Greco-Christian stream·Beguine Mystics·The Strofische Gedichten (Stanzaic Poems) of Hadewijch·Section VII

Section VII

Five Songs (XXXI–XXXV) extending the cycle into its later, more theologically darkening register. The five include Song XXXIII's hunger-and-saturation doctrine in compact quatrains; Song XXXIV's famous None ever in Love was lost / any work done for Love's sake — Love rewards either before or after; Love is always Love's reward; and the climactic Song XXXV in which Hadewijch addresses Love directly as the One who was at counsel where God commanded me to be human:

• Song XXXI — For great Love, in high thought, I will be all my time. For she with her great might makes my nature so wide that I lease my whole being to the high birth of her lineage. The opening turns within a few stanzas to the fier-vs-confinement dialectic. The high-tone stanza: Comfort and disquiet in one Person — that is Love's taste. Though wise Solomon lived, he would forsake unbinding so high a thing; and The tone that exalts all songs — I mean Love in her might.
• Song XXXII — This year the flowers spring up to us, and other manifold herbs. So also one shall judge the noble hearts who live in Love's might. The doctrinal-autobiographical opening: In Love I set my keeping, / and my might in her hand; / from her I demand no other debt / than that I remain in her bond. Strong autobiographical lines later: Love is master of many things; she gives sour and sweet. Since I first received her taste, I always lie at her feet. The closing program: Heavy hearts and low sinne — the great good stays hidden from them, which those well know who live in Love's orewoet.
• Song XXXIII — A short-quatrain Song of fourteen stanzas. The season renews with its years; the days lighten that were dark; those who desire Love and must lack — it is a wonder they do not fade away. The doctrinal compression: Saturation and hunger both in one — that is free Love's fief. The hunger-vs-saturation dialectic in nine successive paired quatrains: How does Love's coming-satiation? — / one tastes with wonder that she is that ... / How does hunger keep Love standing? — / they cannot know that they should / yet not enjoy what they would; / that makes hunger manifold. Closes with the new-anaphora envoi-quatrain: With new lightings have new diligence; with new works, satisfied new delight; with new storm, new hunger so wide; with new devouring, new eternal time.
• Song XXXIV — In all seasons, new and old, let him be subject to Love. Famous middle stanza: Sour and dark and over-cruel / are Love's ways at her beginning. Before one stands with Love in service, he often fails of sinne; where he thinks to lose, it is all gain. The Love-rewards-always Song: None ever in Love was lost / any work done for Love's sake. Love rewards either before or after; Love is always Love's reward. The climactic Loved-of-Beloved stanza: the taste that troth gives in Love / — whoever otherwise speaks anything of joy / has ever lived without joy ... it is the heavenly pleasure free, / wholly without lack: / you-all-Beloved and I-all-yours; / there is no other speaking.
• Song XXXV — The season is dark and cold; birds and beasts grieve; the hearts must suffer manifold. The opening of one of the darkest of Hadewijch's lyric Songs. The famous despair-Song. The Christological middle stanza: Love, you were there at counsel / where God commanded me to be human; you bring me into ungrace — be it all your debt, what happens to me. The accusation of Love is not a denial of Love; it is the climactic Hadewijchian appeal to Love-against-Love. Closes with the prayer: Ah Love, do all your pleasure; your right is my nearest comfort. I will with all me join thereto, be I taken captive or delivered. Your dearest will I will, above all, to stand in pain, in death, in misfortune. Grant Love that I know your Love — that is riches above all gain.

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Song XXXI

XXXI.

For great Love in high thought
will I be all my time;
for she with her great might
makes my nature so wide
that I lease all my being
in the high birth of her lineage.
When I would take free delight,
she throws me into her confinement.

I think to bear without scath
that I am thus embraced in Love;
will she make me understand
all the nearest paths of her way?
When I think to rest in her graces,
she storms me with new counsel.
This is a wondrous striking-down:
the more she loves, the more she lays-on.

This is great wonder to understand —
to take of Love and to give to her.
When she gives me comfort to receive,
it becomes fearing and trembling.
Of Love I pray and beseech
that she draw the noble hearts
who live thus in Love
in lowly doubt, in high expectation.

Comfort and disquiet in one Person —
that is being of Love's taste.
Though wise Solomon lived,
he would forsake unbinding so high a thing.
We are not informed of it in any sermon.
The song that heightens every tone,
the season for which I ever hook —
has in itself yet the reward.

Hooking, waiting, lingering long
for that season that itself is Love
— makes one despise strange mixtures,
and shows losses and great winnings.
Fierheit counsels me that I hang
so fast in Love that I embrace
a being above all sinne —
the tone that heightens every song.

The tone that heightens every song
— that I mean Love in her might.
I say a little — and it suffices not to show
to the strange hearts that are cold
and have suffered little for Love.
They do not know that Love opens
her kingdom to the fier who are bold
and in Love are suckled.

