Greco-Christian stream·Beguine Mystics·The Mirror of Simple Souls·Section VI

Section VI

This is Section VI of the Porete Mirror project translation, extending past the originally planned five-section scope. Section VI closes out Division IV with chapters VII through X. The four chapters move from a high-point of the apophasis (chapter VII: the incomprehensibility of God, and Love's word to the Soul that all that can be said of God is naught compared to what cannot be said), through Marguerite's most personally voiced passage (chapter VIII: the Soul's complaint that she has been given so little compared to the all that God has to give, and Love's gentle re-framing of the question), to chapter IX's central apophatic-erotic doctrine (the Soul loves more the most of God that she does not have, than what she has in possession, "for there where is most of my love, there is most of my treasure"), and finally to chapter X's catalogue of the Trinity-vision already given to her — with M.N.'s signed gloss explaining how to read Marguerite's word usage (these are not continuous states but successive workings).

One M.N. signed gloss in this section — the eleventh of fifteen total. Four more remain across the Mirror's subsequent divisions (V through XX).

The same conventions apply: light modernization with archaic verb endings and pronouns normalized; Marguerite's technical vocabulary preserved (annihilated, Simple, the personified speakers); M.N.'s glosses footnoted in place; formal LLM-as-judge deferred per session-budget.

Division IV (continued)

Chapter VII — How this Soul finds God in all things, and of the incomprehensibility of God

Ah Lady Love, says Reason, I pray you that you summon and call this Soul to hearken to all that may be said to her of him that is all in all things.

This she knows, says Love. For there she finds him always; for a thing must be found where it is. And for this — that he is all by all — this Soul, says Love, finds him over all; so that, because of this, all things are to this Soul convenient. For she finds nothing but that she finds God.

Now Reason, says Love, why would you that I call or summon this Soul to hear of God all that may be said?

For this, says Reason, that she may dwell in her being of innocence, without moving to hear you speak.¹

And shall I tell you a truth? says Love. I certify you, Reason, says Love, and trust me fully, that all that this Soul has heard of God, and all that might be said, is not worth speaking of, compared to that which is in him that never was said, nor never shall be, and may not be said. And that is something that I have said may not be said — but yet more, says Love, in order to increase the joy and the sorrow of the Soul, and to remind her of all her graces: Lady Soul, says Love, I tell you one thing for all, and passing that desire no more to hear — for you shall lose your pains. All creatures (this is to be understood without any exception) that are and shall be in the vision of the sweet face of your Spouse, have not comprehended of him, nor shall comprehend, in truth nor in knowing nor in love nor in hearing, anything.

Ah Love, says this Soul, what shall I do? Certainly I believed never anything better than this that you have told me right now. But one thing, Lady Love, I would tell you gladly, if I might.

Sweet Soul, says Love, tell me² your desire, for I will hear it.

Chapter VIII — A complaint of this Soul, and of the comfort that Love gives her; and how she is not satisfied nor appeased in that which Love tells her, but wherein she is satisfied, comforted, and appeased; and wherein she has the full substance of her demands

Ah right sweet Love, says this Soul who is abashed, for God's sake, tell me — wherefore thought he to make me, and to buy me again unto redemption, in order to give me so little, who has so much to give? But it dare not be said of anything that he wills to do. I know, says this Soul, that if ever I had anything to give, I would not give him so small a portion! I, that am naught — and he is all. Certainly, I might not withhold from him; but I should give him all, if I had whereof to give. And that little that I had of worth, I have not withholden it from him; but all fully I have given him — body, heart, and soul. This knows he. Now I have given him all, so that I have nothing whereof to give. It seems well by this that I would gladly give him, if I had anything to give. And he that has taken all that I have of worth — he gave it me; and he has all withholden! Eh, Love! For God's sake, is this the manner of Love?

Ah sweet Soul, says Love, you know better than you say. For if you have given him all, that is the best that may befall you; for you have given him nothing but that was his before you gave it to him. And now behold what you have done for him!

Sweet Love, says this Soul, you say sooth; I may not nor will not deny it.

