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Chapter 68LlullArbreAmor.1.68

1. De liberalitat d'amor

The Obligation of Love

Love teaches the Friend that the Beloved's liberality in creating him and giving him human nature obliges him to honor, love, and serve, and the Friend responds that moral goodness and loving participation in the Beloved bind him even more.

Love and the Friend were talking about the Beloved's liberality and generosity, and Love told the Friend that just as it was a great good for him to exist rather than not exist, and to be a human rather than a snake or a donkey, so the Beloved was liberal toward him out of His great goodness, because He had willed to create him and had given him human being. "And for this reason, Friend," said Love, "you're deeply obligated to honor, love, and serve your Beloved, and to be liberal with temporal goods toward your neighbor, according to the great natural goodness that God, who is your Beloved, has given you." The Friend told Love that he spoke the truth, and said he felt far more obligated and bound to honor, love, and serve his Beloved because he loved with moral goodness than for all the natural goodness God had given him; for his good and great loving was worth more than his humanity or all the temporal goods God had given him, because through his loving he shared in his Beloved, and through his good and great loving he went to see his Beloved.1

Loving for the Beloved's Own Goodness

Love declares that the Friend is bound to honor and serve the Beloved above all for His own infinite, eternal goodness, which surpasses every created good.

2. Friend, Love said: there is still2 i.3 another greater degree by which you are bound to honor, love, and serve your Beloved than by any other reason—namely, that you should love, honor, and serve your Beloved properly and especially for his own goodness, for it is more lovable than every goodness that has been created, and still more than all other things; for the divine goodness is infinite, eternal, and of complete perfection, and all creatures are limited, begun, and brought to an end.4

Gifts of Nature and Grace

The Friend acknowledges his debt for the gifts of nature and the hope of glory, and Love teaches that the moral and virtuous use of these gifts binds him even more than the natural gifts themselves.

3. "Love," said the Friend, "I am deeply bound to be generous in my love, and to give to God and to my neighbor, because God, my Beloved, has given me His love, since He wills to love me, and has given me a human nature that after the resurrection will be made everlasting in glory, of which my Beloved gives me hope; and moreover, my Beloved has given me the power to sense, imagine, understand, and remember, which are such great gifts that I would not sell them for all the gold, silver, or honor of this world."5 4. Friend, said Love: your Beloved is still more generous toward you for the moral, virtuous, and true remembering, understanding, loving, imagining, and sensing he has given you than for the natural power to understand and love and remember and sense that he has given you; for by moral virtues and truths you are more loved by your Beloved than for all the natural goods he has given you.6

The Divine Dignities

The Friend declares himself bound by the Beloved's eternal attributes, and Love affirms that the Beloved's intrinsic works of goodness, greatness, and the like surpass all created gifts.

5. "Love," said the Friend, "I still feel more bound to honor, love, and serve my Beloved for His eternity, power, wisdom, will, virtue, truth, glory, and love than for everything He has given me or could give me." 6. What the Friend said about his Beloved greatly pleased Love, and Love told the Friend that he was more obligated to honor, serve, remember, understand, and love his Beloved because of the works the Beloved has in himself—by his goodness, greatness, eternity, power, wisdom, will, virtue, glory, and love—than for everything he had given him; for the mere making-good that God has in himself by his goodness is worth more, beyond all comparison, and likewise his magnifying, which he has by his greatness, and likewise the others, than all he has created.78

The Liberality of Creation and Mercy

Love reveals the Beloved's liberality in giving all creatures to serve humankind, in forgiving sinners through mercy, and in raising the repentant above the heavens.

7. The friend thought for a long time about what Love was saying to him, and he said that he couldn't conceive or estimate how deeply he was obligated to remember, understand, love, honor, praise, and serve his Beloved, and to honor Him with all his power; and he said these words to Love: "Love, is there in the Beloved any other generosity for which I should love, remember, understand, honor, and serve Him greatly, besides those we've already spoken of?"9 "Friend," said Love, "consider how generous God is to humankind through all His creatures; for He has created and given to humankind the sun, the moon, and all the stars, and the elements, metals, herbs, trees, fish, birds, and beasts, and He makes all their natures work together to serve humankind; and consider how many sinful people there are who are disobedient and opposed to God, and who do Him great dishonor—and yet God gives them His gifts and honors them in this world through His creatures."10 See, friend, how God has set many things in motion to serve humankind, and consider how generous God is with His compassion and mercy, which are how He forgives sinners, whom He asks to leave sin out of love for Him and to reach the end for which He created them. Consider with love how God calls human beings—who through sin are lower than the beasts by nature—to become, through gift and pardon, greater than all the heavens, the sea, and every other elemental thing.11 Consider also how God is just as ready to forgive sinners through the generosity of mercy and compassion as He is just, through His justice, in giving glory to the righteous.

