Greco-Christian stream·Beguine Mystics·The Visions of Hadewijch·Section IV

Section IV

Three visions in scope: an unmarked-feast spiritual-ascent vision, and two on dated liturgical feasts of Mary and John the Evangelist.

• Vision 8 — undated. Hadewijch sees a high broad mountain with five ways ascending to its summit, the fifth and highest being the mountain itself. A kimpe¹ — a spiritual champion — has scaled four of the ways and meets her at the height, but the fifth way must be taught her by God himself. The mountain's face appears as a great fiery flood; a voice calls Hadewijch to be that highest way. The five ways are then explicated as five hour-relations: the short hour that conquers all long hours, the hour that conquers the year, the month that conquers the year, the while that conquers the month, the days that overtake the week. At the end the kimpe identifies himself as one who could not climb the fifth way because he loved Love too much with the intellect and held the noble manhood out of those affections. The vision foretells bits of ungrace nearing.
• Vision 9 — on the Nativity of Mary (8 September), at the second nocturn of Matins. A queen comes clothed in a golden robe full of one thousand eyes, with a crown bearing as many crowns as eyes. Three maidens precede her — Holy Fear (red mantle, two trumpets), Discretion (green mantle, two palms each sealed with a book), Wisdom (black mantle, lantern full of days). The queen sets her foot on Hadewijch's throat and asks: Do you know who I am? Hadewijch recognizes her: You are the Reason of my soul. Reason expounds the symbolism, then becomes subject to Hadewijch; Love comes and embraces her; she lies drowned in unspeakable wonders until late in the day.
• Vision 10 — on Saint John the Evangelist's day (27 December), the second day of Christmastide. A new Jerusalem is being adorned; the highest spirits of heaven — auriolae and eunustus² — are at work on it. An eagle flies through the city three times, calling first the lords, then the living, then the dead. An Evangelist explains: the city is Hadewijch's conscience, its splendor her virtues, the surrounding her fiery diligence; her fruition-soul is the bride of the city. A voice declares: Look here, bride and mother — you have alone been able to live me as God and man. Half an hour of fruition follows.

Same glossary and conventions as Sections I–III: Minne rendered Love (capitalized when personified); gebruken as fruition / to enjoy; bekinnesse as knowing; orewoet preserved on first use, italicized; kimpe preserved italicized as a project gloss-term. Judge deferred per session-budget.

Vision 8 — The Mountain and the Five Ways

I saw a great mountain that was high and broad, and of unspeakably beautiful form. To that mountain went five ways high standing, that all up the noble mountain went, to the highest sitting that there above was. But they went high, and yet higher, and more higher, and at-the-highest, so that he himself was the highest way wholly — and the highest being itself. And I was taken up, and was brought to that mountain. There I saw a face of eternal fruition, where all the ways ended in, and where all those who completed the ways were made one.

And one who led me up there showed himself to me; and when I was up he said to me: See here, how I am a kimpe, and rich in that true face which sees through all and shines through light into the perfect service that fulfills, and teaches divinity and prudence, and the wealth gives of all fruitions of all full skillful taste. I am shown a champion; see that my adornment is as all-conquering, and mighty of that thing which all-is, where heaven and hell and the earth before it serve. And I have climbed these ways highest, and lead you; and I am your true witness of the four. And the fifth, which is yours — that shall be witnessed to you by the righteous God, who sent himself to you and who sends himself to you.

And then he showed me further the unspeakably beautiful face; and it was to look at as a great fiery flood, wider and deeper than the sea. And then I heard a great voice out of the flood speaking to me: Come and be yourself the highest way, the One in being of those who are perfect therein, who with short hours overtake all long hours. Your great deprivation of Love has given you the highest way in my fruition — the fruition I have hooked-for since the world's beginning, for which you have often paid with heavy longings, and shall yet. The being-deprived of what one above all desires, and the touching of me who am the un-touchable: that is the short hour that conquers all long hours. And that is the way to my own nature, with which I came to myself and went; and therewith I went out, from my Father to you and to yours, and came again from you and from yours to my Father. That hour I have sent to you with me; and you send it forth to yours with me.

