A letter from Peter Damian (1065/1066)
Sender
Peter DamianReceiver
Agnes of Poitiers, empressTranslated letter:
To his lady/ruler empress Agnes, Peter, sinner and monk, service.I think, venerable lady, that since we — lord Rainald, bishop of the see of Como and the holy woman Hermesinde, widow of your brother [William Aigret V/VII], and I your servant — came back, your mind has fluctuated and, as if destitute of all solace deplores that it is left alone. Perhaps the severity of long silence weighs on you and the absence of those who talked to you now seems tedious whom you often fled while they were present, seeking a hiding place in a more remote corner. For we often tolerate what is offered free and enjoy what we obtain with more difficulty. We think little of what is abundant and eagerly desire what is lacking.
Truly your pious mind, which burns with the fire of divine love in all its vows, never pines from the absence of human society. Rather the more it considers earthly solace lacking, the more it trusts to the closeness of the holy spirit paraclete. So the saviour when he declared he would go to the father after the glory of the resurrection and saw that the spirits of his disciples were not a little perturbed by this, quickly added: Since I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: “it is for your good that I go; if I did not go, the paraclete would not come to you, but if I go, I shall send it to you” [John 16:6-7]. If therefore the illuminator of minds could not penetrate apostolic breasts with the full diffusion of the spirit unless that truth which he would send to them removed his corporal presence from their sight, how much more necessary that a simple human withdraw from the society of men in order to be capable of the highest reward? The human mind when it is free from the sight of men may merit the reception of the holy Spirit.
Do not therefore impute the absence of those who used to converse with you to a turning away. Rather let the occasion of greeting, the gain of completion, and the inclination of our merit be considered an advantage, since when the noise of human conversation ceases, the temple of the holy Spirit can be constructed in you through silence. This is what sacred history testifies about the building of the Israelite temple, that “when the house of the Lord is built, no hammer or axe or any tool is heard” [3Kgs6:7]. Indeed the temple of God grows through silence since when the human mind does not pour itself out in external words, the structure of the spiritual edifice rises to sublime height, growing the higher the more it keeps itself enclosed by silence. For silence is the guardian of justice. And as it is said through Jeremiah: “it is good to wait to greet the Lord with silence, good for man to carry that yoke from his adolescence. The solitary will sit and be silent, since he has raised himself above himself.” Obviously when the solitary one is silent, he raises himself above himself, since the human mind, when it is enclosed on all sides within the cloister of silence, builds on high, is rapt to God by heavenly desire and enflamed in his love by the ardor of the spirit. And like a living fountain when it is not allowed to flow out through streams of words, it heaps up waves on high.
Let the temple of your breast now grow through silence, and a structure of spiritual virtues rise in you as of heavenly stones, where that supernal betrothed whom you love with all your innards may rest delightfully as on his marriage bed. Remember what the apostle says, that “no man can put his foundation anywhere but in Christ Jesus. If one puts his foundation on gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw or whatever, fire will test it” [1Cor 3:11-13]. For what is meant by gold, silver, and precious stones, unless strength and ornaments of virtues? What by wood, hay, and straw, unless the fragility of vices? Be careful, therefore, that the edifice which is in you not be of fragile matter, which can be harmed by flames or destroyed by rushing winds. Obviously wood, hay, straw can be devoured by voracious flames, while gold, silver, or precious stones are not vulnerable to fire. And certainly it is said by that apostle: “Take up the shield of faith by which you can extinguish all the firey arrows of the evil one” [Ephes6:16]. Let the fire which the clandestine enemy sends find in you the precious metals of virtues, not the straws and tinder of vices. Let not putrid and fragile matter yield weakly to the furious flames which the crafty ambusher blows forth, but let the hardness of impenetrable and robust solidity resist so that the virtue of the most high, which concealed itself in the innards of the virginal womb, keep your mind in the perpetual verdure of blooming chastity and not permit it, [God] forbid, to be burned by vapors of spiritual evil.
