O Francesco pouero, patriarcha nouello
The Seven Signs of the Cross
The poet recounts seven visionary encounters and signs that marked Francis as a true follower of the crucified Christ.
Poor Francis, you new patriarch, you carry a new banner marked with the cross. There are seven figures of the cross laid out, written down and numbered in order; I’ve shortened them so I can recount them, since listening to a long explanation gets tiresome. The first was this: at the start of your conversion, you saw in a vision an exquisitely crafted palace; the mansion was filled with shields bearing crosses, displaying the coat of arms of the people entrusted to you.12 As you stood in prayer, meditating on Christ, such a fervor was poured into you then that afterward you were always in tears whenever you remembered it: Christ came to mind, raised upon the cross. Then Christ said to you: “If you want to follow me, take up the high and glorious cross with great longing; and humble yourself to nothing. If you want to follow me, hate your own self and love your neighbor.”✦3 The third time, as you stood looking at the cross, Christ spoke to you in a resounding voice. He called gentle Francis by name three times: “The Church has gone astray; restore her to her proper state.” Then, for the fourth time, Brother Sylvester saw a gilded cross shining on your chest; and your voice drove the accursed dragon that encircled Assisi out of the entire duchy. Brother Pacifico saw on you the cross formed by two swords, angelic Francis, worthy of great praise: the swords cross each other, one running from head to foot, the other stretching crosswise along your outstretched arms. Blessed Brother Monaldo saw you suspended in the air while Saint Anthony was preaching; you appeared to him in the shape of a cross, blessed the friars, and then vanished from their sight, just as the story goes.45 The seventh sign occurred at La Verna: while he stood in prayer upon that great rock with deep devotion, he saw a marvelous vision—a seraph appeared, revealed as the crucified Christ with six wings.6
The Mystery of the Stigmata
A meditation on the physical and spiritual reality of the stigmata, describing them as the outward manifestation of Francis's interior union with Christ.
The stigmata became part of his body—in his side, feet, and hands. It would have been hard to believe if they hadn't been clearly felt. While he was still alive and well, many saw them for themselves; and after his death, many touched them and bore witness to them.78 Among the others, Saint Clare caught hold of one with her teeth, she and her companions eager to possess such a treasure; but it did no good, because the nails were made of flesh yet stood as hard and rigid as iron.9 His flesh, once as fair and tender as a child’s, had grown deeply browned by the freezing snows; love made it beautiful, so that it seemed glorified, admired by everyone for its marvelous adornment. The wound in his side was like a crimson rose; at that wonder, his weeping was so great—to see it bearing the likeness of Christ crucified—that his heart sank into the depths when he saw Christ mirrored in him. What joyful weeping, filled with wonder; what delightful weeping, filled with consolation. So many tears of love were shed at the sight of such a marvel: Christ wounded anew. From his heels to his eyes, streaming with tears, this wondrous vision of such burning ardor remained in the hearts of the saints; but in Francis, the pure balm burst outward and penetrated his body. You climbed that highest palm, Francis, and your soul gathered the fruit of Christ crucified; you were so deeply pierced in him that you never turned away. You transformed yourself—and us with you—into him whose image is inscribed upon your body.1011 Love has this task: to unite two in a single form. It transforms Francis through Christ’s suffering; he took on the likeness of Christ that he carried in his heart, and love made it visible, clothing him in a body marked with wounds.12 Divine love embraced him in the heights with Christ; that burning passion so completely joined him to Christ that it melted his heart like wax beneath a seal and stamped upon him the one into whom he had been transformed. My tongue falls silent when I try to speak of such a figure; I’m not capable of understanding such obscure mysteries. I confess that I don’t know how to explain such abundance—the boundless love of that heart on fire. We can't know how fierce that fire was; his body couldn't contain such a force. The wound opened him in five places, revealing what had made its home within him.13 We don't find any other saint who bore such marks. Unless God revealed such a deep mystery, it's best to pass over it; I don't know how to speak of it. Those who have tasted it will be able to tell of it.
The Fountain of Love
The chapter concludes by looking toward the final revelation of these signs and inviting the soul to drink from the fountain of divine love.
O wondrous stigmata, fashioned by God, you reveal the greatness fitting for such signs; in the end, when the contest comes and the people marked by the cross are mustered for review, their meaning will be known. O my parched soul, unable to weep, run there and drink; drink from this fountain and let it intoxicate you. And don't leave it—let us die there beside that fountain of love.1415
Read the original Latin
O Francesco pouero, patriarcha nouello, porti nouo uexello de la croce signato.
De croce trouam septe figure demostrate, como trouamo screpte per ordene contate, aggiole abbreuiate per poterle contare; encresce l’ascoltare de longo tractato.
La prima, nel principio de tua conuersione, palazo en artificio uedesti en uisione; piena la magione de scude cruciate, l’arme demostrate del popol che t’è dato.
Stando en oratione de Christo meditanno, tale enfocatione te fo enfusa entanno, sempre puoi lacremanno quando te remembraua, Christo te recordaua nella croce leuato.
Christo te disse allora: se uuol po me uenire, la croce alta, decora prende con gran desire; et te anichilire, se uuol me seguitare, te medesimo odiare, el proximo adamato.
La terza fiata stanno a guardar a la croce, Christo te disse entanno con gran suono de uoce, per nome clamò el doce Francesco tre fiata: la chiesa è suiata, repara lo suo stato.