The hour that conquers the year that one should labor — that are you, and those who always are in new diligence of greater longings, and therefore suffer great contempt and the unheard-of above their power, and are complained of by all and doubted above all the good works. Such people one condemns, and almost no one is gracious to them. The godly doubt them, and the others wonder at them, and some envy them: that hour conquers the year.

The month that conquers the year — that are you, and those who have little comfort in their grief, and in their lack from without and from within, and willingly suffer for me, and rely upon my comfort that I shall come to them. These follow me nearer in the month than the comforted ones in the year.

The while that conquers the month — that are you, and those who are in pains for me and for others who have need of them — for me, and for their misdeed, and for their harm and for their loss from without and from within, in all their need; and who themselves always labor to possess the knowing of Love.

The days that overtake the week — that are you, and those who fall into misery without guilt, and yet are zealous enough toward God that they have not recalled any guilt to themselves.

And because you have brought any thing of charity with me as one out of all things, and because you in this hour were moving me with the ways of my own nature where I came and went — so I witness to you with true witness, with that wherewith I am my Father's truth, and my Father witnesses to me — that you are the highest way, the way which you with you have brought, where I after-have-summoned with my hidden ways. And because you have known this in our both holiness, now be holy in us — and all who shall come by us into your knowing, that they may come holy, and so one that they you⁶ above all in this being know and trust, and you they serve, that you it are who this is, and that they desire me in this being, and rightly hold in you, and give, until that day that they lead so high a life that I, and my Father, and you, may give true witness that their short hour conquers so long a time.

Now you have tasted of me and received from without and from within; and you have understood the One ways that wholly in me begin. Now turn to me as the unconquered one who has conquered all heavenly and all earthly and all hellish champions; and as the conqueror be adorned. Lead all the un-led to their worth, the worth in which they are loved by me, and in which they may love me, and serve according to the right of my nature, for I am all with which all creatures have need and which relieves them.

And I came again into the meeting of the spirit who had brought me there, and I asked him: Kimpe, lord, how are you adorned of your high witness, where you led me to, and did not lead fully? And he told me who he was.³ Thereafter he said to me: I witness to you the four ways, and lead fully — wherein I know myself, and conquer the times. But the fifth was given to you by the faithful one, whom you received where I am not. For when I lived as man, I had too little love with affections, and followed the sharp counsel of the spirit; thereby I could not be moved to so unique a love. For I did great wrong to the noble manhood, in that I held it out of those affections.

And he said: Turn back into your matter, and let your works flower; and bits of ungrace are nearing you. For you are turning as one all-conquering, for you have all conquered.

Then I came into myself as a new, very sore-being, and ever shall be — until that day I again fall into that from which I then turned away.

Vision 9 — Reason and her Three Maidens (Nativity of Mary)

I was at Matins on the Nativity of Blessed Mary; and after the three lessons it was shown to me in a spirit a little wonder. My heart was moved beforehand by words of Love that one read there in the Canticles, by which I thought of a whole kiss.

Shortly thereafter, in the second nocturn, I saw in the spirit: there came a queen clothed in a golden robe; and the robe was all full of eyes; and all the eyes were all-seeing as fiery flames, and yet like crystal. And the crown which she had on her head had as many crowns, the one above the other, as eyes were on the robe; and the number you shall hear when she herself names it.

Before the queen came three maidens. The first with a red purple, and two trumpets in her hands; and she blew with the one and said: Whoever does not hear my lady, he shall eternally be deafened in blessedness; and he shall nevermore hear nor see the highest melody and the wonders of mighty Love. And the other trumpet sang and said: Whoever flies the ways, and walks them, which my lady loves, he shall be mighty in Love's kingdom.