Be consoled, therefore, venerable lady, and expell every tedium of harmful sorrow from your heart. Let Christ be your companion in speech, Christ your roommate and table-companion. Let Christ be your delights, the banquet of daily reflection, let him be your nourishment of intimate sweetness. Read with him, sing psalms with him, prostrate yourself on the pavement to pray with him. Rise up with him, let your bed take you for sleep with him, let deep sleep find you with him. Let his chaste and virginal embrace clasp you, that it may be truly fulfilled in you what is said through Isaiah: “Your betrothed will rejoice over his betrothed and your God will rejoice over you” [62:5]. That you be able to say individually what the betrothed says generally in the Canticles: “My beloved will linger in my bosom.” For the heart of man is situated between the breasts of the bosom. The beloved lingers in the bosom of his betrothed when Christ is loved with the whole heart by any faithful soul. To this betrothed then let your holy soul say: “Behold you are beautiful, my lord, and graceful: our bed is of flowers.” For he is “beautiful in form beyond the sons of men.” And since you scorned royal emblems and imperial rank for his love, let him prepare the blessed ornaments of total glory for you, the crown over you. So that you may deserve to sing with the prophet: “The Lord robed me with the garment of salvation and surrounded me with the cloth of happiness, like a groom adorned with a crown and a bride with jewels.”
Let this console you for the absence of human society, let this suffice to you for the command and addresses of all. Let him say, like another, but far more excellent, Elkanah: not Anna but Agnes, “why do you weep and why do you not eat and what is it that afflicts your heart? Am I not better than ten sons to you?” [1Kgs 1:8] And since Elkanah is called the zeal of God, let the zeal of God, love of the redeemer, console your spirit in all the tedium of sorrow and and anguish, that you may throw yourself on him in every adversity you suffer, take flight under his umbrella from the ardor of human persecution, and rest gently secure in his embraces. Let him offer you the harbor of intimate quiet, himself, who deigned to endure for you the shipwreck of inundating storms with worldly floods.
Original letter:
Dominae suae imperatrici Agnetil, P peccator monachus servitutem.Arbitror, venerabilis domina, quoniam ex quo domnus Rainaldus Cumanae sedis episcopus et sancta mulier Hermisinda relicta quondam germani tui, ego quoque servus tuus, ad propria quique recessimus, mens tua nunc fluctuat, et velut omnium destituta solacio solam se remansisse deplorat. Gravat forte longioris censura silentii, et tedium est colloquentium nunc deesse praesentiam, quos sepe refugiens dum adessent, remotioris anguli latibulum expectabas. Toleramus enim saepe quod gratis offertur, perfruimur quod difficilius optinemus. Parvipendimus quod abundat, et quod deesse conspicimus inhianter optamus.
Verum pia mens tua, quae divini amoris igne succendi votis omnibus estuat, nequaquam ex humanae societatis absentia contabescat. Immo quanto sibi terrena solacia deesse considerat, tanto magis de propinquitate sancti Spiritus paracliti confidat. Unde salvator cum iturum se ad Patrem post resurrectionis gloriam declararet, et ex hoc discipulorum animos non mediocriter perturbandos esse conspiceret, praesto subiunxit: “Quia haec locutus sum vobis, tristitia implevit cor vestrum. Sed ego veritatem dico vobis: expedit vobis ut ego vadam; si enim non abiero, paraclitus non veniet ad vos; si autem abiero, mittam eum ad vos.” Si ergo illuminator mentium spiritus apostolicis illabi pectoribus plena diffusione non poterat, nisi veritas ipsa quae eis illum missurus erat, corporalem sui praesentiam ab eorum subtraxisset obtutibus, quanto magis necesse est, ut purus homo ab hominum se frequentia subtrahat, quatinus superni muneris capax fiat? Sicque mens humana dum vacat ab aspectibus hominum, sancti Spiritus mereatur ingressum.
Eorum ergo qui tecum conversabantur absentiam, noli deputare iacturam. Immo salutis occasio, perfectionis lucrum et propensio nostri meriti deputetur augmentum, quia dum strepitus humani cessat aloquii, construitur in te per silentium templum Spiritus sancti. Hinc est quod de Israelitici templi constructione sacra testatur historia, quia “malleus et securis et omne ferramentum non sunt audita in domo Domini, cum aedificaretur.” Templum quippe Dei per silentium crescit, quia cum mens humana per exteriora se verba non fundit, in sublime fastigium spiritalis edificii structurae consurgit, tantoque subcrescens in altiora substollitur, quanto per silentii custodiam circumclusa sese extrinsecus fundere prohibetur. “Custos enim iustitiae silentium.” Et per Hieremiam dicitur: “Bonum est prestolari cum silentio salutare Domini, bonum est viro cum portaberit iugum ab adolescentia sua. Sedebit solitarius et tacebit, quia levavit se super se.” Solitarius plane dum tacet, se elevat super se, quia mens humana dum intra silentii claustra undique circumcluditur, in superiora sublimis erigitur, ad Deum per celeste desiderium rapitur, et in amore eius per ardorem spiritus inflammatur. Et tamquam fons vivus dum per verborum rivulos effluere hinc inde non sinitur, undis excrescentibus in altiora cumulatur.
