then you are so weary that you say: 'Fair youth, I long for you. Where shall I find you?'

And the youth says:
'I hear a voice;

It speaks its piece on love.

I have courted her many a day,

But the voice never addressed me.

Now I am moved; I must hurry to her!

She is the one who bears anguish

And love joined together.'

In the sweet dew of the morning—

this is the cloistered inwardness that first enters the soul—

her chamberlains, the five senses, speak thus:

"Lady, you should dress yourself."

"Dear ones, where am I supposed to be going?"

"We have definitely heard it whispered about that the prince intends to come to you in the dew and in the delightful song of the birds. Alas, lady, do not tarry!"

Then she puts on the slip of soft humility, so humble that it cannot bear anything underneath it. Over it comes a white dress of spotless chastity, so pure that it cannot bear anything in thought, word, or touch that might soil it. Then she puts on the cloak of her good name, which she has gilded with all the virtues.

She enters into the woods, the company of holy people. There sings day and night the sweetest of the nightingales, the well-modulated union with God; and she hears many a sweet voice of birds, holy knowledge.

And still the young man did not come.

So she sends out messengers because she is eager to dance. She sent for the faith of Abraham and the longing of the prophets and the chaste humility of our Lady, St. Mary, and all the holy virtues of our Lord Jesus Christ and all the excellence of his chosen ones. Then a splendid dance of praise takes place.

The young man finally comes and says to her: "Young lady, my chosen ones have shown off their dancing to you. Just as artfully should you now follow their lead."

She says:
"I cannot dance, Lord, unless you lead me.

If you want me to leap with abandon,You must intone the song.

Then I shall leap into love,

From love into knowledge,

From knowledge into enjoyment,

And from enjoyment beyond all human sensations.

There I want to remain, yet want also to circle higher still."

And the young man has to sing thus:
"Through me into youAnd through you from me."

[The soul:] "Willingly with you,Woefully from you."

The young man speaks: "Young lady, you have done very well in this dance of praise. You shall have your way with the Son of the virgin, for you are delightfully weary. Come at noontime to the shade of the spring, into the bed of love. There in the coolness you shall refresh yourself with him."

The young lady says:
"Oh, Lord, that is too muchThat she be your partner in loveWho has no love in her,Unless she is moved by you."

Then the soul speaks to the senses, who are her chamberlains: "Now for a while I am weary of the dance. Leave me; I must go and refresh myself."

And the senses say to the soul: "Lady, if you wish to find refreshing coolness in the love tears of Mary Magdalene, they would certainly soothe you."

[Soul:] "Be still, my lords, you do not understand at all what I mean.Let me be on my own. For a time I want to drink undiluted wine."

[Senses:] "Lady, in the chastity of virgins great love is ready."

"That may be, but it isn't the noblest thing about me."

"In the blood of the martyrs you can cool yourself very well."

"I have been martyred so many times that I can't go there now."

"In the counsel of confessors the pure happily dwell."

"I shall always need counsel about what to do and what notto do; and yet I can't go there just now."

"In the wisdom of the apostles you will find much security."

"I have wisdom with me here. This shall always guide me tochoose for the best."

"Lady, the angels are radiant and of love's color. If you wish

to refresh yourself, rise up to them."

"The angels' bliss pains me in my love if I am not gazing

upon their Lord and my Bridegroom."

"Then refresh yourself in the holy austere life that God

granted to John the Baptist."

"The suffering I'm ready to bear, and yet the force of lovetranscends all austerity."

"Lady, if you want to refresh yourself in love, bow down to

the small Child in the lap of the eternal virgin; and taste

and see how the Joy of the angels sucked the unnatural milk."

"That is child's love, that one suckle and rock a baby. I am a full-grown bride. I want to go to my Lover."

[Senses:] "Oh, Lady, if you go there,

We shall go completely blind.

The Godhead is so blazing hot,

As you well know,

That all the fire and all the glowing embers

That make the heavens and all the saints glow and burn

Have flowed out from his divine breath

And from his human mouth

According to the plan of the Holy Spirit.

How can you stay there even for an hour?"

[Soul:] "A fish in water does not drown.

A bird in the air does not plummet.

Gold in fire does not perish.

Rather, it gets its purity and its radiant color there.

God has created all creatures to live according to their nature.

How, then, am I to resist my nature?

I must go from all things to God,

Who is my Father by nature,

My Brother by his humanity,

My Bridegroom by love,

And I his bride from all eternity.

Don't you believe I feel him intensely?

He can both burn powerfully and cool consolingly.

Now do not be overly sad.

You shall yet instruct me.

When I return, I shall certainly need your advice;

For the earth is full of snares."

Then the bride of all delights goes to the Fairest of lovers in
the secret chamber of the invisible Godhead. There she finds the bed and the abode of love prepared by God in a manner beyond what is human.

Our Lord speaks:
"Stay, Lady Soul."

"What do you bid me, Lord?"

"Take off your clothes."

"Lord, what will happen to me then?"

"Lady Soul, you are so utterly formed to my nature

That not the slightest thing can be between you and me.

Never was an angel so glorious

That to him was granted for one hour

What is given to you for eternity.

And so you must cast off from you

Both fear and shame and all external virtues.

Rather, those alone that you carry within yourself

Shall you foster forever.

These are your noble longing

And your boundless desire.

These I shall fulfill forever

With my holy hand."

"Lord, now I am a naked soul

And you in yourself are a well-adorned God.

Our shared lot is eternal life

Without death."

Then a blessed stillness

That both desire comes over them.

He surrenders himself to her,

And she surrenders herself to him.

What happens to her then—she knows—

And that is fine with me.

But this cannot last long.

When two lovers meet secretly,

They must often part from one another inseparably.

Dear friend of God, I have written for you this path of love.

May God infuse it into your heart! Amen.

45. The Eight Days in Which What the Prophets Longed For Was Accomplished

This is a day of longing and blessed joy in the Annunciation of Christ.
This is a day of peace and dear tenderness in the Birth of Christ.
This is a day of charity and blessed communion, Maundy Thursday.
This is a day of generosity and heartfelt love, Good Friday.
This is a day of might and happy joy, the Resurrection.
This is a day of faith and the pain of separation, the Ascension.
This is a day of truth and burning consolation, Pentecost.
This is a day of justice and the hour of truth, the Last Judgment.
This is a week whose seven days we should celebrate with constancy.
The eighth day our Lord wants to celebrate on the last day with us all.

46. The Diverse Adornments of the Bride;

How She Comes toHer Bridegroom;

and How the Retinue Is Composed, Which Is Ninefold

The bride is clothed with the sun and has trodden the moon underfoot, and she is crowned with union. She has a chaplain; this is fear. He has in his hand a golden rod; this is wisdom. The chaplain is clothed with the blood of the lamb and is crowned with honor; and wisdom is clothed with contentment and crowned with eternity. The bride has four bridesmaids. The first is love, who leads the bride. She is clothed with chasteness and is crowned with dignity. The second is humility, who holds the bride. She is clothed with lowliness and is crowned with eminence. The third bridesmaid is sorrow. She is clothed with small grapes and is crowned with joy. The fourth bridesmaid is mercy. She is clothed with unguents and is crowned with bliss. These two carry the coat of the bride, which is her holy reputation.

She has a bishop, which is faith. He brings the bride before the bridegroom. The bishop is clothed in precious stones and is crowned with the Holy Spirit. The bishop has two knights. The one is might and is clothed with battle and is crowned with victory. The other is daring and is clothed with boldness and crowned with all blessedness.

She has a chamberlain. That is watchfulness. He is clothed with constancy and is crowned with persistence. He carries a light before the bride and from behind her train. The light is understanding. It is clothed with insight and is crowned with generosity. The train is a holy conscience. It is clothed with good intention and is crowned with God's approval. She has a cup- bearer, which is longing. He is clothed with desire and is crowned with peace. She has a minstrel who is amiability. His harp is intimacy. He is clothed with favor and crowned with help.

The bride has five kingdoms. The first are her eyes. They are founded in tears and adorned with restraint. The second are thoughts. They are founded in struggle and are adorned with good counsel. The third is speaking. It is founded in usefulness and is adorned with trust. The fourth is hearing. It is founded in the word of God and is adorned with consolation. The fifth is touch. It is founded in strength and is adorned with noble habit. These five kingdoms have an overseer. This is guilt. He is clothed with confession and crowned with penance. She has a judge. He is clothed with discipline and crowned with patience.

The bride has a beast of burden. This is the body. It is bridled with worthlessness: contempt is its fodder and its stable is confession. The pack it carries is innocence. The bride has a crimson silk cloth, which is hope. It is clothed with truth and crowned with song. She has a palm in her hand, which is victory over sin. In her other hand she has a canister that is full of longing and love. This she wants to bring to her Lover. She is wearing a hat of peacock feathers, which are her good name on earth and high honor in heaven. She follows a path, which is meekness. This is clothed with honey and crowned with safety.

And she sings:

"Chosen Lover, I long for you.

You take and give me many a heartache.

I have from you, besides, invisible suffering.

If you, Lord, command,

I shall be freed from myself."

And he speaks:

"Dearest love, think of the hour

When you may grasp the full treasure.

Do not let the time seem too long.

After all, I hold you constantly

Embraced in my arms."
Then our Lord says to his chosen bride:
"Come, my beloved, come. You shall be crowned."

And he gives her a crown of truth that no one may wear but religious people.

On the crown one sees four virtues: wisdom and sorrow, longing and perseverance.

May God give us all this crown! Amen.

Book Two

BOOK TWO

1. Love Brings Elevation to the Soul, Not Inhuman Toil;

That Comes from Self-Will

The elevation of the soul comes about in love, and the glory of the body comes about in holy Christian baptism. There is no elevation beyond that of love, and outside Christianity there is no glory. For this reason they make great fools of themselves who imagine that they are scaling the heights with loathsome, inhuman toils, even though their hearts are full of rancor. They are entirely lacking in holy, humble virtues that beckon the soul to God. False righteouness likes to hide where self-will holds sway in a heart.

2. Two Songs of Love of Him Who Was Seen in Love

I would willingly die of love

If it could happen to me.

Him whom I love I have seen

With my beaming eyes

Present in my soul.

Any bride who has offered a dwelling place

To her love has no need to go far.

Love cannot easily disappear

Where the maiden oft pursues the young man.

His noble nature is quite ready to receive

Her eagerly and place her close to his heart.

This is easily missed by foolish people

Who are not willing to seek out the lover.

O noble Eagle,

O sweet Lamb,

O flaming Glow,

set me on fire!

How long must I be so dry?

An hour is much too hard for me,

A day is like a thousand years

When you are of a mind

To be far away from me.

If it were to last eight days,

I would rather go down to hell-

I'm there already—

Rather than that God be away from the loving soul.

That is anguish beyond human dying

And beyond the torments of hell.

Believe me!

The nightingale must ever sing,

For by nature it voices only melodies of love.

If that were taken from her, she would be dead.

Alas, great Lord, be mindful of my anguish!

The Holy Spirit said to the soul: "Ah, noble maiden, make ready; your Lover is about to come." This startled her, and she was inwardly glad and said: "Oh, dear messenger, if it would only happen! I am so worthless and so utterly faithless that I can never find rest apart from my Lover. Whenever I find that my love for him is growing cold I am utterly in torment, but resolve to follow him in sorrow."

The messenger said: "You must tidy up and wash. Prepare the bed and scatter flowers."

The lonely soul said: "When I tidy up, I must be ashamed.

When I wash, I must weep.

When I prepare the bed, I must hope.

When I break off flowers, I must love.

When my Lord comes, I take leave of myself;

For he brings me so many sweet strains with his strings

That it stops all impulses of my flesh.

And his strings are so full of all sweetness

That with his airs he relieves me of all interior suffering."

3. The Tongue of the Godhead, the Light of Truth, the Four Raysof God Shining into the Nine Choirs, the Trinity, and St. Mary

The great tongue of the Godhead has spoken many a mighty word to me. I took them in with the feeble ears of my lowliness; and the brightest of lights opened up to the eyes of my soul. In it I saw the indescribable order and recognized the inexpressible glory, the incomprehensible marvel, the special intimacy with separation, complete fulfillment, the greatest concentration in knowledge, bliss with interruption in proportion to the capacities of the faculties, unadulterated joy in the common union, and the ever vibrant life in eternity as it is now and ever shall be.
There also four beams were visible that shot forth continuously from the crossbow of the Holy Trinity from the divine throne through the nine choirs. There is no one, however rich or poor, whom the beam does not strike lovingly. The beam of the Godhead shoots incomprehensible light through them. Loving humanity greets them in fraternal company. The Holy Spirit touches them with the flood of the marvelous abundance of eternal bliss. Undivided God feeds them with the shimmer of his glorious countenance and fills them with the joyful breath of his flowing mouth. They glide effortlessly, as birds in the air do when not moving their wings, and they fly wherever they want, body and soul, and yet they remain separate in their own order.