And the second maiden had a green purple on, and she had two palms in her hands, and they were sealed each with a book: with these she warded off from her lady the dust of the days and of the nights, of the moons and of the suns — for she would not be dust-blown by any of these.

The third maiden had a black purple on, and she had a kind of lantern in her hand, full of days, by which her lady saw the depth of the ground and the height of the supreme ascent.

The queen came to me strongly, swift, and set her foot on my throat, and cried with a dreadful voice and said: Do you know who I am? And I said: Yes, I know well; you have done me woe and pain so long, and you are the Reason of my soul, and it is the household of my house with which you adorned go. The singer of the trumpets is my holy Fear, who has tested perfection in all the being of Love. The other is the Discretion between you and Love, who has tested both your wills and kingdoms and pleasures. The third is Wisdom, with whom I have known your might and your works by Love, and with whom I knew God-God alone, and God all-thing God, and each thing as God — as I, in the spirit, am thereto united.⁴

Then I said: What tidings bring you me now? And she said: It is true; with this eyed robe are you adorned; with the heavenly honor have you clothed me. The number of the eyes there is one thousand; from each virtue the full number.⁵ The four-foldness of the eyes is in each formed with knowing of Love. The crystalness of the eyes preserved and dead a hundredfold in known-suffering. And each eye of the knowing — for love and for suffering — had its crown formed after its sign. Thus each eye had one crown mightily.

When Reason had thus satisfied me, she bade me know all the number of my company; and I knew them well. Then Reason became subject to me, and made room above her; and Love came and embraced me, and I came out of the spirit, and remained lying drowned, until high up the day, in unspeakable wonders.

Vision 10 — The City of the Bride (Saint John the Evangelist's Day)

I was taken up in the spirit on Saint John the Evangelist's day in Christmastide. There I saw a new city being prepared, called Jerusalem and so formed. They adorned it with all new attire that was unspeakably beautiful; and those who served therein were the very fairest of heaven, all of those names auriolae and eunustus, and all the sanctified-of-Love: these adorned it with all the living; and they thereto summoned all the new wonders that with new wonders were born.

And in the midst of the high city flew an eagle, calling with a great voice: You all lords and dominions, here shall you know the eternity of your dominion. And a second time he flew through the city, calling: The time draws near; all you living, enjoy of the living with the living. And the third time he called and said: O you dead, come into the light and into the life; and all you un-led ones who are not too naked to know our bridal-feast, come into our seed and know the bride, who by Love has known through every need, heavenly and earthly. She is so through-known of need into the strange land that I shall now show her how she is grown in the country of darkness; and she shall be great, and she shall see her rest, and the voice of the mighty shall be all her own.

After this came an Evangelist and said: You are here; and one shall show you the glory of your exile. And the city that you here see adorned is your free conscience; and this high splendor that is here, that is your manifold virtues with full suffering; and the surrounding is your fiery diligence, which has overcome you above all grief; and your unknown virtues with new earnestness, those are the manifold splendors that adorn the city. Your fruition-soul, that is the bride of the city. Here is the highest company that whole live in Love, and in the spirit of the highest virtue. All those whom you here see, eunustus and auriolae, and all the whole multitude of the highest power — they are here come to have their lordship at your bridal-feast. Then all the living of heaven and of earth shall renew their lives in your bridal-feast. The dead who without hope have come, and by your knowing are made bright, and are in longings of grace or in purgatory — who cleave a little to virtue and are not too naked that they should not believe the oneness of you both — they shall be satisfied out of your bridal-feast.

Then I heard so loud a voice calling: Peace be to you all new, and all new joy. Look here, this is my bride, who has gone through all your offices with perfect Love, whose love is so strong that thereby it thus grows. And he said: Look here, bride and mother — you have been able to live me alone as God and man. What thinks to you of all earthly rest? The eunustus are; what shall it be that you are them all? Never tasted to you earthly poison; yet you have inhumanly much endured under men. You shall endure to the end with that-which-I-am, and we shall remain one. Now enjoy of me, that I am, with the power of your overcoming; and the satisfied shall eternally live out of you.