Poi, la quarta fiata, uidde frate Siluestro una croce enaurata fulgente nel tuo pecto; el draco maledecto, ch’Asise circondaua, la uoce tua el fugaua de tutto lo ducato.
Vidde frate Pacifico le croce de duoi spade en te, Francesco angelico, degno de gran laude; le spade son scontrade, l’una da capo a piede, l’altra en croce se uede per le braccia spiecato.
Vidde te stare en aere beato fra Monaldo, ó staua a predicare sancto Antonio entanno; en croce te mostranno, frati benediceue, poi li despareue, como trouam contato.
La septima a la Verna, stando en oratione, sopra quella gran penna con gran deuotione, mirabel uisione, seraphin apparuto, crucifixo è ueduto con sei ale mostrato.
Encorporotte stìmate, lato, piede et mano, duro fora a credere, se nol contam de piano; staendo uiuo & sano molti sì l’on mirate; la morte declarate, da molti fo palpato.
Fra l’altri sancta Chiara sì l’apicciò co i denti, de tal thesaro auara essa con la sua gente; ma non gli ualse niente, cha gli chioui eran de carne, sì como ferro stane duro & enneruato.
La sua carne bianchissima, co carne puerile, enante era brunissima per gli freddi neuili; l’amor la fe’ gentile che par glorificata, d’omne gente amirata de mirabel ornato.
La piaga laterale como rosa uermiglia, lo pianto era tale ad quella merauiglia, uenderla en la simiglia de Christo crucifisso, lo cor era en abysso ueder tal spechiato.
O pianto gaudioso, pieno d’amiranza, pianto delectoso, pieno di consolanza, lacrime d’amanza ce fuor tante gettate ueder tal nouetate, Christo nuouo piagato.
Giù da le calcagna agli occhi tra’ l’umore, questa ueduta magna d’esto enfocato ardore a li sancti stette en cuore; en Francesco fuor è uscito lo balsamo polito che l corpo ha penetrato.
En quella altissima palma ó salisti, Francesco, lo fructo pigliò l’alma de Christo crucifisso; fusti en lui sì trasfisso, mai non te mutasti; co te ce trasformasti, nel corpo è miniato.
L’amore ha questo officio, unir dui en una forma; Francesco nel supplicio de Christo lo trasforma, emprese quella norma de Christo ch’auea en core, la mostra fe’ l’amore uestito d’un uergato.
L’amor diuino, altissimo con Christo l’abracciòne, l’affecto ardentissimo sì lo cc’encorporòne, lo cor li stemperòne, como cera a sigello, emprimettece quello ou’era trasformato.
Parlar de tal figura con la mia lengua taccio, mysteria sì oscura d’entenderle soiaccio; confesso che nol saccio splicar tanta abondanza, la smesurata amanza de lo cuor enfocato.
Quanto fosse quel foco non lo potem sapere; lo corpo suo tal gioco non poté contenere; en cinque parte aprere lo fece la fortura per far demostratura que en lui era albergato.
Nullo trouamo sancto che tal segni portasse; mysterio sì alto se Dio non reuelasse, buono è che lo passe, non ne saccio parlare, quil el porran tractare che l’aueran gustato.
O stìmate amirate, fabricate diuine, gran cosa demostrate ch’a tal segni conuine; saperasse a la fine quando sirà la giostra, che se farà la mostra del popolo crociato.
O anima mia secca che non puoi lacrimare, currece a beuer l’esca, questo fonte potare, loco te enebriare; et non te ne partire, làssatece morire al fonte ennamorato.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.16.24;Mark.8.34;Luke.9.23;Luke.14.26 — Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mark.8.34 — And calling the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Luke.9.23 — Then he said to all, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke.14.26 — If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple.
Notes
- 1 ↩The phrase describes a palace fashioned with artistry or skill; “exquisitely fashioned” preserves that sense.
- 2 ↩Here “arme” means heraldic arms, not weapons.
- 3 ↩Literally, “bring yourself to nothing”; rendered as radical self-abasement rather than physical destruction.
- 4 ↩The archaic wording is understood as referring to the occasion when Saint Anthony was preaching.
- 5 ↩Rendered as “as we find it told”; the phrase appeals to a received written or traditional account.
- 6 ↩The archaic phrase is interpreted as referring to the great rock or crag at La Verna; the reading is uncertain.
- 7 ↩The difficult dialect phrase is understood as saying that the wounds would be unbelievable unless verified plainly by touch.
- 8 ↩The phrase is interpreted contextually as postmortem confirmation of the stigmata.
- 9 ↩The archaic verb “apicciò” is interpreted as fastening onto or gripping one of Francis’s stigmata—the fleshly projections described as nails.
- 10 ↩The compact Umbrian phrase is understood as “with yourself you transformed us,” with the transformation’s object—Christ—supplied by context.
- 11 ↩Literally, “he is illuminated/painted upon the body,” evoking an image inscribed on Francis’s body through the stigmata.
- 12 ↩Literally, “clothed in something striped or marked.” In context, this refers to Francis’s body bearing the marks of Christ’s wounds.
- 13 ↩Rendered as “the wound.” The source form is textually uncertain, but the stanza’s reference to five openings clearly evokes Francis’s stigmata.
- 14 ↩The dialectal phrase is textually uncertain; the translation follows the surrounding invitation to drink from the fountain.
- 15 ↩Literally, “enamored fountain”; rendered “fountain of love” to convey its devotional sense.
Lauds companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere