The seven and thritty chapitre. Of the special preiers of hem that ben contynowel worchers in the werk of this book.
The Sudden Rising of Special Prayers
The prayers of those who work in this grace rise suddenly to God without intervening means, unlike the fixed prayers of Holy Church.
And just as the meditations of those who continually work in this grace and in this work rise suddenly without any intervening means, just so do their prayers. I mean their special prayers, not those prayers that are ordained by Holy Church. For those who are true workers in this work don't hold any prayer in such high regard; and therefore they say them in the form and according to the rule that the holy fathers before us ordained.1 But their special prayers always rise suddenly to God, without any intervening means or any particular premeditation coming beforehand, or going along with them.
The Brevity of Spirit-Filled Prayer
True spiritual prayers are brief, often a single syllable, because the urgency of the spirit cannot bear long delay.
And if they are in words — as they seldom are — then they are only in very few words; yes, and always the fewer the better. Yes, and if it's only a little word of one syllable, I think it's better than one of two, and more fitting to the work of the spirit — since it is so that a spiritual worker in this work should always be at the highest and most sovereign point of the spirit.2 That this is true, see by an example from the course of nature. A man or a woman, frightened by any sudden occurrence of fire, or of someone's death, or whatever else it may be, is suddenly driven at the height of his spirit by haste and need to cry out or pray for help. Yes — how? Surely not in many words, nor even in one word of two syllables. And why is that? Because it seems to him too long a delay to declare the need and the work of his spirit.3
The Power of the One-Syllable Cry
A single word cried from the depth of the spirit pierces heaven more readily than any long, mindless recitation.
And so he bursts out dreadfully with a great spirit, and cries only a little word of one syllable — like the word fire, or the word out. And just as this little word fire stirs more readily and pierces the hearers' ears more quickly, so does a little word of one syllable when it is not only spoken or thought, but inwardly meant in the depth of spirit—which is the height (for in spirituality all is one: height and depth, length and breadth).✦ It pierces the ears of Almighty God more readily than any long psalter mumbled mindlessly between the teeth.4 That’s why it’s written that a short prayer pierces heaven.
Read the original Middle English
And right as the meditacions of hem that contynouely worchen in this grace and in this werk risen sodenly withoutyn any menes, right so don theire preiers. I mene of theire specyal preiers, not of thoo preiers that ben ordeynid of Holy Chirche. For thei that ben trewe worchers in this werk, thei worschip no preier so moche; and therfore thei do hem in the fourme and in the statute that thei ben ordeynid of holy faders before us. Bot theire specyal preiers risen evermore sodenly unto God, withoutyn any meenes or any premeditacion in special comyng before, or going therwith.
And yif thei ben in wordes, as thei ben bot seldom, than ben thei bot in ful fewe wordes; ye, and in ever the fewer the betir. Ye, and yif it be bot a lityl worde of o silable, me think it betir then of to, and more acordyng to the werk of the spiryte; sithen it so is that a goostly worcher in this werk schulde evermore be in the highest and the sovereynest pointe of the spirit. That this be soth, se by ensaumple in the cours of kynde. A man or a womman, affraied with any sodeyn chaunce of fiir, or of mans deeth, or what elles that it be, sodeynly in the height of his speryt he is drevyn upon hast and upon nede for to crie or for to prey after help. Ye, how? Sekirly not in many woordes ne yit in o woorde of two silabes. And whi is that? For hym thinketh to longe tariing, for to declare the nede and the werk of his spirit.
And therfore he brestith up hidously with a grete spirit, and cryeth bot a litil worde of o silable, as is this worde fiir or this worde oute.
And right as this lityl worde fiir sterith rather and peerseth more hastely the eren of the herers, so doth a lityl worde of o sylable, whan it is not only spoken or thought, bot prively ment in the depnes of spirit, the whiche is the height (for in goostlynes alle is one, height and depnes, lengthe and brede). And rather it peersith the eres of Almyghty God than doth any longe sauter unmyndfuly mumlyd in the teeth. And herfore it is wretyn that schort preier peersith heven.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.3.18 — rooted and grounded in love, that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'worschip no preier so moche' most naturally means they do not so highly exalt or fuss over set prayer; 'hem' continues the Church-ordained prayers of s2, which they therefore keep in the fathers' ordained form and statute.
- 2 ↩sovereynest pointe of the spirit: rendered as the highest and most sovereign point of the spirit, i.e. the peak of spiritual attention, not political sovereignty.
- 3 ↩hym thinketh: impersonal ME construction ('it seems to him'), not a modern finite 'he thinks' with subject-agent force.
- 4 ↩sauter = psalter (the Book of Psalms recited in the office); mumlyd in the teeth = mechanically mouthed without attention.
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.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent