VII. Viene 'l messaggio – e lo spirito saggio!
The Descent of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles in fire and light to illuminate the world and liberate humanity.
The message is coming — and the wise spirit! It comes from the heavenly kingdoms—new and sweet sounds, glad and not harsh, descending from the high choirs—in the form of vapor and a luminous ray. He comes like kindled fire and divided tongues: the apostles have received him, and their souls are clothed in bright-colored garments and with every language.1 And he comes to light the darkened world, to save our souls; each one will be set free from that ungrateful enemy who took the evil road.
A Prayer for Transformation
A devotional petition for the Spirit to purge the heart, guide the soul, and grant the strength to walk in love.
Come, true Spirit, enter our hearts: make our spirit whole, purge our faults, and keep us firm and steadfast in working for our good. Show us your way and show us your virtue; the soul still longs to see its salvation and seeks, through virtue, to flee its ruin. O gift of God most high, O true majesty, most vehement Spirit—how great your goodness is! With your great love we'll make the good passage.2
The Gifts and Fruits of Grace
The poet reflects on the seven gifts of the Spirit and asks for protection against the enemy and the weight of sin.
Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are named.✦ Even seven million couldn't say as much: whoever walks your path turns sorrow into song.3 Kindle our senses and strengthen our hearts, for virtue is fitting for loves like these; make us feel great sweetness and leave every outrage behind.4 Drive our great enemy far from us; wipe out the ancient sin, and shut hell against him, to his own ruin.5
The Mystery of the Incarnation and Doxology
The chapter concludes by connecting the Spirit's work to the Incarnation and offering praise to the Trinity.
Through you, our Father sent the Son from heaven into that holy mother to make himself like us; it was by divine counsel, just as I have shown you. Grace be to you, Father, wholly to the Son, and to the holy Mother, and to the burning Spirit—of whom may all the human race be thirsty.
Read the original Latin
Viene ’l messaggio - e lo spirito saggio!
Vien da’ regni celesti, (Nuovi e dolci romori, Giocondi e non molesti, Scendon dagli alti cori) In forma di vapori E luminoso raggio.
Vien come foco acceso E lingue dispartite: Gli apostoli àn compreso E l’ alme lor vestite Di veste colorite E di ciascun linguaggio.
E’ viene a ’lluminare Il mondo intenebrato, Le nostre alme a salvare; Ciascun fie liberato Da quel nimico ingrato Che prese il mal viaggio.
Vieni, spirito vero, Entra ne’ nostri petti: Facci l’ animo intero, Purga e’ nostri difetti, E tienci saldi e stretti A far nostro vantaggio.
Mostraci la tuo via, Mostraci tuo virtute: L’ anima pur disia Veder la suo salute E cerca con virtute Fuggire il suo dannaggio.
O don di Dio altissimo, O vera maestade, Spirito vementissimo, Quant’ é la tuo bontade! Con tuo gran caritade Fareno el buon passaggio.
Sette si dicon doni Dello Spirito Santo. Di sette milïoni Non si potre’ dir tanto: Verte el dolore in canto Chi va pel tuo viaggio.
Accendi e’ nostri sensi, Conferma e’ nostri cuori, Chè la virtù conviensi A così fatti amori; Fa’ sentir gran dolzori E lasciar ogni oltraggio.
El nostro gran nimico Da noi fa’ dilungare: E el peccato antico A’ fatto cancellare E l’ inferno serrare A suo disavvantaggio.
Per te el nostro padre Mandò di cielo el figlio In quella santa madre A farsi a noi simiglio: Fu per divin consiglio, Come mostrato i’ v’ aggio.
Grazia sia a te, padre, Al figlio interamente Ed alla santa madre E allo spirito ardente; Del qual sie sizïente Tutto l’ uman lignaggio.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Isa.11.2-Isa.11.3 — And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Isa.11.3 — And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide by what his ears hear.
Notes
- 1 ↩«àn compreso» (hanno compreso) can mean ‘have understood’ or ‘have taken in/received’; the Pentecost imagery and the following clothing of their souls favor ‘received’ over mere intellectual grasp.
- 2 ↩caritade rendered as love (default for charity/love); could be charity where the theological virtue is stressed. passaggio keeps the source image of a safe/good crossing rather than a looser paraphrase like 'journey.'
- 3 ↩«Di sette milïoni / Non si potre’ dir tanto» is hyperbolic understatement: even seven million (words/tongues) could not express so much about the Spirit's gifts. «Verte» is third-person singular: the one who walks the Spirit's road is who turns sorrow into song.
- 4 ↩oltraggio can mean outrage, offense, injury, or insult; here rendered as 'outrage' for the force of forsaking what wrongs love/virtue, not mere social slight.
- 5 ↩A' fatto is taken as continuing the imperative force of fa' (drive / make), not as indicative ha fatto; the stanza reads as petition to the Spirit in series with neighboring stanzas.
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