R224: Hildegard von Rupertsberg an Kleriker M.
The Wounded Mind
Hildegard describes a restless, self-destructive mind that wounds itself and achieves nothing good.
Hildegard's reply. Your mind is like a valley when a mountain rises up within you. And again, you think you're building a city for yourself. When you condemn some cause out of stubbornness. For the one who wounds with a ravenous wound that festers in decay, wounds with blows. It draws out poison mixed with blood. And this does no good. That is what the mind of such a person is like!
The Good Doctor and the Storm
She contrasts self-negligence with the image of a good doctor healing wounds, then warns of destructive fury and calls for discernment.
Who wants to spare themselves in nothing. A good doctor, however! He anoints wounds. For it is a person's own negligence. Like a whirlwind! And its fury is like a great storm. Now therefore understand. What things are helpful and what are harmful.
Lessons from Creatures
Hildegard likens human qualities to animals and warns that even lowly worms reflect human thoughts, malice, and anger.
Since certain earthly creatures have a likeness to human works. Birds correspond to a person's benevolence. Livestock correspond to its intelligence. Beasts correspond to its wisdom. But the worms that the earth's sweat casts out. They look toward many human thoughts. Yet unfitting worms toward their malice! And venomous ones toward anger.
Useless Works and the Watchful Soul
She uses the image of storm clouds to show human works can be useless, yet a careful person deflects spiritual dangers with gentleness.
but it leads to negligence of their works. Look therefore toward the north wind. And see how the storm rises into the clouds like smoke. So human works are sometimes useless. But a person who watches carefully on every side deflects thunders in benevolence and in gentle knowledge. And let that one not be a warrior in casting a stone! nor negligent in the wind of a whirlwind. The sun shines.
Building with Mercy
Hildegard urges mercy in all tasks, warns against unstable foundations, and calls for bearing the weak while correcting those who scorn God.
So let a person undertake every task with mercy. because a builder who doesn't lay his foundations true is no builder. He throws his tools away. So let a person beware of what ruin looks like. Whoever has a groan in them — that person must be borne with. But whoever scorns God must be corrected, if correction helps. If it doesn't help — !
Work, Grief, and Longing for God
She counsels timely action, personal effort, and enlightenment of the soul, while warning against murderous intent and urging grief and longing for God when destruction occurs.
Let this be sought at the fitting time, so that he doesn't die. But let a person work through their own effort. and let them enlighten their soul. A mind that doesn't build up to murder isn't murderous.1 But if that cause has come about, let them always grieve with effort. and let them long for God! because what God has built up has been destroyed.
Read the original Latin
Responsum hildegardis. Mens tua est quasi uallis quando mons in te surgit. et iterum ciuitatem te putas edificare. cum aliquam causam cum contumacia dampnas. Nam qui edax uulnus quod in putredine fedatur in uerberibus uulnerat. uenenum mixtum sanguine educit. Et hoc non prodest. Sic est mens hominis illius!
qui in nulla re parcere uult. Bonus autem medicus! uulnera ungit. Negligentia enim hominis est. uelut uentus turbinis! et furor eius ut magna tempestas. Nunc ergo intellige. quę sint utilia et quę nociua.
quoniam quedam terrenę creaturę habent similitudinem operum hominum. Nam uolatilia sunt ad hominis beniuolentiam. pecora ad eius intelligentiam. bestię ad eius sapientiam. Uermes autem quos sudor terrę eicit. respiciunt ad multas cogitationes hominum. incongrui uero uermes ad malignitatem eorum! uenenosi autem ad iracundiam.
sed ferę ad negligentiam operum illorum. Aspice ergo ad aquilonem. et uide quomodo tempestas ut fumus in nubes ascendit. Sic opera hominis aliquando inutilia sunt. Sed homo qui undique circumspiciendo bene uigilat tonitrua abstrahit in beniuolentia et in miti scientia sua. Et iste non sit bellator in iactu lapidis! nec negligens in uento turbinis. Sol lucet.
Vnde homo quamque rem cum misericordia unguat! quia fabricator qui fundamenta sua non recte ponit. instrumenta sua deicit. Prouideat ergo homo qui sit casus. Qui suspirium habet! ille tolerandus est. Qui uero deum contempnit corripiendus est si prodest. Si non prodest!
ad hoc oportunum tempus queratur ne ille moriatur. Homo autem per semetipsum operetur. et animam suam illuminet. Mens uero quę homicidium non edificat homicida non est. sed si causa illa euenerit cum opere semper lugeat. et ad deum anhelet! quoniam hoc destructum est quod deus edificauit.
Notes
- 1 ↩The abbreviated 'quę' in the source is uncertain; the relative clause is rendered as a general descriptor of the mind, but the exact syntax is unclear.
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