And the voice embraced me with an unheard-of wonder; and I fell into him, and the spirit failed me to see and to hear more; and I lay in that fruition half an hour. But here was the night all over, and I came again with lamentation, mourning my misery — as I have done all this winter long. For I have well-nigh all this winter so practiced such things; I lacked for it at all hours, and trained myself in Love, or in revelations, or in anything peculiar that Love gave me.

Translator's footnotes (project translation)

¹ Kimpe — Middle Dutch kimpe (cognate with German Kämpfer), the spiritual champion / contestant / warrior of love. Hadewijch uses the word twice in Vision 8: once for the guide-figure she meets on the mountain, and once (in the voice's address to her) as her own title when Christ commissions her to lead the un-led as one who has conquered all heavenly, earthly, and hellish champions. The word is the chivalric register of the miles Christi tradition applied to the love-quest. Van Mierlo's commentary speculates that the unnamed kimpe in this vision may be a famous medieval theologian whom Hadewijch's followers held up against her — perhaps Hugh of Saint-Victor, perhaps another — and whose pedagogy she critiques as too intellectual, too little affective toward the noble manhood. The text itself does not name him.

² Auriolae and eunustus are the two grades of heavenly spirits attending the bride. Auriolae (a long Patristic tradition behind it: e.g. Thomas Aquinas, IV Sent. d. 49, q. 5, a. 3) are the aureolae — the extra haloes given to martyrs, virgins, and doctors. Eunustus appears only here in Hadewijch and is not found in the standard Latin glossaries; Van Mierlo conjectures it is a copyist-corruption of eunuchus, in the Gospel sense of those who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:12) — the third great vowed-virginity rank in the medieval aureola-tradition. We preserve the form Van Mierlo prints; the conjecture is footnoted, not adopted into the text.

³ And he told me who he was. The source carries the disclosure-form only — no name in either A or B manuscript. Hadewijch leaves him deliberately unnamed, then reproduces only what he says of why he could not take the fifth way: too much intellect, too little affection toward the noble manhood. Van Mierlo's apparatus marks the suppression as authorial, not lacunary.

⁴ I knew God-God alone, and God all-thing God, and each thing as God. The compressed triple-formula of Vision 9 is one of Hadewijch's hardest passages. Van Mierlo's reading: by Wisdom the soul knows (a) God-as-God-alone (God is God and nothing else), (b) God-all-thing-God (God knows all things in himself, in their archetypal pre-existence in him), and (c) each-thing-as-God (each created thing perceived in its divinity, non Deus, sed quod Deus est — not God but what-God-is). The first two are within natural and infused knowing; the third is mystical experience. The triple-formula closely parallels Eckhart's later distinction of quidditas / istighkeit and is cited in Letter 18 lines 80 and following with a similar exposition.

⁵ The number of the eyes is one thousand; from each virtue the full number. The crown bears one crown per eye — one thousand crowns. Van Mierlo notes the apocalyptic numerology: the full number of every virtue, perfected, each crowned. The four-fold form of each eye, the crystalline endurance, the hundredfold death-into-knowing: an iconography of Reason perfected by Love.

⁶ you (three occurrences in this sentence) — Van Mierlo's diplomatic text gives the Middle Dutch abbreviation .v. at source lines 92–95, which is the medieval scribal short for u ("you," second-person plural) — not the numeral five. The earlier reading "five above all… right hold in five… and five that serve" was a mis-expansion of the abbreviation. The Christ-voice is addressing Hadewijch and the kimpe together: those who come holy into her knowing shall know and trust you above all in this being, you they shall serve (for you it are who this is), and shall rightly hold in you, and give.

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