The Godhead rings,Humanity sings,

The Holy Spirit plucks the harp of the heavens

So that all strings resound
That are strung in love.

Also visible was that same glorious vessel in which Christ dwelt in body and soul for nine months, as she shall always remain, but as yet without the great adornment that the heavenly Father shall give to the bodies of the blessed on the last day. Our Lady will be without it as long as the earth floats on the sea. One saw how beautifully our Lady stood at the throne to the left hand of the heavenly Father, revealed in all her maidenly being; and how her human body is bathed and formed in the noble light of the soul of our Lady; and how her lovely uncovered breasts are so full of sweet milk that drops flow forth in honor of the heavenly Father and as a favor to humankind, so that man might be perfect above all creatures. The noble princes, the archangels, are so utterly amazed that other princes, who are human, have ascended above them, that it is praiseworthy that evidence of our perfection is there.

On the right hand of our Lord stands Jesus, our Redeemer, with his open wounds bloody and unbandaged, ready to prevail over the Father's justice that severely threatens many a sinner. As long as sinning continues on earth, Christ's wounds shall be open: bloody, but not painful. But after judgment Christ shall put on such a garment as has never been seen, unless God revealed it, but this did not happen. Then the sweet wounds shall heal, as though a rose petal had been placed on the spot of the wound. One will then see the scars turned bright red—love's color; and they will never fade. Then the uncreated God shall make new all his creatures, so new that they can never grow old.

Now my German fails me; I do not know Latin. If there is something of merit here, it is not my doing; for there never was a dog so nasty that it would not come if its master coaxed it with a white breakfast roll.

4. The Poor Girl, the Mass of John the Baptist, theTransformation of the Host into the Lamb, the Beauty of theAngels, Four Kinds of Sanctified People, and the Golden Penny

How useful it is for a person to have good will, even though she cannot perform good works. This was revealed by our Lord to a poor girl when she could not go to mass because unfortunately she was not well enough for his service. Thus did she speak to God: "Alas, my dear Lord, am I going to be without mass today?"

While she was in this state of longing, God took away all her earthly senses and brought her miraculously into a beautiful church. She found no one inside. She thought to herself: Oh, you poor lazy thing, you've come too late. That you got up just now isn't going to do you any good here. Then she saw a young man come in carrying a bunch of white flowers. He spread them beneath the tower and went away. Then another youth came carrying a bunch of violets, which he spread in the middle of the church. Then a third youth came carrying a bunch of roses, which he spread decorously before the altar of our Lady. Then a fourth came carrying a bunch of white lilies and spread them inthe choir. When they had done this, they bowed reverently and went away. These youths were so noble and so beautiful to behold that, if a person could really see them, human bodily suffering could never be so great that all the suffering would not disappear. Then two school boys in white garments entered carrying two lights. They placed them on the altar. Then they withdrew properly and remained in the choir.

Then a fairly tall man came in, quite gaunt but not old. His clothes were so tattered that arms and legs showed through. He carried a white lamb on his breast and two cruets in his grasp. He went to the altar, placed the lamb on it, and bowed lovingly toward it. This was John the Baptist, who was going to sing the mass. Then a young man entered, quite delicate in his bearing, carrying an eagle on his breast. That was John the Evangelist. Then a simple man, St. Peter, entered. Then a strapping young man entered carrying a bunch of vestments, which the three men put on. Then a great throng came in. It was the mighty court of heaven that filled the church so full that the poor girl could not find a place where she might remain.

So she went back and stood beneath the tower, where she found a group of people dressed in white who did not have any hair. Instead, they wore simple crowns on their heads. These were those people who had not lived according to the law. They lack the ornament of hair, which is good works. How, then, did they get into heaven? By sorrow and good will at the hour of death. Farther away she saw people more beautiful, clothed in violet-colored garments. They were adorned with the lovely hair of virtue and crowned with God's law. She found people more beautiful still who were clothed in rose-colored garments. They wore the beautiful symbol of widows and the crown of freely chosen chastity.

The poor girl was wretchedly clothed and was physically ill. She was not able to remain in any of the three groups. So she went and stood in front of the choir and looked in to where our dear Lady was standing on the highest level. St. Catherine, Cecilia, bishops, martyrs, angels, and a large number of virgins were there. The poor thing looked at this imposing throng and then
looked at herself. Did she dare stay there in her wretched condition ? Suddenly she was wearing a deep red mantle woven out of love in proportion to the ardor of her faculties for God and all good things. The mantle was decorated with gold and also with a song that went: "I would willingly die of love." She saw that she was like a noble maiden and wore on her head a garland of splendid gold.

On it was inscribed another song that went:
His eyes into my eyes,

His heart into my heart,

His soul into my soul

Untiringly enclosed.

And her countenance resembled that of the angels. "Alas, foul puddle that I am, what is happening to me? Unfortunately I am not nearly as blessed as I saw myself there."

All who were in the choir looked at her with a friendly smile. Our Lady motioned to her that she should stand above Catherine. She went and stood next to our dear Lady, for it could indeed rarely happen that she might address and behold God's mother: "Oh, dear and noble Lady!" She considered it a great favor that the lowly crow might stand next to the turtledove. All who were in the choir were clothed in radiant gold and enveloped in soaring bliss, brighter than the sun.

Then the mass began thus: Let us all rejoice in the Lord. As often as our Lady was mentioned, she genuflected, while the others just bowed, because God had given her the greatest honor. Then the wretched girl who had come to mass said: "Oh, Lady, may I receive the body of God since there are no dangers here?" The mother of God said: "Certainly, dear child, make your confession." Then the queen of heaven signaled to John the Evangelist. He went out and heard the confession of the sinful girl. She asked him to tell her how long she would live. John said: "I am not permitted to tell you. God does not want me to. For if it were to be a long time, you might in your great sadness fall into deep depression. But if the time were to be short, you might in the sadness of your heart fall into a desire to live a long time."

Then John went to read the gospel, the Liber generationis. The poor girl said to our Lady: "Should I make an offering?" Our Lady said: "Yes, if you do not intend to take it back from him again." The poor girl said: "Dear Lady, you must give me this favor from God." Our Lady said: "Then take this golden penny—your self-will—and offer it to my glorious Son in all things." With good manners and in holy fear the little maid took the large penny. She examined what image had been struck on the penny. On it was Christ being taken down from the cross. On the back was the whole court of heaven with the nine choirs and God's throne above. Then the voice of God spoke to her: "If you are offering me this penny with the intention of never taking it back again, then I will take you down from the cross and take you to me into my kingdom."

