The sixtene chapitre. That bi vertewe of this werk, a sinner trewly turned and clepid to contemplacion cometh sonner to perfeccion than bi any other werk; and bi it sonnest may gete of God forgevenes of synnes.
The Power of Private Love
The author warns that no sinner should think it presumptuous to offer a humble stirring of love, because Mary's sins were forgiven not for her sorrow but for her great love.
See to it that no one thinks it presumption that even the most wretched sinner in this life dare take it upon himself — once the time has come that he has lawfully amended his life, and after he has felt himself stirred to that life called contemplative, by the assent of his counsel and his conscience — to offer a humble stirring of love to his God, privately setting the cloud of unknowing between himself and his God. When our Lord said to Mary, in the person of all sinners who are called to the contemplative life, "Your sins are forgiven you" — not for her great sorrow, nor for the remembrance of her sins, nor yet for the meekness she had in looking on her wretchedness alone.1 But why, then? Surely because she loved much—see! Here you can see what a private love, once offered, may win from our Lord—more than all other works anyone can think of.2
Sorrow Subordinated to Love
While acknowledging that Mary had deep sorrow for her sins, the author explains that she did not dwell on them but rather yearned more for love, and that God showed her that focusing on her sins would not bring full forgiveness.
And yet I freely grant that she had very great sorrow, and wept bitterly for her sins, and was deeply humbled by the thought of her wretchedness. And so should we do—we who have been wretches and habitual sinners all our lives: make a dreadful and overwhelming sorrow for our sins, and be deeply humbled by the thought of our wretchedness.3 But how? Surely, as Mary did. She, though she could never stop feeling the deep heartfelt sorrow of her sins—for all her life she carried them with her wherever she went, as if in a burden bound together and hidden very secretly in the hollow of her heart, never to be forgotten—nevertheless it may still be said and affirmed by Scripture that she had a more heartfelt sorrow, a more doleful desire, and a deeper sighing, and that she languished more, yes!4 nearly to death for lack of love, though she had a great deal of love—and don't wonder at that, for it is the condition of a true lover that the more he loves, the more he longs to love—than she had for any remembrance of her sins. And yet she was soberly certain, deep within herself, that she was a wretch fouler than anyone else, and that her sins had created a division between her and her God, whom she loved so much; and also that they were largely the cause of her languishing sickness from a lack of love.5 But what of that? Did she therefore descend from the height of her desire into the depths of her sinful life, and search in the foul, stinking mire and dunghill of her sins, digging them up one by one, with all their circumstances, and sorrow and weep over each one individually?6 No, surely she did not. And why? For God let her know by his grace within her soul that she would never bring it about that way.7 For that way she might sooner have stirred up in herself a readiness to sin again than obtained any full forgiveness of all her sins through that work.8
Love in the Cloud of Unknowing
Mary hung her love and longing in the cloud of unknowing, often forgetting her sins and even focusing beyond Christ's physical presence to His Godhead, as the Gospel shows.
And so she hung her love and her longing desire in this cloud of unknowing, and taught herself to love a thing she could not see clearly in this life by the light of understanding in her reason, nor yet truly feel in the sweetness of love in her affection—so much so that she often had little particular thought of whether she had ever been a sinner or not. Yes!9 And very often, I hope, she was so deeply moved by the love of His Godhead that she had only the slightest specific regard for the beauty of His precious and blessed body, in which He sat so lovingly, speaking and preaching before her—nor for anything else, whether bodily or spiritual. That this is true seems clear from the Gospel.
Read the original Middle English
Loke that no man think it presumpcion that he that is the wrechidest sinner of this liif dar take apon hym -- after the tyme be that he have lawfuly amendid hym, and after that he have felt him sterid to that liif that is clepid contemplative, by the assent of his counsel and his concience -- for to profre a meke steryng of love to his God, prively puttyng apon the cloude of unknowyng bitwix him and his God. When oure Lorde seyde to Marye, in persone of alle sinners that ben clepid to contemplative liif: "Thi sinnes ben forgeven thee" -- not for hir grete sorow, ne for the mynde of hir synnes, ne yit for hir meeknes that sche had in the beholdyng of hir wrechidnes only. Bot whi than? Sekirly for sche loved mochel -- lo! here mowe men see what a privé love put may purchase of oure Lorde, before alle other werkes that man may think.
