R119: Propst H. von Hördt an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Salutation and Humble Self-Presentation
The provost identifies himself and addresses Hildegard with deep humility and devoted obedience.
The provost of Hördt. To Hildegard. O Hildegard, his most blessed lady—and, if she dares, his dearest mother. H. Provost in Hördt, though unworthy. And the most devoted servant of her holiness. With all submission to her people. Prayer.
Thanksgiving for Motherly Devotion
The provost gives thanks for Hildegard's repeated visits and tireless charity despite her bodily weakness.
And I offer the most devoted service. What acts of thanksgiving, Lady and most holy Mother, can we possibly offer that are worthy of your loving kindness?1 You wished neither to attend to the visitation of our monastery nor to the excessive weakness of your body.2 Nor did you shrink from the difficulty of the journey, because of the deep sweetness of your heart.3 And again, through repeated visitation, you endeavored to gladden us. For slow efforts it does not know!4 The grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you — the bride of the highest King, beloved and chosen beforehand.
The Bride of the Highest King
Hildegard is addressed as the bride of Christ, beautiful and fragrant among the daughters of Jerusalem.
Through the mercy of the Bridegroom himself, you are worthy to hear what is worthy of special praise. proclamations of special praise. "Behold, you, beautiful one, your friend." Behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves' eyes. You, I say, who are crowned with garlands of many kinds of virtues. among the daughters of Jerusalem. Like a lily among thorns, you give off the good, sweet fragrance of Christ.
A Light Among Darkness
Hildegard shines as a heavenly light bringing hope to sinners, though the provost confesses his own unworthiness.
like a light from heaven shining among the darkness of this world.✦✦ You shine with the beauty of a holy and well-ordered life. You bring us sinners a reason for hope and comfort. whenever we experience the grace of your motherly care. you reach out to us so often. For even though we are companions of that Gospel tax collector,✦✦5 we are not worthy to lift our eyes up to heaven.✦ still, through the instrumentality of your mouth,
Christ's Voice Through Her Mouth
Through Hildegard's mouth the unworthy hear Christ her Bridegroom, and the provost offers humble thanks and prayer.
We deserve to hear the voice of the one who dwells in you. We deserve to hear the Lord Christ. It's as if we've been comforted. And so to Christ the Lord, who deigns to comfort us unworthy ones through you, we humbly give thanks and bend our knees. We also beseech you as our lady and mother with humble prayer, to the one who led you into the chamber of his mysteries.
Prayer for Rescue and Blessing
The provost begs Hildegard's intercession for rescue from sin, enemies, and the shipwreck of this age, and commends himself to her community.
Deign to pour out prayers for us sinners. By the intercession of your merits, mercifully deign to rescue us both from our sins and from our enemies. And from the ruinous shipwreck of this age. Lead us to the harbor of eternal blessedness and security, together with you. May the Lord come before you with blessings of sweetness. And may the Father of all consolation hear me as I pray for us. Through you, we humbly greet the community of holy women who faithfully serve the Lord Jesus Christ alongside you and under your guidance. And we humbly commend ourselves to their prayers.
Longing for Her Letters
The provost expresses eager longing for Hildegard's letters in return.
And we long for your letters in return with all devotion.
Read the original Latin
Prepositus in herde. hildegardi. Hildigardi dominę suę beatissimę et si audet dicere matri carissimę. h. in herde prepositus licet indignus. et sanctitatis eius deuotissimus famulus. cum suis omnibus subiectionem. orationem.
et deuotissimam seruitutem. Quas gratiarum actiones domina et mater sanctissima uestrę condigne referre poterimus pietati. quę ad uisitationem nostri monasterij nec inbecillitatem nimiam corporis uestri adtendere uoluistis. nec difficultatem itineris pre nimia cordis uestri dulcedine abhorruistis. et rursum iterata uisitatione nos letificare studuistis? Nescit enim tarda molimina! sancti spiritus gratia. Proinde uos summi regis sponsa dilecta et preelecta.
quę ab ipsius sponsi clementia digna estis audire. specialis laudis preconia. Ecce inquit tu pulcra amica tua. ecce tu pulcra! oculi tui columbarum. Uos inquam quę multigenis uirtutum coronata sertis. inter filias ierusalem. sicut lilium inter spinas bonus et suauis odor christi redoletis.
sicut luminare celi inter tenebras huius seculi. uitę et sanctitatis compositionis refulgetis. nobis peccatoribus spei consolationem ingeritis. dum uestre maternę uisitationis gratiam. nobis tociens pretenditis. Licet enim nos consortes publicani illius euangelici. oculos nostros ad celum leuare non simus digni. tamen dum per organum oris uestri.
uocem illius qui in uobis habitat. audire meremur. domini christi. facti sumus sicut consolati. Proinde christo domino qui nos indignos per uos consolari dignatur. humiliter gratias referentes genua flectimus. uos quoque dominam et matrem nostram humili prece deposcimus. quatenus ei qui uos in cubiculum misteriorum suorum introduxit.
preces pro nobis peccatoribus dignemini fundere. quo uestrorum meritorum intercessione nos et a peccatis et ab hostibus clementer dignetur eripere. et de erumpnoso huius seculi naufragio. ad eternę beatitudinis et securitatis portum una uobiscum perducere. Preueniat uos dominus in benedictionibus dulcedinis. et orantem pro nobis exaudiat pater totius consolationis. sanctarum quę uobiscum et sub uestro magisterio fideliter seruiunt domino iesu christo conuentum humiliter per uos salutamus. et earum orationibus suppliciter nos commendamus.
et rescripta uestra omni deuotione desideramus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.5.14-Matt.5.16 — You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matt.5.15 — Neither do people light a lamp and put it under the basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Matt.5.16 — In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.
- ↩John.1.4-John.1.5 — In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John.1.5 — And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
- ↩Luke.18.10-Luke.18.13 — Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Luke.18.11 — The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed these things toward himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.' Luke.18.12 — I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get. Luke.18.13 — But the tax collector, standing far off, was not even willing to lift his eyes to heaven, but kept beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner.'
- ↩Matt.9.9 — And as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man sitting at the tax booth, called Matthew, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and followed him.
- ↩Luke.18.13 — But the tax collector, standing far off, was not even willing to lift his eyes to heaven, but kept beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner.'
Notes
- 1 ↩gratiarum actiones rendered as 'acts of thanksgiving' (lit. 'actions of graces'); pietati rendered as 'loving kindness' to capture the devotional warmth of pietas in this address.
- 2 ↩quę (truncated) taken as quae, linking this clause to the preceding sentence as a continuation of the thought about what she did not consider.
- 3 ↩pre = prae (variant spelling). cordis uestri dulcedine rendered as 'the excessive sweetness of your heart' — the ablative of cause with nimia.
- 4 ↩The subject is ambiguous — likely the Holy Spirit's grace (from the following sentence) or the loving heart. Rendered to preserve the exclamatory force: grace knows no sluggish striving.
- 5 ↩The identity of the 'Gospel tax collector' (publicanus evangelicus) is uncertain. Candidates include Matthew/Levi (the tax collector called by Christ in the Gospels) or the publican of Luke 18:10–13. The phrase pairs the humility of a tax collector with the dignity of the Gospel, suggesting a self-identification with lowly discipleship.
Epistolae: Letters to Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England companion
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