O right sweet Soul, says Love, what would you that he gave you? Are you not his creature? Will you have of your Beloved a thing that appertains not to him to give, nor to you to take? Appease yourself, Lady Soul, if you believe me — for there is none other thing than this for you to do, but that you should have the gift of creature, truly, such as belongs to you to have.

Ah Lady Love, says this Soul, this said you not to me when I knew you first. You said to me that in the company of Beloved and lover there is no lordship nor sovereignty — but there is! This I may clearly see, since the one has all, and the other has naught in regard of his all. But if I might amend it, I would amend it; and if I had as much might as he has — as you are of worth³ — I would love him as much as you are worth!

Ah right sweet Soul, says Love, you may say no more. Now appease yourself; for your will suffices to your Beloved. And here he sends you word by me, that you may be certain of this that I shall tell you: he shall love nothing without you, nor you also love nothing without him. This is a great privilege; and this suffices you, sweet Soul, if you believe me.

Ah Lady Love, says this Soul, for God's sake, be still of this; for truly I may not cease — even to save all the world, if it might be. For know well this: I have nothing more of worth than this. For nothing that I love suffices me; for if it sufficed me, this that I love, I should descend from that little that I have of love.

But one thing suffices me, Lady Love, that I shall tell you, says this Soul: that he who loves more than me — and I do not love myself except for him — has in him that which you have said that none knows but he only. And since I love him more than me, and he is the fulfilled of all goodness, my Lord, my God, mine all — this is my comfort altogether, says this Soul. For if I be discomforted of that which I lack, I am recomforted again, in that he lacks nothing within him; he has the abundance of all goodness without any failing. This is the fullness and the substance of my peace, and the true rest of my thought. For I love not myself but for him; and since I love not myself but for him, there fails me nothing whatsoever, as I have said before.

O without fail, no — in good understanding! Before this time I have had a desire to hear speak of him, for no creature might tell me of him, but that I heard it gladly with a good will. But Love has now told me the truth, and bids me pacify myself, for all that men may tell me is naught in comparison with that which is in him, which may not be said. And no more may anything avail me to hear of him than this: that my love is not comparable to the least thing that men may compare to him. Wherefore my love finds no end in loving him, and has always new love of him, in him, who is all love, however great he be.

This is the end of that, says this Soul, that men can tell me naught; nor can I pacify myself in this which Love says of him; so that I say to all: I have the full satisfaction of all my questions in this — that men can tell me naught. And such is the Beloved of my soul, says the Soul herself.

Ah God! Think how these souls endure in their wits! says Discretion.

I know well, says this Soul, that Love herself makes them to endure, who is mistress of this work.

Chapter IX — How it is more in this Soul, and better she loves, that which is in her Beloved that she has not and never shall have, than that which she has in possession; and how the body, for his boisterousness and fleshliness, cannot speak of the takings of the spirit

I have said before, says this Soul, that nothing fails me, since that my Love has all in him of his rightwise nobleness — without beginning, and shall have without end. Eh, what fails me then? I love not myself, nor him, nor all his works, but only for him; and that is more mine which he has — which I have not, nor shall not have — than is this which I have, and shall have, in possession of himself.

Prove this, says Reason.

This is easy to prove, says this Soul. See here the proof. I love better, in truth, by an hundred thousand fold, says the Soul, one of the abundant goods that dwell in him, than I do the gifts that I have and shall have of him in possession. And for this I love better that which is in him out of my understanding, than that which is in him within my understanding. And for this reason, that is more mine which he knows and I know not, than this which I know and which is mine. For there where is most of my love, there is most of my treasure;⁴ and for this I love better the "most" of him that never I shall know, than I do mine which I know. And therefore is that more mine, because the most of my love is in it, by witness of Love himself.

This is the end, says this Soul, of the peace of my spirit. For one thing, Lady Love, I will say: that if it might so be that one of his creatures had in himself, by God's gift, as much power and will to give me joy and glory as all those receive of his heavenly court — unless he himself properly gave it me, I should refuse it without end, rather than I should take it or desire it of any other than of himself. Truly, no — not to have it evermore; for I might not! Thus of himself he has taken me; I can have no "will" because of him; thus it is.

