Libro Segundo — Capítulo 22
The Happy Fortune of Spiritual Freedom
The soul finds true liberation and heavenly citizenship by passing through the dark night.
The third verse of the second song is explained. 1. It’s clear that it was a stroke of good fortune for the soul to succeed in such an undertaking as this departure; in it, she was set free from the devil, the world, and her own sensuality, as we’ve mentioned. Having attained the happy freedom of the spirit that everyone longs for, she rose from what is low to what is high: she became heavenly instead of earthly, and divine instead of human, coming to have her citizenship in the heavens (Phil. 3:20).1 This is what happens to the soul in this state of perfection, as will continue to be explained in what remains, though now with somewhat more brevity.
Encouragement for the Suffering Soul
The author clarifies the purpose of his work: to provide hope and understanding to those undergoing the trials of the dark night.
2. Because what mattered most—and the chief reason I set myself to this work—was to explain this night to many souls who, while passing through it, were ignorant of it, as is said in the prologue; and that has already been moderately explained and made clear, though far less than it truly is: how many goods it brings with it to the soul, and how happy a fortune it is for the one who goes through it, so that when they take fright at the horror of so many trials, they may take heart with the sure hope of so many and such excellent goods of God as are attained in it. Besides this, too, it was a happy fortune for the soul because of what he says next in the following verse, namely: In darkness and in hiding.2
Read the original Latin
Explícase el tercer verso de la segunda canción
1. Bien claro está que le fue dichosa ventura al alma salir con una tal empresa, como ésta su salida fue; en la cual se libró del demonio y del mundo y de su misma sensualidad, como habemos dicho, y, alcanzado la libertad dichosa y deseada de todos, del espíritu, salió de lo bajo a lo alto, de terrestre se hizo celestial, y de humana, divina, viniendo a tener su conversación en los cielos (Flp. 3, 20), como acaece en este estado de perfección al alma, como en lo restante se irá diciendo, aunque ya con alguna más brevedad.
2. Porque lo que era de más importancia, y por lo que yo principalmente me puse en esto, que fue declarar esta noche a muchas almas que, pasando por ella, estaban de ella ignorantes, como en el prólogo se dice, está ya medianamente declarado, y dado a entender, aunque harto menos de lo que ello es: cuántos sean los bienes que consigo trae al alma, y cuán dichosa ventura le sea al que por ella va, para que, cuando se espantaren con el horror de tantos trabajos, se animen con la cierta esperanza de tantos y tan aventajados bienes de Dios como en ella se alcanzan.
También, demás de esto, le fue dichosa ventura al alma por lo que dice luego en el verso siguiente, es a saber:
A oscuras y en celada.
Notes
- 1 ↩Spanish conversación (echoing Vulgate conversatio at Phil 3:20) is rendered as citizenship, the usual modern sense of politeuma / conversatio nostra in caelis; older English often kept conversation for manner of life.
- 2 ↩Spanish celada can mean ambush, concealment, or a secure hiding. In this poem it names hiddenness that keeps the soul unseen (and so safe). Rendered here as 'concealment' to stay close to the verse wording; later commentary may stress the security that hiding gives.
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