The Unspoken Two Manners of Generosity

Love hints at two greater manners of generosity that cannot be spoken of in a common book, and the Friend weeps that they are not known and loved by all.

8. "Friend," said Love: Two manners of generosity your Beloved has, which I don't want to recall or speak of in this book that is common to all people—to Christians, Jews, Saracens, and pagans—because it is about the philosophy of love; and those121314 Two Manners are greater than all the other manners of generosity that God can have, and not even all the people who have been created could describe them, given how good, great, powerful, and virtuous they are. When the Friend understood the two manners of generosity that Love understood about his Beloved, and he considered them at length, and he wept because they were not known and loved by all people, since a person is created above all to know, remember, love, honor, praise, and serve them.15 Two forms of generosity that are greater than all the other generous acts of his Beloved.16

Providence for All Creatures

The Friend praises the Beloved's liberality in providing for herbs, fish, birds, beasts, and humans according to their nature.

9. Love, said the Friend: i.17 There's another kind of giving in my Beloved that we haven't spoken about—namely, that to the herbs, fish, birds, and beasts he gives heaven and the elements by which they live; and to the birds and beasts he gives natural clothing, and he gives them the herbs and their seeds, and to1819 one20 beast he gives another beast, and to one21 fish another fish, and to one22 bird another bird, and to one23 human another human; and to each thing he gives what belongs to it for living, according to its nature.

The Gift of Self and the Promise of Hope

Love asks what the Friend will give in return, and the Friend offers all he has, acknowledging he can only give with the Beloved's help; the Beloved sends Hope as assurance of everlasting blessedness.

10. Friend, said Love: since your Beloved is so liberal a giver, and in every way gifts can be given, and with so many goodnesses and greatnesses and virtues, and with still more than anyone can say, what will you give to your Beloved? Love, said the Friend: I would want to give my Beloved everything He has given me—that is, all my being, and all my power, and all temporal and spiritual goods; and may all my sensing, imagining, remembering, understanding, and loving be His. Yet I cannot give it unless He makes me give it, and unless you make me love Him more than myself and more than all other things.24 11. The words Love and the Friend spoke about His liberality greatly pleased the Beloved, for they had spoken of it very well, according to the roots of love; and He sent Hope to the Friend, who told him that she was his assurance, from his Beloved, that He would give him everlasting blessedness, provided he did not live without loving and did not die in mortal sin.25

Read the original Catalan

Amor e lamic parlaven de la liberalitat e larguea del amat, dient l amor al amic, que aytant com li era gran be ésser, segons comparació de no ésser, e ésser home e no ésser pera serpent o ase, li era son amat liberal de sa gran bontat, car lavia volgut crear e li avia donat ésser humà. E per aysò, amic, dix lamor, est molt ubligat a onrar amar e servir ton amat, e que dels bens temporals sies liberal a ton pruyme, segons la gran bontat natural que Deus, qui es ton amat, tà donada. Lamic dix a lamor que ver deiha, e dix que molt mais se sentia ubligat e tengut a onrar amar e servir son amat per ço car fahia' amar ab moral bontat, que per tota la natural bontat que Deus li avia donada; car mais valia son bo e gran amar, que sa humanitat ni tots los bens temporals que Deus li avia donats, car per son amar participava ab son amat, e per son bo e gran amar anava veer son amat.

2. Amic, dix lamor: encara es . j. altre grau major per que tu es ubligat a onrar amar e servir ton amat, que per neguna altra raó, so es assaber, que ams onres e servesques propriament e especialment ton amat per la sua pròpia bontat, car ela es en major amabilitat que totes quantes bontats son creades, e encara mais que totes altres coses; car la divina bontat es infínida eternal e de tota perfecció complida, e totes creatures son termenades comensades e finides.

3. Amor, dix lamic: molt me tenc per tengut de csser liberal de mon amar, e a Deu e a mon pruyme cP donar, per so car Deus, mon amat, mà donat son amar, en quant me vol amar, e ham donat ésser humà, qui serà après resurrecció perpetuat en glòria, de la qual mon amat me dona esperansa; e encara, que mon amat mà donat poder de sentir ymagenar entendre e membrar, qui son tan grans dons, que nois vendria per tot laur ni largent nil onrament daquest mon.