After that, the same priest, who had been ordained by the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb, celebrated a low mass. When he took the white host in his hands, the lamb, which was standing on the altar, got up and, at the words under the signs of his hand, joined itself to the host and the host to the lamb in such a way that I no longer saw the host, but only a bleeding lamb hanging from a red cross. It looked at us with such sweet eyes that I shall never, ever forget it.

Then the poor girl begged our Lady thus: "Dear Mother, ask your glorious Son that he deign to give himself to me, wretched though I be." And she saw that a radiant beam shined forth from the mouth of our Lady onto the altar and touched the lamb with her prayer, so that God himself spoke out of the lamb: "Mother, I shall willingly put myself in the place you desire." The poor girl approached the altar with great love and an open soul. St. John took the white lamb with its red wounds and placed it between her teeth in her mouth. Then the pure lamb lay down onto its own image in her stable and began to suckle from her heart with its sweet mouth. The more it suckled, the more she gave it.

Now the person to whom this happened is dead and gone beyond.

May God help us that we might behold her in the company of the angels.

5. A Song of the Soul About Five Things, and

How God Is a Garment of the Soul and the Soul of God

You shine into my soul

Like the sun against gold.

When I may rest in you, Lord,

My joy is rich.

You clothe yourself with my soul

And you are her most intimate garment.

That there must be a parting between them—Never have I experienced greater heartache!

If you were to love me more intensely,I would certainly pass away

To where I could love you as I wish unceasingly.

Now I have sung to youAnd yet to no avail.

Were you to sing to me,I would have to succeed.

6. God's Singing Response in the Soul in Five Things

God: When I shine, you shall glow.

When I flow, you shall become wet.

When you sigh, you draw my divine heart into you.

When you weep in longing for me, I take you in my arms.

But when you love, we two become one being.

And when we two are one being,

Then we can never be parted.

Rather, a blissful abiding

Prevails between us.

Soul: Lord, then I shall persevere in hunger and thirst

In pursuing and in pleasure

Till that delightfilled hour

When from your divine mouth

The chosen words shall flow

That are heard by no one

But the soul alone

That has stripped itself of the earth

And puts her ear next to your mouth.

She, indeed, grasps the treasure of love!

7. In Suffering Praise God; Then He Will Appear to You.

The Two Golden Chalices of Suffering and Consolation I, sinful, lazy creature, was supposed to pray once; and God acted as though he did not want to give me any kind of favor. I wanted to give myself over to deep sadness because of the weakness of my flesh, which seemed to me to be an obstacle to spiritual pleasure. "No!" said my soul. "Keep in mind all his faithfulness and praise your Lord thus: 'Gloria in excelsis deo."

As I thus praised, a great light appeared to my soul, and in this light God revealed himself in great majesty and indescribable brightness. Our Lord held two golden chalices in his hands that were both full of living wine. In his left hand was the red wine of suffering, and in his right hand the white wine of sublime consolation. Then our Lord spoke: "Blessed are those who drink this red wine. Although I give both out of divine love, the white wine is nobler in itself; but noblest of all are those who drink both the white and the red."

8. Of Purgatory; a Person Released Hundreds of Hundreds of Souls from It with the Tears of Love

A person should pray very simply and with great intensity to God in heaven for the poor souls. Once God showed her the horrible purifying fire and the kinds of torment in it as varied as the sins punished there. This person's spirit was so fiercely moved that she embraced the whole of purgatory in her arms. She carried on caringly and pleaded lovingly. Then God spoke from heaven: "Stop that now! Don't inflict pain on yourself! You are making it too hard for yourself." The spirit lamented: "Alas, dear Lord, then free some of them!" Our Lord said: "How many of them do you want?" The spirit said: "Lord, as many as I am able to make reparation for in your goodness." Our Lord said: "Then take a thousand and lead them wherever you wish." Then, black, fiery, slimy, burning, bloody, stinking they rose out of the suffering. Again the person's spirit spoke: "Alas, my dear Lord, what is going to happen to these poor ones now? With such disfigurement they can never enter your kingdom." Then God inclined himself exceedingly low beneath his nobility and said something that serves to give much comfort to us sinners: "You should bathe them in the tears of love that now flow from the eyes of your body." Then there appeared a large round lake. They arose in unison and bathed in love, bright as the sun. The person's spirit felt indescribable joy and said: "Praised be you, dear Lord, by all creatures forever. Now they are suited for you in your kingdom." Then our Lord bowed to them from on high and placed the crown of love on them, which had freed them from thence, and he said: "You shall wear this crown forever so that all those in my kingdom might know that you were redeemed by tears of love nine years before your allotted time."

9. God Praises His Bride in Five Things

You are a light of the world.

You are a crown of virgins.

You are a salve of the wounded.

You are a pledge among the false.

You are a bride of the Holy Trinity.

10. The Bride Praises God in Return in Five Things

You are a light in all lights.

You are a flower above all crowns.

You are a salve on all wounds.

You are an unwavering pledge free of falsity.

You are an innkeeper in all hostelries.

11. Seven Kinds of Love for God

True love of God has seven approaches.

Cheerful love leads the way.

Fearing love takes on the task.

Strong love can accomplish much.

Loving love receives no honor.

Wise love has knowledge.
Free love lives without heartache.

Powerful love is forever happy.

12. Seven Kinds of Perfection

Willingly without honor,

Willingly unfeared,

Willingly alone,

Willingly quiet,

Willingly below,

Willingly high,

Willingly common to all.

13. Between God and the Soul There Should Be Love

Between God and you there should always be love.

Between earthly things and you there should be dread and fear.

Between sin and you there should be enmity and strife.

Between the kingdom of heaven and you there should be constanthope.

14. Where Bitterness, Low Spirits, Sickness, Terror, Sensitivity,

Distress, Forsakenness, and Inconsolability Come From

Bitterness of heart comes from humanity.

Low spirits of the body come from the flesh alone.

Agility of spirit comes from the nobility of the soul.

Terror in the face of punishment comes from guilt.

Sickness of the body comes from nature.

Distress of loneliness comes from fickleness.

Infrequent consolation comes from restlessness.

15. How One Wounded by Love Is Restored to Health

Whoever at some point

Is seriously wounded by true love

Will never become healthy again
Unless he kisses that same mouth

By which his soul was wounded.

16. The Seven Gifts of a Brother

The soul is boundless in her longing,

On fire in her loving,

Amiable in her bearing,

A mirror of the world,

Small in her greatness,

Reliable in helping,

Recollected in God.

17. How God Woos the Soul and Makes Her Wise in His Love

Thus does God woo the guileless soul and make her wise in his love:

"Ah, precious dove, your feet are red,

Your feathers are smooth,

Your mouth is well-formed,Your eyes are beautiful,

Your head is refined,

Your bearing is attractive,

Your flight is bold,

And you sink ever all too swiftly back to earth."

18. How the Soul Interprets God's Wooing in Eight Things

"Lord, my feet are stained with the blood of your true redemptive act.

My feathers have been smoothed in your noble choosing.

My mouth has been formed by the Holy Spirit.

My eyes are brightened in your fiery light.

My head is ennobled by your constant protection.

My bearing is attractive because of your generous gift.

My flight is made bold by your restless exhilaration.

My sinking back to earth comes from your being united with mybody.

The greater the freedom you give me, the longer shall I soar in you."

19. How Knowledge and the Soul Converse and How the Latter

Says That She Is Threefold.

Of the Three Heavens Knowledge speaks first:

"O loving Soul, I have beheld you.

You are quite wondrously lovely.

A light was given me that I might look upon you.

Otherwise, it never would have been my fortune.

There is a threeness about you.

You can indeed be God's image:

You are a virile vassal in battle.

You are a finely attired maiden in your Lord's presence in the palace.

You are an eager bride in your bed of love with God.

Loving Soul, in your battle you are armed with immense might

And with such great concentration of your faculties

That neither all the forces of the world

Nor all the aid of your fleshNor all the troops of the devil

Nor all the power of hell

Can bring you down from God's favor.

No one can boast of that any more.

You constantly defend yourself with flowers.

Your sword is the noble rose, Jesus Christ.

That is how you defend yourself.

Your shield is the white lily, Mary.

It does not do them a bit of good

That they attack you.

Rather, they thereby enhance your beauty

And increase immeasurably in you God's honor.

All who are pure and fight to the end

Shall receive ample recompense from the Emperor.

O overwhelmed Soul, what is your honor like

In the palace of the Holy Trinity, when you stand

Before your Lord so attractively adorned?"

"Lady Knowledge, you are wiser than I am.

Why are you asking me this?"
"Lady Soul, God has chosen you before all things.

You are my mistress and my queen."
"Lady Knowledge, I was born noble and free.

I cannot be dishonored

Because of whom alone I love.

And so I shall bring it about

That the Holy Trinity loves, cherishes, and honors me,

And everything in heaven and on earth

Shall forever be subject to me.

If I let love have power over me,

Giving it room,

So that it can bind me to holy patience

And so that my guilt may not increase,

Then it will lead me to noble meekness,

That I may be ready for all good things;

And it will yoke me to strict obedience,

That I shall become lovingly subject

To God and all creatures."

"Mistress Bride, would you say a word to me

About the ineffable intimacy that exists between God and you?"

"Lady Knowledge, that I shall not do.

Brides may not tell everything they experience.

Holy contemplation and precious enjoyment

You shall learn about from me.

My privileged experience of God must always be hidden

From you and from all creatures except for myself."

"Lady Soul, your marvelous visions and lofty words

That you have seen and heard in God—

If you move me to divulge just a little,

Then I shall cast the light of the Emperor

Into a dark and dank stable.

Cattle eat their straw contentedly.

But there are some who seem to be God's children

And yet thrust about like unfettered cattle

In the dark stable and say:

'What is the point of such swindle?

It was thought up by self-will

And carried out in fake holiness."

"Lady Knowledge, one finds it written

That St. Paul was taken up into the third heaven.

This never would have happened to him

If he had remained Saul.

If he had found the truth

In the first and second heaven,

He would never have climbed to the third."

"Lady Soul, there is a heaven

Which the devil made with his alluring false cunning.

There thoughts wander about with sad feelings,

And the soul remains completely unmoved

Because she does not find love corresponding to her nature.

The soul remains unconsoled there

And the simple faculties are deceived.

In this heaven the devil reveals himselfAs a radiant angel,

Even like God himself as to his five wounds.

Simple Soul, watch out!

The second heaven was created

By the longing of the senses

And by the first stage of love.

In this heaven there is no light;

The soul does not see God there.

Rather, she tastes an indescribable sweetness

That permeates all her members.

She hears as well a voice speaking of certain things

That she really wants,

For she is still joined to her earthly senses.

If she at this stage has not attained profound humility,

The devil brings his light there.

What then happens is not from God.

But if she has perfect humility,

The soul shall travel on to the third heaven

Where the true light is given to her."

Then the senses say: "Our lady, the soul, has slept since childhood.

Now she has awakened in the light of open love."

In this light she looks around herself to discover

Who that is who reveals himself to her,
And what that is that one is saying to her.

Thus does she see truly and understand

How God is all things in all things.

Soul: "Now I shall put aside all my cares

And go with St. Paul into the third heaven

If God in his love will beat down my sinful body."

This third heaven is vaulted, ordered, and illumined brightly with the Three Persons.

20. How Sister Hildegund Is Adorned in Heaven with ThreeMantles, with Seven Crowns, and How the Nine Choirs Praise Her On the feast of the holy virgin St. Barbara, Sister Hildegund received her glory. God revealed this to a lame dog who is as yet licking its wounds in wretchedness.

It happened thus while I was at prayer. I do not know whether heaven descended to me or I was drawn into the blissful house of God. There stood Hildegund before the throne of the heavenly Father, adorned as a new bride that the king had brought home. She had three mantles draped over her and wore on her head seven crowns, and the nine choirs offered her special praise. When I looked at her, I recognized her in all the gifts that she had received from God.

I was eager to speak with her and, in order to remain longer with her in this blissful state, I asked her: "Tell me, where did you get that rose-colored mantle?"

Hildcgund said: "I was a martyr in fiery love, so much so that often my heart's blood poured forth over my head."

Then I asked her further: "Where did you get this golden mantle that shines so splendidly?"

She said: "From the example of good works."

I said: "Where did you get this flowering white mantle?"

She replied: "From the overwhelming love, which I kept secretly in my soul and in my senses."
These were the seven crowns: the crown of constancy, the crown of holy faith, the crown of fidelity, the crown of generous mercy, the crown of holy understanding, the crown of love, and the crown of virginity.

Then I asked further: "Dear Sister, where is your crown of humility that is so becoming to religious persons?"

She answered: "I do not have it especially, nor did I ever attain it—just enough that God took away pride with it."

These seven crowns are all specially adorned with a garland of the dignity of pure noble chastity.