And yit I graunte wel that scho had ful mochel sorow, and weep ful sore for hir synnes, and ful mochel sche was mekid in mynde of hir wrechidnes. And so schuld we do, that have ben wreches and customable synners al oure liiftyme, make hidous and wonderful sorow for oure synnes, and ful mochel be mekid in mynde of oure wrechidnes.
Bot how? Sekirly as Mary did. Scho, thof al scho myght not unfele the depe hertly sorow of hir synnes -- for whi al hir liiftyme sche had hem with hir whereso sche gede, as it were in a birthen bounden togeders and leide up ful prively in the hole of hir herte, in maner never to be forgeten -- nevertheles yit it may be seide and affermyd by Scripture that sche had a more hertly sorow, a more doelful desire, and a more deep sighing, and more sche languischid, ye! nighhonde to the deeth, for lackyng of love, thof al sche had ful mochel love -- and have no wonder therof, for it is the condicion of a trewe lover that ever the more he loveth, the more him longeth for to love -- than sche had for any mynde of hir synnes.
And yit sche wist wel, and felt wel in hirself, in a sad sothfastnes, that sche was a wreche moste foule of alle other, and that hir synnes had maad a devision bitwix hir and hir God, that sche loved so mochel; and also that thei were in grete party cause of hir langwisching sekenes for lakyng of love. Bot what therof? Cam sche therfore doun fro the height of desire into the depnes of hir sinful liif, and serchid in the foule stynkyng fen and donghille of hir sinnes, serching theim up bi one and bi one, with alle the circumstaunces of hem, and sorowed and weep so upon hem ichone bi hemself? Nay, sekirly sche did not so. And whi? For God lete hir wite by his grace withinne in hir soule that sche schuld never so bryng it aboute. For so might sche sonner have reisid in hirself an abelnes to have efte synnid, then to have purchasid by that werke any pleyn forgevenes of alle hir synnes.
And therfore sche heng up hir love and hir longing desire in this cloude of unknowing, and lernid hir to love a thing the whiche sche might not se cleerly in this liif bi light of understondyng in hire reson, ne yit verely fele in swetnes of love in hir affeccion; insomochel that sche had oftetymes lityl specyal mynde whether that ever sche had ben a synner or none. Ye! and ful oftymes I hope that sche was so deeply affecte in the love of His Godheed that sche had bot right lityl specyal beholdyng unto the beuté of His precious and His blessid body, in the whiche He sate ful lovely, spekyng and preching before hir; ne yit to anything elles, bodyly or goostly. That this be soth, it semith by the Gospelle.
Notes
- 1 ↩Mary here is the sinful woman of Luke 7, read in the Cloud's traditional identification with Mary Magdalene as type of the converted contemplative.
- 2 ↩ME 'privé love put' rendered as a privately offered / inward love put forth; 'purchase' kept as obtain/win rather than commercial buy.
- 3 ↩ME 'hidous and wonderful' is an intensifying doublet: 'hidous' = dreadful/horrible; 'wonderful' = astonishing in magnitude (not modern 'wonderful' as delightful). Rendered as 'dreadful and overwhelming'.
- 4 ↩Middle English unfele: cease to feel / cast off the feeling of; rendered here as 'stop feeling'.
- 5 ↩ME 'sad sothfastnes' rendered as 'sober certainty': 'sad' = serious/steadfast; 'sothfastnes' = truthfulness/firm truth.
- 6 ↩ME 'fen' = marsh/mire; rendered 'mire' for clarity while keeping the dunghill image.
- 7 ↩'never so bryng it aboute' = never achieve forgiveness/perfection by that rummaging through sins one by one.
- 8 ↩ME 'abelnes' = ability/aptitude/readiness; rendered 'readiness'. 'pleyn forgevenes' = full/complete forgiveness.
- 9 ↩ME 'Ye!' is an emphatic affirmative (yea/yes), not the plural pronoun 'ye'.
The Cloud of Unknowing companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
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