Templum ergo tui pectoris nunc per silentium crescat, virtutum spiritalium tanquam celestium lapidum in te structura consurgat, ubi supernus ille sponsus quem totis visceribus diligis, velut in thalamo suo delectabiliter requiescat. Memento itaque quod apostolus ait, quia “fundamentum aliud nemo potest ponere praeter id quod positum est, quod est Chistus Jesus. Si quis posuerit super hoc fundamentum aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos, ligna, fenum, stipulas, quale cuiusque fuerit, ignis probabit.” Quid enim per aurum, argentum, et lapides pretiosos, nisi robur et ornamenta virtutum? Quid vero per ligna, fenum et stipulas, nisi fragilitas innuitur vitiorum? Attende ergo, ut edificium quod in te fit, non ex fragili sit materia, quae flammis esse possit obnoxia, quae ventis sit impellentibus ruitura. Lignum plane, fenum et stipulas facile potest vorax flamma consumere, aurum vero vel argentum sive lapides pretiosi nesciunt incendio subiacere. Et certe per eundem apostolum dicitur: “Sumentes scutum fidei, in quo possitis omnia tela nequissima ignea extinguere.” Ignis ergo quem clandestinus hostis inmittit, inveniat in te pretiosa metalla virtutum, non stipulas et fomites vitiorum. Ut furentibus flammis, quas callidus insidiator exufflat, non materia putris ac fragilis enerviter cedat, sed inpenetrabilis ac robustae soliditatis rigor obsistat, ut illa virtus altissimi, quae virginalis uteri visceribus obumbravit, mentem quoque tuam in perpetuo vernantis pudicitiae virore custodiat, eamque, quod absit, aduri spiritalis nequitiae vaporibus non permittat.
Consolare igitur, venerabilis domina, et a corde tuo omne tedium noxii meroris expelle. Christus sit confabulator tuus, Christus tibi contubernalis sit et conviva. Immo Christus ipse tuae sint deliciae, ipse quotidianae refectionis epulum, ipse tibi sit intimae dulcedinis alimentum. Cum illo simul lege, cum illo iugiter psalle, cum illo denique te in pavimento oratura prosterne. Cum illo te erige, cum illo te dormituram lectulus capiat, cum eo te sopor inveniat. Eius te pudicus atque virgineus amplexus astringat, ut in to quoque veraciter impleatur, quod per Esayam dicitur: “Gaudebit sponsus super sponsam, et gaudebit super te Deus tuus.” Et tu specialis dicere valeas, quod generalis sponsa dicit in Canticis: “Dilectus meus inter ubera mea commorabitur.” Constat enim quod inter ubera pectoris cor hominis situm est. Dilectus ergo inter sponsae ubera commoratur, cum a fideli qualibet anima Christus toto corde diligitur. Huic ergo sponso dicit anima sancta tua: “Ecce tu pulcher es, dilecte mi, et decorus: lectulus noster floridus.” Ipse enim “speciosus forma prae filiis hominum.” Et quia propter eius amorem regales infulas contempsisti, imperiale fastigium despexisti, ipse corona, ipse tibi sit super purpura, ipse totius gloriae tibi preparet beata ornamenta. Ut merito debeas cum propheta cantare: “Induit me Dominus vestimento salutis, et indumento letitie circumdedit me, quasi sponsus decoratum corona, et quasi sponsa ornata munilibus suis.”
Hic in te societatis humanae consoletur absentiam, hic tibi vel pro omnium iussione et allocutione sufficiat. Hic velut alter, sed longe praestantior, Helcana veraciter dicat: Non iam “Anna,” sed Agnes, “cur fles, et quare non comedis, et quam ob rem affligitur cor tuum? Numquid non ego melior sum tibi quam decem filii?” Et quoniam Helcana Dei zelus dicitur, zelus Dei dilectio redemptoris animum tuum in omni meroris et angustiae tedio consoletur, ut in eum te in omni quam pateris adversitate proicias, sub eius umbraculum ab humanae persecutionis ardore confugias, et in eius amplexibus secura suaviter requiescas. Quatinus ipse tibi semetipsum quietis intimae praebeat portum, qui pro te dignatus est mundanis fluctibus et inundantium procellarum perferre naufragium.