The nine choirs praise her for nine virtues thus: "We praise you for your sorrow,For your good will,For your truth,For your wisdom,For your sweet grieving,For your voluntary poverty,For your strength,For your justice."

The Seraphim praise her thus, for they are her equals: "We praise youfor your love, God's Queen."

The Thrones praise her thus: "We praise the bridegroom because ofthe beauty of the bride."
I asked her about many things which I shall now pass over in silence.Though the kingdom of heaven is colored by love,The kingdom of earth is, alas, quite changeable

For me and for many a person

Who never was taken up to heaven

Where one shall behold the truth.

21. If You Would Behold the Mountain, You Should

Have Seven Things

I saw a mountain—That took place very quickly,

For the body cannot endure

The soul's being there for an hour.

At its base the mountain was white, like clouds,

And high up at the summit, fiery bright as the sun.
Its end and its beginning

I could not find at all.

Inside, it playfully sparkled

And flowed golden in boundless love.

I spoke: "Lord, blessed are the eyesThat shall forever gaze upon this surging of loveAnd grasp this wonder.I can never describe it."

The mountain spoke: "The eyes that are to see me thus

Must be graced by seven things; otherwise,

They can never experience it.

These are: Slow to borrow, quick to pay back,

To hold back nothing for yourself,

To be kind in the face of hatred,

To be loving in the face of cruelty,

To be pure as to guilt

And ready for all one might receive."

22. How Contemplation Asks the Loving Soul About the

Seraphim and the Least of Men

"Lady Soul, would you rather be an angel of the order of Seraphim or a human being with body and soul in the lowest choir of angels?"

The Soul to Contemplation: "Lady Contemplation, you have certainly noticed that the Seraphim angels are exalted princes and that they are one love and one fire and one breath and one light with God."

Contemplation to the Soul: "Lady Soul, you have certainly noticed that the angels are simple persons and that they do not praise God nor love him nor know him beyond the limits of their nature. The least of human beings can catch up with them by Christian belief, sorrow, longing, and good will. It's just that the human soul cannot burn as intensely in the Godhead."

The Soul to Contemplation: "Lady Contemplation, you have certainly noticed that the Seraphim angels are God's children and yet his servants as well. The least soul is a daughter of the Father and a sister of the Son and a friend of the Holy Spirit and, indeed, a bride of the Holy Trinity. When the game is over, then let one see how the scales tip—the noblest angel, Jesus Christ, who soars above the Seraphim, who is undivided with his Father. Him shall I, the least of souls, take in my arms, eat him and drink him, and have my way with him. This can never happen to the angels. No matter how high he dwells above me, his Godhead shall never be so distant that I cannot constantly entwine my limbs with him; and so I shall never cool off. What, then, do I care what the angels experience?"

23. How Love Questions and Instructs Dull Souls and Would

Like to Bring Them to Their Lover and Begins to Speak; and

How the Dull Soul Responds

"Alas, foolish Soul, where are you, or what is your dwelling like, and what are you living for? Where can you find rest since you do not love your vibrant God more than your own will or beyond all your might?"

"Let me sleep. I don't know what you are talking about."

"One certainly has to wake the queen when the king intends to come."

"I am a member of a religious order. I fast, keep vigils, am free of serious sin; I am bound enough."

"What good does it do to bind an empty vessel if the wine still runs out? One has to fill it with the stones of external hardship and the ashes of transitoriness."

"I dwell in the comfort of my relatives and my dear religious friends. Besides, how can I enjoy loving someone I don't know?"

"What? You don't know how to recognize the Lord who has been spoken of so lovingly to you so often? You are more concerned about that mongrel body of yours than about Jesus, your sweet Lord; and so you are never going to win honor in his eyes."

"I live by my own will. That is what I like to do."

"If you want to render God genuine loyalty, for his love you should follow his spirit."

"I rest in the vigor of my body."

"You should be ashamed of yourself today in God's sight, that you call yourself a religious and yet busy yourself the whole time with your body."

"How am I supposed to stay well if I take on the burdens you involve?"

"Oh, traitor! He who made the soul so noble that she feasts on nothing but God—he will not let your body perish."

"You are rebuking me severely. If I knew where he was, I could yet change my ways."

"If you wish to dwell with him in noble freedom, you first have to clear bad habits out of this dwelling."

"If I knew what was best, I would choose the best."

"Alas! That many a man who is wise in learning and by natural good sense does not risk putting himself completely in the power of naked love! Rather, it is the simple and pure who seek God alone in all their actions to whom God, given his nature, must favorably incline."

"I imagined that, having entered religious life, I had climbed high enough."

"What good does it do to put fine clothes on a sleeping man and set gourmet food before him? As long as he is asleep, he can't eat anyway. Ah, my love, let me awaken you."

"Well then, tell me where his dwelling is."

"There is no other Lord that dwells in all his castles at the same time but him alone. He lives in the peace of holy affection and whispers to his beloved in the narrow confines of the soul. He also embraces her in the noble comfort of his love. He greets her with his loving eyes when they earnestly gaze at one another with love. He kisses her passionately with his divine mouth. You are happy, more than happy in this most glorious hour. He caresses her, as well he can, on the bed of love. Then she rises to the heights of bliss and to the most exquisite pain when she
becomes truly intimate with him. Ah, dear Soul, let yourself be loved and don't fiercely fend it off."

"Who are those who defend themselves fiercely?"

"Those who pester others and themselves with their own spitefulness. Now I shall tell you who he is. He is the loftiest of all pinnacles, and this same loftiest of all pinnacles bent down into the deepest of all valleys, and this deepest of all valleys ascended onto the highest of all pinnacles.

O dull Soul, look all around you and open your blind eyes."

"If he has climbed down from the highest pinnacle for love of me and given himself along with all creatures to me totally, and if he does not now intend to withdraw his goodness from me, then I might well be ever ashamed in his sight that I was never quite willing to give up my worthless copper in return for his precious gold. Alas, where have I been, poor blind me, that I have lived so long without strong love? With it I can indeed conquer all my troubles in spite of all my enemies. Poor wretch, although I have missed much that is good, I shall nevertheless still go out from all things and into God. O Love, will you still receive me?"

"Yes, I shall God has never denied himself to anyone. This is an equal balance: If you want to have love, you must leave love."

24. How the Loving Soul Joins the Company of God and His

Chosen Dear Ones and Shall Be Equal to All the Saints.

How theDevil and the Soul Talk to Each Other

Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, that you suffered despite your guiltlessness gives me consolation, for in all that I suffer I am guilty; and your salvific death keeps my memory of you alive, and your immaculate blood has coursed through my soul.

Mary, dear Mother, I stand next to you under the cross with all my Christian faith, and the sword of holy sorrow cuts through my soul because so many of those who have the appearance of religious persons are so unreliable.

John the Baptist, I was taken prisoner with you because the
treacherous slut of deceitfulness killed the word of God in my mouth.

John the Evangelist, I fell asleep with you in tender love on the breast of Jesus Christ, and then I saw and heard there such glorious marvels that my body often took leave of itself.

Peter, I have been crucified with you because things never go right for me as a human being, and spiritually I am often in pain for the praise of Jesus Christ.

Paul, I was miraculously caught up with you and saw such a house that nothing has ever surprised me as much as the fact that I have been able since then to remain a living person. When I recall that the heavenly Father is the blessed chalice-bearer there and Jesus the chalice, the Holy Spirit the unadulterated wine, and how the whole Trinity is the full chalice and love the mistress in charge of the wine cellar, then, God knows, I would be happy indeed if love would invite me into the house. But for now I am happy to drink gall here. Ah, dear Jesus, reward all those lovingly who have here poured out bitterness for me to drink, for they have made me rich in divine favors. I received a chalice filled with gall that was so powerful that it utterly permeated my body and soul. And so I offered special prayers to God for the pourer, that he would pour out for him celestial wine.

And indeed, he did so, saying: "Noble Maiden, be of good cheer. The magnitude of my wonder shall come over you. Lions shall fear you. Bears shall accept your dominion over them. Wolves shall flee you. The lamb shall be your companion." I am certain of this and, up until now it has turned out that I have had to drain many a chalice of gall because, alas, the devil still has many a one among religious people willing to pour it out. They are so full of poison that they cannot drink it all up by themselves, but must pour it out maliciously for God's children.

Stephen, I kneel next to you in front of Jewish hearts under the sharp stones, for they fall upon me large and small. Those who appear to be good people stone me from the back and run away and do not want me to know anything about its having befallen me because of them: but God saw it.

Lawrence, I was bound next to you for more than twenty years on a horrible gridiron, but God preserved me unburned and freed me more than seven years ago.

Martin, I live with you in obscurity and God's true love martyred me beyond all adversity.

Dominic, my dear Father, I have something in common with you because I have desired many a day that the sinful blood of my heart might flow beneath the feet of disbelieving heretics.

Catherine, I go with you into battle because the lords of hell want to bring me down. One of them came to me splendorous as the radiance of the sun so that I might know that he was an angel.

He was carrying a shining book and said:
"Go ahead and take this kiss of peace, when you cannot make it to mass."

The soul spoke with deliberate prudence: "He who has no peace himself, cannot bestow peace on me."

He went away and transformed himself and returned looking like a very wretched, sickly man whose guts were falling out and said: "Oh, you are so holy. Heal me."

The soul spoke again: "He who is himself sick cannot heal anyone."

"It is written: Who can do it better should help the other."

"It is also written: One should not help anyone against God."

"What one does for good is not against God."

"If there is nothing good about something, no one can achieve something good in its regard. You have an everlasting sickness. If you want to recover, go and show yourself to a priest or a bishop or an archbishop or the pope. I have no power except that of being able to sin." The he replied in rage: "That I will never do!"

Then he became like black smoke and comported himself indecently and disappeared. But I am not afraid of him.

Mary Magdalene, I live with you in the desert wilderness, because all things are foreign to me except God alone.

Lord heavenly Father, between you and me there goes unceasingly an imperceptible breath in which I come to know and see many marvels and inexpressible things. Unfortunately, they do me little good because I am such a worthless vessel that cannot endure your slightest spark. Unbound love dwells in the senses because it is still mixed in such a way with earthly things that a person can cry out: "Love is in grace, distant in the senses and has, alas, not yet climbed atop the soul." Many people have fallen because their soul remained unwounded.

Solomon and David received the Holy Spirit in their human senses, but when the senses changed, they fell into false love. God knows, their soul had not sunk into the lowest depths beneath all creatures nor was it wounded by the powerful part of love, for he who never tasted the best wine often whoops it up the most. Bound love dwells in the soul and transcends human senses and concedes the body nothing it wants. It is restrained and very calm. It lowers its wings and listens for the inexpressible voice and gazes into the incomprehensible light and works with great desire to achieve the will of its Lord. If the body can still flap its wings, the soul can never reach the heights that are attainable for human beings. In this bound love the wounded soul becomes rich and her external senses very poor because the more riches God finds in her, the deeper she humbly lowers herself because of the true nobility of her love. I cannot imagine a person bound by the deepest stirrings of powerful love falling into serious sin; for the soul is bound, she has to love. May God thus bind us all!

25. The Lament of the Loving Soul; How God Protects Her and

Withdraws His Gift from Her.

Concerning Wisdom,

How theSoul Asks God How She Is

and Where He Is.

Concerning theOrchard,

Flowers,

and the Song of the Virgins

"Oh, you treasure beyond reckoning in your abundance!

Oh, you incomprehensible marvel in your variety!

Oh, you infinite glory in the power of your nobility!

How painfully I long for you

When you want to spare me;

This all creatures would not be able to express to you fully

If they were to lament on my behalf;

For I suffer inhuman anguish.

Human death I would find more pleasant.

I seek you with my thoughts

As a maiden secretly does her lover.

I shall fall terribly sick from this,

For I am bound to you.

The bond is stronger than I am,

Thus I cannot become free of love.

I cry out to you in great longing,

A lonely voice;

I hope for your coming with heavy heart,

I cannot rest,

I am on fire,

Unquenchable in your burning love.

I pursue you with all my might.

If I had the strength of a giant

And if I got onto your trail,

Still I would quickly lose your tracks.

Please, my Love, run not so far ahead of me

And tarry a while in love,

So that I can catch you.

Please, Lord, just as you have taken from me all things that I have

from you,

Leave me, at least, through grace that same gift

That you have given to dogs through their nature-

That I might be loyal to you in my misery,

Free of all discontent.

This I do indeed desire

More than I yearn for heaven."

"My dear Dove, now listen to me!

My divine wisdom is so utterly upon you

That I direct all my gifts to you,

As much as your frail body can bear.

Your secret sighs shall reach me.

Your heart's anguish can compel me.

Your sweet pursuit shall so exhaust me

That I shall yearn to cool myself

In your limpid soul,

To which I have been bound.

The sighs and tremors of your wounded heart

Have driven out my justice from you.