The might of Love that all conquers
is un-understood to know,
and by-with-wandering far recognized,
and a peace that all peaces disturbs
— the peace one wins in Love,
where one with her wholly attains her being —
that is suckled in her comfort,
the one who with Love in Love loves himself thus.

He who would thus in Love be embraced
shall not shrink from cost nor scath nor pain.
He shall with all things stand
in the very nearest of Love's counsel,
and with high service be subject
in all her coming, in all her going.
He who would do this on Love's troth
shall in Love all Love fully stand.

Song XXXII

XXXII.

This year the flowers spring up to us,
and other manifold herbs.
So also one shall judge the noble hearts
who live in Love's might.
In Love I set my keeping
and my might in her hand.
From her I demand no other debt
than that I remain in her bond.

He who now bore the bond of right Love,
as one should rightly love,
him would the cruel strangers
soon openly attack —
they do them many a great hazard,
those who stand in high Love's keeping.
But whatever they do them too heavy,
God be thanked, that is to little success.

He who shall serve high Love
may shrink from no pain.
He shall give himself all-for-all
for high Love's sufficing.
And if he in any way grows refined
— then well may he know the truth
that he shall become in showing
master of right Love.

Love is master of many a thing;
she ministers sour and sweet.
Since I first received her taste,
I lie always at her feet.
I pray her that she be pleased
that for her honor I bear
agony unto death, all without ransom,
and that I not complain of it to the strangers.

He who would make known to the strangers
what one bears for Love's honor
— he should make his heart well un-sound,
and wound his nature sorely;
for they understand still less:
for one must, for right Love, suffer
adventure and heavy turning,
that he in her Love may be heightened.

He who would please Love well —
I counsel that he spare not,
and join his being to this:
that with zeal he travel-through the storms
against the will of those onlookers
who so stand after his pain.
Whatever they may then make heavy to him,
to him it remains ever free to be.

Freedom one may well know
in jousts and in high deed —
who with fierheit travels-through of sinne
where the storm of Love stands against him.
For in the joust one receives the prize
where one in Love appears worthy.
Love is so rich a trust;
it is right that one suffer for her.

He who shrinks from any pain in Love
— certainly they cannot understand
what those may win
who are ever subject to Love
and receive her heavy blows from her,
under which they remain all un-healed,
and they rise high and strike-down low,
and so they sufficiently relieve Love.

Sluggish hearts and low sinne —
to them stays hidden the great good
that those well know
who live in orewoet of Love.
For they receive many a fair meeting
in storms and in adventures.
It is right they have success
in Love's high nature.

God give them success who stand after this
— that they will please Love,
and gladly through her receive
great burden with heavy weighings,
and ever much for her sake bear,
that Love know them worthy.
I would gladly that they yet see
the wise wonders of Love.

Song XXXIII

XXXIII.

The season renews with its years;
the days lighten that were dark.
Those who desire Love and must lack —
it is a wonder they do not fade away.

This New Year has come in,
which has turned its sinne,
where he wills to spare neither more nor less.
Before Love his pain becomes all gain.

But he who spares any pain before Love,
and so reveals his lowness,
and in strange pleasures so keeps himself
— it is right he be heavied in service.

But those who from Love are born
and chosen for her nature
— they spare no pain before her;
they live always in holy travail.

He whom high Love's nature touches
— he is the one who ever gladly travails,
as plain in his works appears;
he thinks it ever unfinished.

That were to the fine soul a damage:
that, by strange low counsel,
he let off working the high deed
that gives hunger in Love's saturations.

Saturation and hunger both in one
— that is free Love's fief,
as it ever appeared to those
whom Love with her nature touched.

The saturation Love's coming gives — one can endure it;
that the hunger keeps it up is a lament.
Her fairest lightings are heavy weighings;
her sharpest storms are new pleasures.

How does Love's coming-saturation?
One tastes with wonder that she is that.
She causes one to possess her highest seat;
she gives her riches, that great treasure.

How does hunger keep Love standing?
They cannot know that they should
yet not enjoy what they would —
that makes the hunger manifold.

How does laden Love's lightings come?
One cannot receive her great gifts,
and one cannot compose her like —
so one knows not where to set endurance.

How do storm and stroke please
the noble Love night and day?
For one can practice nothing else
than trust on Love's seeing.

Now I commend to holy Love
all of you who would know Love,
and spare therefore in no sinne
to dwell therein with new diligence.

With new lightings have new diligence;
with new works, satisfied new delight;
with new storm, new hunger so wide;
with new devouring, new eternal time.

Song XXXIV

XXXIV.

In all seasons, new and old,
let him be subject to Love.
The summer hot, the winter cold —
he who would receive Love from Love
shall stand with full service
in high Love's handling.
So he becomes Love with Love quickly;
that cannot fail him.

Sour and dark and over-cruel
are Love's ways at her beginning.
Before one stands with Love in service,
he often fails of sinne;
where he thinks to lose, it is all gain.
Whereby one may know this:
that they spare neither more nor less
than to give themselves wholly in Love.

Many doubt about Love
because to them the labor seems too heavy
and they do not at the first take it in.
They think: Wouldst thou wander there?
Were the reward clear before their eyes
that Love gives at the end,
I dare well say openly
they would suffer their misery.

None was ever lost in Love
of what one ever did for Love's sake.
Love rewards always — before or after.
Love is always Love's reward.
Love knows by Love Love's habit;
her taking is always giving.
Love gives with her cunning
many a death in the living.

It is over-sweet to wander in Love.
Her wide ways Love makes one go.
That stays well hidden from the strangers,
but those who with truth stand in Love
shall with Love through Love go-through
all the kingdom where Love is Lady,
and all the dominion with her receive,
and through-taste her noble troth.

The taste that troth gives in Love
— whoever otherwise speaks anything of joy
has ever lived without joy,
according to as I understand myself.
For it is heavenly pleasure free,
wholly without lack:
you-all-Beloved, and I-all-yours.
There is no other speaking.

Those who have thus in Love become one
— I may well keep silent how it stands with them.
Neither seeing nor speaking is my fief;
for I know it not with being:
how Beloved there Beloved all-around embraces,
and they enjoy as one giving.
What wonder that grief wears me out
that this is still kept from me?

That I, of Love, ever for an hour failed
— it grieves me sorely; that is no wonder.
With right I suffer un-easement
that I let myself ever so low,
when Love promised me all good
if I ever so highly took thought
to work in the kingdom which she bade me
in the highest of her offices.

The kingdom which Love counseled us toward,
and the office which she bade us work,
that is to practice Love and nothing else,
with all the service that goes to it.
He who with troth well understands this
to work in every sinne
— he it is whom Love wholly embraces,
and he becomes all one in Love.

Hereto I summon all the fine ones
who with Love would stand by Love:
to be thus in Love's service
in all her coming, in all her going,
her uplifting, her striking-down
— let it be to him equally sweet.
So they become Love with Love soon,
that God may help us thereto.

Song XXXV

XXXV.

The season is dark and cold;
of this grieve birds and beasts.
The hearts must suffer manifold
that know their fier nature,
and from whom Love shall withdraw.
Whoever rises up, I remain in the dale
without rich comfort, un-counseled,
ever laden with heavy weighings.

The weighing is to me all too heavy
that does not lie by any need.
How can a heart endure there
that must suffer so many a death
as he tastes who knows himself
ever by Love wholly un-loved
and altogether denied by her whom she receives
— help and comfort and trust?

If Love will not receive me with Love,
what was I then ever born for?
If I am before Love thus undone,
I am, without doubt, lost.
So may I lament worse-after-woe
all my time henceforth.
So I hope not for any favor
since Love shall thus withdraw from me.

I showed Love my pain;
I prayed her that she have grace of it.
She made it in countenance plain
that she had neither will nor occasion.
What happens to me is all one to her.
Howsoever she ever in favor appeared,
her strange turnings have undone me.
For this I must live nights by day.

Where henceforth is Love? I find her not.
Love has denied me all Love.
Were it to me ever by Love granted
that I had lived one hour
in her favor — howsoever it stood with me —
so would I seek of her troth's leave.
Now must I keep silent, suffer, and endure
sharp judgment with new hours.

The judgments make me waste away,
that Love must thus withdraw from me
— though I would for her favor strive.
Thereto I have neither luck nor success.
Despair has so withstood me;
I can receive no comfort
that may turn from my heart
the unheard-of withering blow.

Love, you were there at counsel
where God commanded me to be human.
You bring me into ungrace —
be it all your debt, what happens to me.
I thought to be loved by Love.
I am denied — that is to me in show.
My trust, my high expectation,
has all gone to sorrow.

So sweet a nature as Love is,
where can she take such strange envy
that she at every hour wages-war upon me
and through-cuts my heart's ground with storm?
I wander in darkness without clarity,
outside free comfort, in strange dread.
Give Love to the noble fier Love,
and fulfill in me all your beginning.

Love has dealt with me rightly hollowly —
of whom shall I now seek counsel?
That is, of troth, if she will receive me;
that she for me, of her high deed,
before Love would lead it, that I might
give myself wholly over, if she wished aught.
I beseech her no comfort nor counsel
than that she make herself known to me alone.

Ah Love, do all your pleasure.
Your right is my nearest comfort.
I will with all me join thereto,
be it taken captive or delivered.
Your dearest will I will, above all,
to stand in agony, in death, in misfortune.
Grant Love that I know your Love;
that is riches above all gain.

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