4. Amic, dix lamor: encara tes ton amat pus liberal per lo moral vertuós e ver membrar entendre e amar ymagenar e sentir que tà donat, que per lo natural poder entendre e amar e membrar e sentir que tà donat; car per morals vertuts e veritats est mais amat per ton amat, que per tots los naturals bens que tà donats.

5. Amor, dix lamic: encara m sent pus tengut a honrar amar e servir mon amat per la sua eternitat poder saviea volentat vertut veritat glòria e amor, que per tot so que mà donat ni quem poria donar.

6. Molt plac a lamor so que lamic deiha de son amat, e dix al amic que cl era pus obligat a'onrar servir membrar entendre e amar son amat per les obres que ha en sí metex, per sa bontat' granea eternitat poder saviea volentat vertut glòria e amor, que per tot so que li avia donat; car mais val, sens tota comparació, sol lo bonificar que Deus ha en sí metex per sa bontat, e enaxí de son magnificar, lo qual ha per sa granea, e enaxí dels altres, que no fa tot quant ha creat.

7. Molt consirà lamic en so que lamor li deiha, e dix que él no poria cogitar ni aesmar com molt era tengut a membrar entendre e amar, onrar loar e servir son amat, e a fer honor a él a tot son poder; e dix a lamor aquestes paraules: Amor, ha en lamat neguna altra liberalitat per queP deja molt amar membrar entendre honrar e servir, mas aqueles que dites avem?' Amic, dix lamor: consira com Deus es liberal a home de totes ses creatures; car lo sol la luna e totes les esteles, e los clemens mctayls erbes arbres, pexs aucels e bèsties ha creades e donades a home, e la natura de totes fa concordar a servir home; e consira com molts son los homes peccadors qui a Deu son desobedients e contraris, e qui li fan molta de desonor, e Deus lur dona sos bens, e los fa onrament en est mon de ses creatures. Vejes,' amic, com Deus ha comensades moltes coses a servir home, e consira com Deus es liberal de sa pietat misericòrdia, qui son mijans ab los quals perdona als peccadors, los quals prega que isquen de peccat per sa amor e venguen a la fi per quels ha creats. Consira e ama com Deus, los homes, qui son menors per peccat que les bèsties per natura, apela Deus a ésser majors, per do e perdó, que tot lo cel, mar, e totes les altres coses elementades. Consira encara com Deus es aitan egual a perdonar als peccadors per liberalitat de misericòrdia e pietat, com als homes justs es just per justícia a donar glòria.

8. Amic, dix lamor: . ij. maneres de larguea ha ton amat, les quals not vuyl remembrar ni dir en aquest Li- BRE qui es comú a tots homens, a crestians jueus sarraíns e pagans, per so car es de filosofia damor; e aqueles . ij. maneres son majors que totes les altres maneres de larguea que Deus pot aver, ni tots los homens qui son creats no les porien dir, segons que son bones grans poderoses e vertuoses. Entès lamic les . ij, maneres de larguea que entenia amor de son amat, e en aqueles consira longamcnt, e plorà per so car no eren sabudes e amades per tots homes, com sia so que hom sia més creat a conèxer membrar amar honrar loar e servir aqueles .

ij. maneres de liberalitat, que a totes les altres liberalitats de son amat.

9. Amor, dix lamic: . j. altra manera de donar ha en mon amat, de que no avem parlat, so es a saber, que a les erbes pexs aucels e bèsties dona lo ceP els elements per qui viuen; e a los aucels e bèsties dona naturals vestimens, e dona lur les erbes e lurs sements, e a . j.» bèstia dona altra bèstia, e a . j. pex altre pex, e a .

j. aucel autre aucel, e a . j. home autre home, e a cascuna cosa dona so que li pertany a viure, segons sa natura.

10. Amic, dix lamor: com ton amat sia tan liberal donador, e en totes les maneres per que dons pusquen ésser dats, e ab aytantes bontats e granees e vertuts, e ab més encara que hom no pot dir, què daràs tu a ton amat? Amor, dix lamic: jo volria donar a mon amat tot so que él mà donat, so es a saber, tot mon ésser, e tot mon poder, e tots los bens temporals e esperitals; e tot mon sentir ymagenar membrar entendre e amar sia seu; emperò jo no ho puc donar sens que él no mo fassa donar, e que tu me fasses més él amar, que mi metex e que totes altres coses.