That suits you quite well, as it does me:
I cannot be without you.

No matter how far we are apart,

We can still never be really separated.

No matter how softly I caress you,

I inflict immense pain on your poor body.

If I were to surrender myself to you continuously,

as you desire,

I would lose my delightful dwelling place on earth within you,

For a thousand bodies cannot fully satisfy the longings of a soul in

love.

And so, the higher the love, the holier the martyr."

"O Lord, you pamper to excess my dank prison,

In which I drink the water of the world and eat in great misery

The ash cake of my frailty,

And am wounded to the death

By the beam of your fiery love.

Now you leave me, Lord, lying in my misery,

My wounds untended, in great torment."
"Queen dear to my heart,Must you always be so impatient?

When I wound you most deeply,

I immediately apply salve most tenderly.

The abundance of my riches is yours alone,

And even over me shall you hold sway.

You are very dear to my heart.

If you have the scales, I have the gold.

All that you have done for my sake, renounced, or suffered,

I shall balance off completely and shall give myself to you forever

Expecting nothing in return, just as you will."

"Lord, two things I ask you;

In your kindness instruct me:

When my eyes weep in loneliness,

And my mouth remains mute in its simplicity,

And my tongue is constricted in affliction,

And my senses ask me again and again

What is wrong with me,

Then, Lord, everything in me is directed toward you.

When my flesh wastes away,

My blood dries up, my bones torture me,
My veins contract,And my heart melts out of love for you,

And my soul roars

With the bellowings of a hungry lion,

Tell me, dearest One,

What will it be like for me then,

And where will you be?"

"You are like a new bride

Whose one and only lover has slipped away as she slept.

She had entrusted him with all her love

And simply cannot endure his parting from her for one hour.

When she then awakens, she can only have as much of him

As she can carry in her thoughts.

That is the source of all her lament.

As long as his bride has not been delivered to his house,

She must often be apart from her young man.

I come to you at my pleasure, when I will.

If you are patient and calm,

And hide your cares where you can,

Then the power of love shall grow in you.

Now let me tell you where I shall then be:

I am in myself in all places and in all things,

As I always have been eternally,

And I shall be waiting for you in the orchard of love

And shall pluck for you the flowers of sweet union

And shall make a bed for you out of the soft grass of holy knowledge,

And the bright sun of my eternal Godhead

Shall make you radiant with the secret wonder of my attractiveness—

A bit of which you have intimately revealed—

And I shall bend down for you the towering tree of my Holy Trinity.

Then you shall pick the green, white, and red apples of my succulent

humanity,

And the shadow of my Holy Spirit shall protect you

From all earthly sadness.

Then you will have no thought of your heartache.

When you embrace the tree,

I shall teach you the song of the virgins—

The melody, the words, the dulcet sounds,

Which those cannot understand in the least
Who have led unchaste lives.

Still they shall receive sweet compensation.

Beloved, begin the song and let me hear how well you sing."

"Alas, my dear Lover, I am hoarse in the throat of my chastity,

But the sugar of your sweet kindness

Has let my voice resound, so that I can now sing thus:

Lord, your blood and mine are one, untainted.

Your love and mine are one, inseparable.

Your garment and mine are one, immaculate.

Your mouth and mine are one, unkissed.

Your breast and mine are one, not caressed

By any man but you alone."

These are the words of the song.

The voice of love and the melody of the heart must be left unrendered,

For they can be captured by no merely human hand!

26. About This Book and the Writers of This Book

I was warned against writing this book.

People said:If one did not watch out,

It could be burned.

So I did as I used to do as a child.

When I was sad, I always had to pray.

I bowed to my Lover and said: "Alas, Lord,

Now I am saddened all because of your honor.

If I am going to receive no comfort from you now,

Then you led me astray,

Because you are the one who told me to write it."

At once God revealed himself to my joyless soul, held this book in his right hand, and said:
"My dear One, do not be overly troubled.

No one can burn the truth.

For someone to take this book out of my hand,

He must be mightier than I.

The book is threefold
And portrays me alone.

The parchment that encloses it indicates my pure, white, just humanity

That for your sake suffered death.

The words symbolize my marvelous Godhead.

It flows continuously

Into your soul from my divine mouth.

The sound of the words is a sign of my living spirit

And through it achieves genuine truth.

Now, examine all these words—

How admirably do they proclaim my personal secrets!

So have no doubts about yourself!"

"Ah, Lord, if I were a learned religious man,

And if you had performed this unique great miracle using him,

You would receive everlasting honor for it.

But how is one supposed to believe

That you have built a golden house on filthy sludge

And really live in it with your mother, with all creatures, and with your

heavenly court?

Lord, earthly wisdom will not be able to find you there."

"Daughter, many a wise man, because of negligence

On a big highway, has lost his precious gold

With which he was hoping to go to a famous school.

Someone is going to find it.

By nature I have acted accordingly many a day.

Wherever I bestowed special favors,

I always sought out the lowest, most insignificant, and most unknownplace for them.

The highest mountains on earth cannot receive the revelations of my

favors

Because the course of my Holy Spirit flows by nature downhill.

One finds many a professor learned in scripture who actually is a fool

in my eyes.

And I'll tell you something else:

It is a great honor for me with regard to them, and it very much

strengthens Holy Christianity

That the unlearned mouth, aided by my Holy Spirit, teaches thelearned tongue."

"Alas, Lord, I sigh, desire,

And beg on behalf of your writers

Who write this book after me,

That you see fit to give them, too, as a reward

A favor that has never been bestowed on human beings.

Lord, your gifts are a thousand times more numerous

Than your creatures who might receive them."

Our Lord said:"They have written it in gold letters.

All these words shall appear written on their outermost garments,

forever visible in my kingdom

In heavenly shining gold above all their adornment,

Because to love freely must always be the highest value for people."

As our Lord was speaking these words to me, I saw glorious truth in its eternal excellence.

O Lord, I beg that you preserve

This book from the eyes of evil cunning,

For this has come among us from hell.

It was never taken from heaven;

It was begotten in Lucifer's heart

And was born of spiritual pride

And was arrogant with hate

And has grown so large in powerful rage

That it imagines that no virtue is its equal.

So must God's children perish

And allow themselves to be oppressed in degradation

If they want to receive the highest honors with Jesus.

A holy watchfulness we must keep about ourselves at all times

To preserve ourselves from shortcomings.

A loving watchfulness we should have toward our fellow Christians

When they blunder, that we say to them only

That which bespeaks our good intentions toward them.

This can keep us from much wasted speech. Amen.