De campo leticie et fonte vite et requie non valde bonorum
The Gate of the Joyful Field
Tundal and the angel enter a gate that opens on its own and behold a fragrant, flower-filled field teeming with countless rejoicing souls in unending light.
And going a little farther, they came to a gate that opened for them of its own accord. When they had entered it, they saw a beautiful field, fragrant planted with flowers, bright and thoroughly pleasant, in which there was a great number of souls. No one was able to count them. And that multitude of men and women was rejoicing, and there was no night there.
The Fountain of Living Water
The field knows no sunset and contains a fountain of living water.
Nor does the sun set there. And there is a fountain of living water there.
The Soul's Cry of Deliverance
Overcome by the field's sweetness after great suffering, the soul breaks into a devotional cry blessing God for freeing it from the gates of the underworld and bringing it into the lot of the saints, affirming that Scripture's promise of unseen things is now surely known.
The soul, indeed, after such suffering. so great a bitterness as it had endured before. Overcome by the sweetness of that beautiful field, it broke forth with great devotion into such a cry: "Blessed be the name of the Lord.✦ from this time forth and even to the age to come; who freed me from the gates of the underworld."✦ according to the multitude of his compassions.✦ and brought me into the portion of the lot of the saints.✦ Now I know most surely that the words of holy Scripture are true: what no eye has seen.✦
What God Has Prepared for Those Who Love Him
The soul completes the scriptural confession that what no eye has seen or heart grasped is what God has prepared for those who love him.
What no ear has ever heard and no human heart has ever grasped—✦ these are the things God has prepared for those who love him.✦
The Angel Explains the Rest of the Good but Imperfect
Tundal asks whose rest this is and the name of the spring; the angel answers that good but not very good people live here, snatched from hell's torments but not yet joined to the saints, and that the spring is called 'Living,' whose water grants eternal life and unending satisfaction.
And he added, 'Whose souls' rest is this, I ask, and what is the name of this spring?' The angel answered and said to him: 'Here live good people, but not very much so. They were snatched from the torments of hell, but they don't yet deserve to be joined to the fellowship of the saints.' This spring that you see is called 'Living.' If anyone has tasted from this water, they will live forever and never thirst again.'
Read the original Latin
Et euntes paululum; venerunt ad portam que ultro aperta est eis. Quam cum intrassent. viderunt campum pulchrum. odoriferum. floribus insitum. lucidum et satis amenum; in quo erat multitudo animarum. quam dinumerare nemo poterat. Et erat illa multitudo virorum ac mulierum exultantium; et nox ibi non fuit.
neque sol illic occidit. et est ibi fons aque vive.
Anima vero post talem. tamque magnam amaritudinem quam ante sustinuerat. in speciosi campi nimium delectata dulcedine; talem prorupit in vocem cum magna devotione. 'Sit nomen domini benedictum. ex hoc nunc et usque in seculum; qui de portis inferi liberavit me. secundum multitudinem miserationum suarum. et introduxit me in partem sortis sanctorum. Nunc ego cognosco verissima esse verba scripture sancte; quod oculus non vidit.
nec auris audivit nec in cor hominis ascendit. que preparavit deus diligentibus se.'
Et adiunxit. 'Quarum rogo animarum est requies ista; et fons iste quod nomen habet?' Respondens angelus dixit ei. 'hic habitant boni non valde. qui de inferni cruciatibus erepti; nondum merentur sanctorum consortio coniungi. Fons quoque hic quem vides vocatur vivens; si quis gustaverit ex hac aqua. vivet in eternum nec siciet ultra.'
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.112.2 — His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
- ↩Ps.107.18 — All food their soul abhors, and they come to the gates of death.
- ↩Ps.5.8 — But I, in the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
- ↩Ps.16.5 — The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you hold fast my lot.
- ↩1Cor.2.9 — But as it is written: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived—all that God has prepared for those who love him.
- ↩1Cor.2.9 — But as it is written: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived—all that God has prepared for those who love him.
- ↩1Cor.2.9 — But as it is written: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived—all that God has prepared for those who love him.
Visions of Tondal (Les Visions du chevalier Tondal) companion
Tondal came back and changed how he lived daily. That's the whole point.
Chosen Portion builds the daily practice Tondal's vision demanded: a morning reading that keeps eternity in view.
The Visio was written 'for the edification of many' as a spur to daily amendment of life, and Chosen Portion supplies that daily spur with a morning reading and evening examen.
- A daily portion from historic texts on living well and dying well
- The complete 27-chapter Visions of Tondal in modern readable English
- A built-in daily examen prompt — 2 minutes at day's end