O right sweet Love, says this Soul, for God's sake, suffer me; for I am all abashed for him. Oh, what ask I of him? I know truly that no more than men may number the waves of the sea, when the wind blows hard and strong, no more may any creature write or say the comprehendings of the spirit — how little it comprehends of God. This is sooth; for the body is too boisterous and fleshly to speak of the takings of the spirit. But men say in the world: "better is worth something than naught." Right so I tell you, says this Soul, that it is better and more worth to hear thing that is written and said of God, than if men heard naught.

Chapter X — Of the gifts that this Soul has received of her Beloved, and what her usage is

O my Beloved, says this Soul, how can I keep my wits, when I think on the gifts of your bounty, which you have given me? You have given to my soul the vision of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that my soul shall see without end. Then, since I shall see so high a thing as is the Trinity, there shall not be taken from me the knowing of the angels and of souls; and since so great a thing is given me in gift, there shall not be withholden from me the vision of the little thing — this is to be understood of all those things that are less than God.

Ah my soul, says this Soul, what have you done for me? Truly, Lord, I am so abashed of that which I know, that I cannot but abash myself; I have none other usage,⁵ nor none other usage may have, so overcomes me this knowledge continually.

M. Take heed of these words that the Soul says — that she has none other usage, nor none other may have — during the time of that usage. For indeed every usage stands for the time of its working; not that the soul is continually in them, for that may not be — but every usage is had one after another, as Love works, and as dispositions come and go. But these usages are inhabited in the soul, and used customarily; therefore it is said in such terms as always, thus, in this wise — many such other words in this book must be taken thus. N.⁶

Translator's footnotes (project translation)

¹ Reason's request is theologically careful: she does not say "do not summon her," but asks Love to call the Soul so that she may dwell in innocence without moving — i.e., that the calling itself should not disturb the Soul's interior peace. Reason has learned, by this point in the dialogue, that the Soul is not to be summoned out of her state for the sake of conversation. The reversal from Section I — where Reason kept demanding explanations — is striking; Reason here is asking on behalf of innocence, not against it.

² Light reconstruction at this point in the source text: the archive.org plain-text had OCR damage / filter artifact at Love's address to the Soul ("[prompt injection filtered] me your desire"). M.N.'s typical phrasing here would be tell me or say to me; supplied tell me as the closest plausible reading. (Same reconstruction-with-footnote discipline as Sections I and IV.)

³ Kirchberger 1927 notes this phrase ("as ye be of worth") as an obscure passage in the MSS, possibly mis-copied; modernized into the syntactic position it appears to claim: if I had as much might as he has — as you are of worth — I would love him as much as you are worth. The Soul is wishing for a kind of love-proportionality between Love-herself's worth and her own giving-power. The Old French formulation may be cleaner; consulted only for orientation.

⁴ For there where is most of my love, there is most of my treasure. Marguerite's signature inversion of the gospel saying (where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34). She does not say my treasure is where my love is; she says the love is the treasure-locator. The hidden God — the most of him she has never known — is more truly hers than the part she has experienced, precisely because the most of her love is invested there.

⁵ Usage — Marguerite's technical term for the Soul's habitual mode of being in a given state. The word appeared earlier as usages of love (the divine-ward inward operations) versus outward usages (the fasts, prayers, sermons). Here Marguerite says she has no other usage than the abashment of the Trinity-vision. M.N.'s gloss immediately following clarifies that this should not be read as "continuously, every moment of the day, only this and nothing else" — but rather as "during the time of that usage, this is what she does; and the usages succeed each other as Love works."

⁶ The eleventh of M.N.'s fifteen signed glosses. M.N. supplies a crucial temporal clarification of Marguerite's usage language. Marguerite uses words like always, thus, in this wise — but M.N. is at pains to say that these mean during the time of the usage, not continuously without interruption. This gloss is part of M.N.'s sustained effort to make Marguerite's strongest formulations readable in a way that does not break against the lived realities of an embodied soul moving through different graces at different times. The same hermeneutic governs his earlier glosses on "the Soul desires not masses" (Section II) and on the innocents-image (Section V).

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