11. Molt plagren al amat les paraules que deihen lamor e lamic de sa liberalitat, car molt be navien parlat, segons les rails damor; e tramès al amic esperansa qui li dix que ela li era fermansa, per son amat, que li daria perpetual benauyransa ab que no visqués sens amar ni morís en mortal peccat.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source 'fahia' amar' (with apostrophe) is read as 'he loved / practiced loving'; moral vs. natural goodness is the governing contrast.
  2. 2 ↩Normalized source ends mid-clause (encara es .); the syntactic continuation is the list marker in s3 and altre grau major… in s4.
  3. 3 ↩Source j. is the medieval Roman numeral i (1), a list marker interrupting the clause between encara es and altre grau major; parallel to ij. elsewhere in this chapter.
  4. 4 ↩amabilitat rendered as more lovable (worthiness to be loved), not mere pleasantness; ela refers to bontat (goodness), not to the Beloved.
  5. 5 ↩Normalized csser as ésser ('to be'); treated corrupt token cP before donar as introducing the infinitive 'to give' (likely a/en or scribal noise).
  6. 6 ↩Normalized compact medieval spellings in the source (tes≈t'és; tà≈t'ha; lamor≈l'amor; mais≈més) to the intended Catalan sense; the faculty lists are rendered in source order, including the presence of imagining only on the moral side.
  7. 7 ↩Source reading "cl" treated as "él" ("he"): likely OCR/print corruption.
  8. 8 ↩"bonificar" and "magnificar" are Llullian intrinsic divine operations (God's making-good from goodness; magnifying from greatness), not ordinary English verbs; "the others" continues that same series of operations corresponding to the remaining attributes.
  9. 9 ↩Normalized corrupt "queP" as Catalan "què" in "per què" ("for which").
  10. 10 ↩Normalized "clemens mctayls" as "elements, metals" (Catalan elements, metalls); the printed forms look like OCR corruption.
  11. 11 ↩Source repeats "Deus" awkwardly; rendered with one governing subject.
  12. 12 ↩Reading "Li- BRE" as "libre" ("book"): line-break hyphenation in the witness.
  13. 13 ↩Reading "not vuyl" as "no't vull" ("I don't want"): enclitic negation plus first-person "vull".
  14. 14 ↩"larguea" rendered "generosity" to pair with chapter "liberalitat" ("liberality"), following the section-opening distinction "liberalitat e larguea."
  15. 15 ↩Reading "longamcnt" as "longament" ("at length"): OCR/print corruption.
  16. 16 ↩Catalan 'que a totes les altres' is a comparative ('than all the others'); the explicit adjective of comparison (e.g. majors, as in the preceding section) is elided in this printed fragment, so 'are greater than' is supplied from the parallel in LlullArbreAmor.1.68.8.
  17. 17 ↩Source j. is the medieval Roman numeral i (1), a list marker before "altra manera"; parallel to ij./Two elsewhere in this chapter.
  18. 18 ↩Printed "ceP" treated as corrupt OCR for Catalan "cel" ("heaven/sky"), yielding "lo cel e·ls elements" ("heaven and the elements"), which fits Llull's cosmology and the chapter's nearby "cel ... coses elementades." Less likely: literal "cep" (vine-stock).
  19. 19 ↩"naturals vestimens" rendered "natural clothing" (fur, feathers, hides given by nature).
  20. 20 ↩Medieval Catalan numeral j. = 1 ("one"), completing the previous fragment's "e a" ("and to"). Trailing » treated as OCR/quotation debris.
  21. 21 ↩Medieval Catalan numeral j. = 1 ("one"), completing the previous fragment's "e a" ("and to").
  22. 22 ↩Medieval Catalan numeral j. = 1 ('one'), completing the previous section's 'e a' ('and to').
  23. 23 ↩Medieval Catalan numeral j. = 1 ('one'), completing the preceding 'e a' ('and to').
  24. 24 ↩Catalan 'mà' read as contracted 'm'ha' ('has [given] me'); 'mo' as 'me ho' ('it to me'); 'sens que... no' treated as the standard Romance expletive-negative 'unless/without'.
  25. 25 ↩fermansa rendered as 'assurance' (pledge/surety): Hope, personified as feminine (ela), stands as the Friend's firm guarantee from the Beloved of everlasting blessedness.

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