R225: Heinrich von Maulbronn an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Greeting from a Monk in Name Only
The sender identifies himself as a monk in name only at Maulbronn and addresses Hildegard with bridal imagery, praising chaste generation and immortal memory.
A certain monk at Maulbronn. To Hildegard. To Hildegard, beautiful olive and precious pearl. h. A monk in name only at Maulbronn, with a burning lamp. To go out to meet the heavenly bridegroom. O how beautiful is a chaste generation with brightness! For the memory of that one is immortal!
Hildegard as Daughter of the King
The writer praises Hildegard as known to God and people, risen as the daughter of the highest King through shining virtues, weaving a broidered garment for her soul.
Because she is known both to God and to people. From this so beautiful and blessed generation. It is clear that you have risen as the daughter of the highest King, through the shining signs of the virtues of the king. Indeed, who in the face of a glorious work? You carry before you the form of the inner person. With such beauty of virtue the likeness of your Mother is imagined, since with her example you have sought wool and flax! And you have woven a broidered garment as the covering of your soul. Indeed, a broidered garment is put on.
The Royal Garment of Virtues
The faithful soul clothed in love wears a royal garment where humility, obedience, continence, chastity, and holiness shine forth, standing at the right hand of the Most High.
When a faithful soul is clothed with the power of love, interwoven with manifold figures, In this royal garment, humility and obedience shine forth, along with devoted reverence. And continence, chastity of the flesh, and holiness of mind! In short, you have mentioned a thousand thousands of similar things. Clothed about with this variety of virtues, you sometimes stand at the right hand of the Most High King.✦
Like the Prophetic Queen
Comparing Hildegard to the prophetic queen who found wisdom's treasure, the writer recalls her revelation of divine light and asks for her prayer to heal his imperfections.
Like that prophetic queen, where you found the inestimable treasure of wisdom! whence you showed the brightness of eternal light, as if from the abyss, to mortals.✦ Hear, therefore, daughter, and see, and incline your ear to me!✦ For love consists in the love of neighbor.✦1 through the help of your prayer. may I feel as venial whatever I find less than perfect in myself. For I acknowledge this without doubt.
Request for Heavenly Admonition
The writer asks Hildegard to send heavenly admonition so her holiness may dwell in his heart, greeting her as absent in body but present in spirit, and commending himself to her prayers.
You are heard by Him more especially, in whose contemplation you more often find yourself lingering. I ask also — sister and lady, by your grace in safety — that you send me something of heavenly admonition! So that through this you might place the memory of your holiness before the eyes of my heart.2 What more? Absent in body. Present in spirit, I greet you earnestly, praying that you remember me, a sinner. You who, with the apostle, always extend the step of your mind toward what lies ahead.3 Farewell.
Read the original Latin
Monachus quidam in mulenbrunnun. hildegardi. Hildigardi oliuę speciosę et margaritę preciosę. h. solo nomine monachus in mulenbrunnun cum ardente lampade. celesti sponso obuiam ire. O quam pulcra est casta generatio cum claritate. inmortalis est enim memoria illius!
quia et apud deum nota est et apud homines. Ex hac tam pulcra atque beata generatione. te summi regis filiam regis clarescentibus uirtutum indicijs patet exortam. quippe quę in facie preclari operis. formam prefers hominis interioris. Tali uirtutis decore imaginatur similitudo genitricis tuę cum exemplo illius lanam et linum quesisti! et stragulatam uestem operimentum animę tuę texuisti. Stragulata quippe uestis induitur.
cum uirtute caritatis multiplicibus intexta figuris fidelis quęque animam inuestitur. Resplendet in hac ueste regia humilitas et obedientia pietas. et continentia. carnis castimonia. et mentis sanctimonia! denique mille milia memoratis similia. Hac uirtutum uarietate circumamicta. a dextris summi regis interdum assistis.
uelut illa prophetica regina. ubi inestimabilem sapientię thesaurum inuenisti! unde lucis eternę candorem quasi de abysso mortalibus ostendisti. Audi igitur filia et uide et inclina ad me aurem tuam! ut quia caritas in proximi dilectione consistit. per tuę orationis auxilium. ueniale sentiam quicquid in me minus inuenio perfectum. Indubitanter enim agnosco.
te ab eo specialius audiri in cuius contemplatione sepius te contingit immorari. Rogo etiam salua gratia tua soror et domina ut aliquid de celesti admonitione mihi transmittas! ut per hoc tuę sanctitatis memoriam cordis mei oculis anteponas. Quid plura? Corpore absens. spiritu presens te saluto obnixe orans ut mei peccatoris meminens. quę gressum mentis cum apostolo semper in anteriora extendis. Valete.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.109.1 — To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, do not be silent.
- ↩Gen.1.2-Gen.1.3 — And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Gen.1.3 — And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
- ↩Ps.44.11 — You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have plundered for themselves.
- ↩1John.4.20-1John.4.21;Matt.22.39 — If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1John.4.21 — And this commandment we have from him: the one who loves God must also love his brother. Matt.22.39 — And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin opens with 'ut quia' — 'ut' here likely introduces a purpose/result clause ('so that') while 'quia' gives the reason ('because'). The sentence is syntactically incomplete in the excerpt (likely continued in the next clause). Rendered to convey the causal force of 'quia' as the primary connective, with 'ut' implying purpose that the surrounding context would complete.
- 2 ↩The manuscript reading 'tu' (gen. sg.) is uncertain; normalized text reads 'tuę' (gen. sg. f., agreeing with sanctitatis). Translation follows the normalized reading.
- 3 ↩Likely allusion to Philippians 3:13 ('the things that are ahead'), but the Latin 'anteriora' is not a direct quotation. Candidate scripture allusion pending Moses resolution.
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