De Completas
The Remembrance of Mercy
Remembrance of the Virgin's intercession brings hope and courage to the faithful.
On remembrances. Remembrance of the great gift of hope and of pardon makes courage free and joyful, and virtuous in every deed, by the power of that remembering—if one remembers her who is most pleasing, the joy and flower of remembrances. And for love of us she makes her Son remember our frailty, so that he may have pity; and nothing can keep him from loving us with all his power.1
Understanding and the Will
True understanding of one's sin and a willing heart lead to security under Mary's protection.
On understanding. Whoever truly understands his failing and his sin, with contrition and fear, need not fear death on account of that failing and sin, if he understands the great compassion the sweet Lady of every virtue has for all sinners—she who will not allow anyone to die under any fault or wrong once a person grasps her worth and repents of his failing.2 On the will. Anyone who has a true will toward Our Lady and gladly gives it has such a noble love that they are ready and right in everything: loyal, humble, open-hearted, and courteous, failing in nothing. For Our Lady holds them so dear that she doesn't let them go wrong in any way. So let us love the Virgin with great strength, for she is the harbor of all joy—where one stands secure and fears no living thing.3
The Advocacy of the Queen
The angels are called to honor Mary, whose love alone saves us from judgment.
On the angels. Holy angels, you don't need to beg the Queen to love us, for she has such great love for us that no intercessor is needed; and you, Lord Saint Gabriel, Michael, Seraphim, Raphael, give her thanks and gratitude for it, for she is our advocate; for if it weren't for her love, none of us could escape the punishment of hell or have the joy of heaven.456
Imagination and the Senses
Contemplating the glory of the Virgin through imagination and the beauty of creation brings profound spiritual sweetness.
On imagining. I feel joy whenever I imagine the glory of the Virgin, who holds her place in the imperial heaven.7 Imagination does me more good than everything I have ever felt of her; for all the saints who are there sing of her worth, praying for the sinner.8 But when I imagine the torment those in hell endure for so long, I feel sad and afraid—until I remember the lady of love. On sensing. When I see the land and the sea, the sky, and hear the birds sing, and smell the fragrance of the flowers, and taste the flavor of food, and touch wood, timber, gold, and rubies—for the Lady of paradise, with whom I speak in prayer—when I entrust my soul and body to her, then I feel in my heart such sweetness that I never felt a greater, and I say to the Virgin, weeping: “See, Lady—I'm in your keeping.”9
The Discipline of Prayer
True prayer requires self-accusation and a humble alignment with divine judgment.
On prayer. Whoever wants to pray well to the best Lady, and to pray, should accuse himself of his failing and desire as much judgment against himself as he loves pardon. For once he puts himself under reason, the Lady cannot refuse him anything he may wish to ask. But the one who loves salvation more than the judgment God has willed does not make a loyal prayer; rather, the Lady takes it amiss.1011
Read the original Latin
De membrances. Membrança de gran dó De esperança é de perdó Fa coratje franch é joyós E' n tots los fayts virtuós, Per virtut del remembrament, Si hom membre la pus plasent Qui de membrares joy é flor, E fa membrar per nostr' amor A son fill nostra frevoltat, Per ço que haje pietat, E per res no 's pot abstener Que nos am ab tot son poder.
De entendre. Çell qui enten ab veritat Son falliment é son peccat Ab contricció é temor A la mort no hage pahor, De son falliment é peccat Si enten la gran pietat Que ha de tots los peccadors La douça dona de valors, Que no sofer qu' hom sia mort Ab neguna colpa é tort; Pus que hom sa valor enten E 's penet de son fallimen.
De voluntat. Qui ha veraya voluntat A nostra dona de bon grat, Ha un tant noble amament Que en tota res es avinent, Leyal, humil, franch é cortes E no falla 'n neguna res; Car nostra dona el té tan car Que no 'l lexa en res errar, Amem donchs la Verge molt fort Car ella es de tot gaug port, Ont hom está segurament E no tem nulla re vivent.
De angels. Senyors ángels, nous cal pregar La regina qu' ens vulla amar, Car ella ens ha tan gran amor Que no y ha master pregador; E vos senyor Sant Gabriel, Michael, Seraphin, Raphael, Fayts li 'n gracias é merces, Car nostra advocada es; Car si per sa amor no fós Ja no pográ negú de nos Fugir á pena infernal Ni haver gaug celestial.
De imaginar. Gay só quant vull imaginar En la Verge gloriejar, Que ha al cel imperial. Imaginar mays me val Que tot quant hay sentit de sa; Car tots los sants que son d' allá Canten de la sua valor, Pregant per li peccador. Mays quant imagin lo turment Qu' en infern están longament, Adonchs suy trist é hay pahor Trò membr' á la dona d' amor.
De sentir. Quant veig la terra é la mar, Lo cel, é aug aucells cantar, E sent de las flors lur odor, E de las viandas sabor, E toch frap, fust, aur, é rubís, Per la dona de paradís Ab la qual parle en pregan; Quant l' arma é 'l cors li coman, Adonchs sent al cor tal douçor Que hanch no la sentí major, E dich á la Verge ploran: —«Veus ne dona 'n vostre coman.»
De pregar. Aquell qui bé volrá pregar La meyllor dona, é orar, Acus se de son falliment, Desix aytant jutjament Contra sí com ama perdó; Car pus ell se pos en rahó, No 'l pot la dona de no dir De res qui si vulla querir; Mays çell qui ama mays salut Qu' el judici per Deus volgut, No fa oració leyal, Ans ho té la dona á mal.
Notes
- 1 ↩In the closing couplet ("E per res no 's pot abstener / Que nos am ab tot son poder"), the unexpressed subject of the reflexive could be read as either the Son (continuing from "haje pietat") or Our Lady. The rendering takes Christ as subject: after Mary moves him to remember our frailty so he may have pity, nothing can keep him from loving us with all his power.
- 2 ↩Rendered as Mary's worth/virtue (matching 'dona de valors'); less likely as the penitent's own worth.
- 3 ↩Medieval Catalan amament is rendered as 'love' (devotional affection). avinent is rendered as 'ready and right' (agreeable, well-disposed, apt in every matter). franch as 'open-hearted' (frank, free, generous rather than merely unrestrained).
- 4 ↩Read as no us cal ('you don't need'), the usual medieval Catalan contraction, addressing the angels; less likely no'ns cal ('we don't need'). Sense is the same either way: Mary's love is already so great that petition for it is unnecessary.
- 5 ↩master = mester ('need'); pregador = petitioner/intercessor. Rendered 'no intercessor is needed'.
- 6 ↩Catalan gràcies i mercès is a doubled thanks formula; rendered 'thanks and gratitude' rather than theological 'mercies'.
- 7 ↩gloriejar may mean either to glory/rejoice in the Virgin or to picture her in glory; rendered as the Virgin's glory, with the speaker's joyful imagining kept in the main clause.
- 8 ↩de sa taken as of her (Mary); if read otherwise (e.g. thereof/of that), the contrast between imaginative contemplation and sense experience would need review.
- 9 ↩Old Catalan frap is uncertain beside fust (wood/timber); rendered as a second wood/timber object of touch rather than a separate verb or a different material.
- 10 ↩Medieval Catalan posar-se en rahó can mean setting oneself under reason/right judgment or bringing oneself to account; rendered as 'puts himself under reason' to keep the judicial-devotional force with jutjament and perdó.
- 11 ↩Contrasts craving rescue (salut) above submission to God's willed judgment; not mere physical health.
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