De Nona
The Obstacles of Avarice and Gluttony
Avarice and gluttony are presented as sins that distance the soul from the Virgin's love and intercession.
On greed. Avarice is that sin which stands most against charity, against generosity and pardon. It hopes for satisfaction, and no one is ever filled by anything; rather it subjects a person to everything there is. And so one loses the Virgin of love, who will not pray to our Lord for anyone who is avaricious, because she cannot love him at all—since he makes a treasure of money, and not of her Son in his heart.12 On gluttony. Gluttony is that sin because of which poverty comes first, and because a person is often unwell and base in his speech; and the man who is gluttonous is lazier than any other man; and when he doesn't eat, he's angry, and he's sad once he has eaten. In Our Lady, the flower of love, the gluttonous man finds no savor, because the Virgin does not seek him to give her any pleasure.3
Lust and the Call to Humility
Lust and pride are contrasted with the purity and humble obedience of the Virgin Mary.
On lust. Lust is a foul sin that ruins a person's health; it is the sin that most displeases Our Lady, who takes pleasure in virginity and in the fragrance that rises from a white flower of love. And that lustful man is far too base and proud for Our Lady to go praying that she be mindful of him in any way, because two opposites don't stand in one accord or in one will.4 On pride. Pride is a sin that seeks to stand high, but from that height it takes such a fall that no proud person has friends or companions. Pride had no share in that favor when she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done as He wills."5 And anyone who wants to keep pride is not remembered by the Virgin at death, when he will be judged; instead she lets him go to the demon's lot, to a bad death.
Sloth, Envy, and Anger
Sloth, envy, and anger are identified as destructive passions that sever the bond of friendship with Our Lady.
On sloth.6 Sloth is neglect in doing good, and a love of failure and of every kind of evil. That is why sloth is worthless; rather, it devalues so much that it strips away all worth, and by it a person loses the Lady of Love, who loves the good in all that is—because he is base and discourteous toward the Virgin and full of sloth, and more troublesome than anyone else; and the Virgin will no longer help him at death when he needs her.789 On envy. Envy is a craving for a castle, a woman, or silver, against charity and reason: a person wanting what another owns, knowing he has no right to it at all. That's why envy subjects him to anger and to damnation; and he no longer offers his prayer to Our Lady that she help him. For the envious person has no virtue by which he might be heard or understood; for with sin there is no good.1011 On anger. Anger is a sorrowful passion and a will set against the choice to leave evil and take hold of the good; so an angry person does not keep freedom in his will, for anger holds him prisoner, disturbs his understanding, and makes him do harm suddenly; so no one who is angry has friendship with the Virgin—rather she holds him in ill will, as long as he is overcome by anger.1213
Read the original Latin
De avaricia. Avaricia es çell peccat Qui es mays contra caritat, Contra larguea é perdó; Espera 'n satisfacció E no 's sadolla hom de res, Ans lo sotsmet á tot quant es, E pert n' hom la Verge d' amor Qui no prega nostre Senyor Per negun hom que sia avar, Car per re no' l pot amar; Pus que de diners fa tresor E no del fill seu en son cor.
De glotonia. Glotonia es çell peccat Perque vé ans paupertat, E perque hom es soven mal sá E en sas paraulas vilá; E aquell hom que es golós Mays que altre hom es pererós; E quant, no menja es irat, E trist está quant ha menjat: En la dona, flor de amor, Hom golós no troba sabor, Perque la Verge no 'l requer Que li faça negun plaer.
De luxuria. Luxuria es pudent peccat Qui en hom consuma sanitat; E es peccat que mays desplau A nostra dona, qui 's plau De virginitat é odor Que hix de blanca flor d' amor. E aquell hom luxuriós Es trop vilá e ergullós, Si nostra dona vá pregan Que sia 'n re d' ell membran, Car dos contraris no estan En un acort ne en un talan.
De ergull. Ergull es peccat qui en alt Vol estar, e 'n jus pren tal salt, Que negun home ergullós No ha amichs ne companyos. Ergull no hac la plasenta Quant dix:—Vet mala sirventa Del Senyor, fasse 'n son plaer. E hom que orgull vol haver No es per la Verge membrat A la mort quant será jutjat; Ans lo dexa anar á la sort Del demoni á mala mort.
De accidia. Accidia es neglegiment En far bé, é es amament De falliment é de tot mal; Perque accidia no val, Ans desval tant, que tol valor E' n pert hom la dona de amor, Qui ama bé en tot quant es, Perque es vilá é descortés Vays la Verge é accidiós, E mays que altre es anujós, E ja la Verge no 'l valrá A la mort quant ops li será.
De enveja. Enveja es desijament De castell, fembra ó argent, Contra caritat é rahó Volent hom la possessió D' altruy, sent que no' y ha null dret; Perque enveja lo sotsmet A ira é á dampnació; E já no fa sa oració A nostra dona que l' ajut; Car envejós no ha virtut Que sia exoit ne entés; Car ab peccat null bé no es.
De ira. Ira es trista passió E voler contra elecció De lexar mal é pendre 'l bé; Perque hom irat no reté En son voler sa libertat; Car ira lo té carçerat, E torba son enteniment, E fa 'l fer mal soptosament; Perque null hom qui es irat En la Verge ha amistat; Ans es per ella mal volgut, Pus que per ira es vençut.
Notes
- 1 ↩Catalan caritat is rendered charity here (not merely love) because the section contrasts avarice with the theological virtue, continuing the prior section De caritat.
- 2 ↩larguea is liberality/open-handedness (generosity); perdó is pardon/forgiveness. Both name virtues avarice opposes.
- 3 ↩Rendered as the Virgin not seeking the glutton so that he might give her any pleasure (no place for him in her service/favor). Alternate parse: she will not grant him any favor. Parallel sections on avarice and lust favor Marian rejection of the sinner.
- 4 ↩Si nostra dona vá pregan… rendered as purpose/fitness ('too base and proud for Our Lady to go praying…') rather than a bare open conditional, given the following car clause: lust and Marian virginity are contraries that cannot share one accord (acort) or inclination (talan).
- 5 ↩Source 'Vet mala sirventa' is read as Mary's Annunciation reply (cf. Ecce ancilla Domini), with 'mala' as a compacted 'ma la' / 'me, the' rather than 'bad handmaid'.
- 6 ↩Source accidia is medieval acedia/sloth (spiritual neglect and listlessness), not mere physical laziness. Rendered as 'sloth' to match the capital-vice series in this chapter (pride, envy, etc.).
- 7 ↩amament: taken as 'love/fondness' (parallel abstract to neglegiment), not 'nursing' or 'nourishment'.
- 8 ↩dona de amor is read as Our Lady (the Lady of Love), matching the Marian frame of the work and the following lines on the Virgin; the relative qui ama bé en tot quant es is taken of her.
- 9 ↩Vays la Verge: read as 'toward the Virgin' (vers/envers la Verge); surface form is uncertain in the witness.
- 10 ↩Medieval Catalan exoit (from Latin exaudire) means heard/answered in prayer; entés is understood/heeded. Rendered as 'heard or understood' of the envious person's prayer and person before Our Lady.
- 11 ↩Classic triad of coveted goods: estate/castle, woman, and silver/money. Argent kept as 'silver' for the medieval surface; sense is portable wealth.
- 12 ↩Rendered as 'sorrowful passion' (trista = sad/wretched + passió as moral passion); could also be heard as 'miserable passion'.
- 13 ↩Rendered as 'holds him in ill will' / disfavor; literally 'ill-willed/disliked by her'.
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