A letter from Hrotsvit, nun of Gandersheim ()

Translated letter:

To Gerberga, renowned abbess, esteemed no less for her integrity than for her illustrious descent from a royal race, I Hrotsvit of Gandersheim, the lowest of the lowly of those serving under her rule, wish to offer all that a servant owes to her mistress. O my lady, who enlighten by the radiant diversity of your spiritual wisdom/learning, let it not irk your kindness to examine carefully what you know has been written at your order. You have indeed imposed upon me the difficult task of narrating in verse the achievements of an august emperor, which I could not collect by oral report. You can imagine what great difficulties my ignorance puts in my way as I sweat over this work. There were things of which I could find no written record, nor could I elicit information from anyone sufficiently reliable. I was like a stranger wandering without a guide through the depths of an unknown forest where every path was covered over and mantled with heavy snow. He tries to follow without a guide, led only by a nod. Now he wanders through pathless ways, now by chance he comes on the trail of the right path until at length when he has traversed half of the thickly treed domain he attains the place of long sought rest. There, staying his step, he dares not proceed farther until either he is led on by someone overtaking him or can follow the footsteps of one who has preceded him. In like manner I, bidden to undertake a complete chronicle of illustrious achievements, have gone on my way stumbling and hesitating, so great was the difficulty of finding a path in the forest of these royal deeds. And so, wearied by my endeavor, I have lapsed into silence as I pause in a convenient resting place. Without guidance I propose to go no further. If, however, I be encouraged by the eloquent treatises of the learned, either already written or in the near future to be written, I might perhaps discover the means of veiling to some degree my rustic simplicity. Now, however, in porportion as I am unsupported by any authority, I am defenceless at every point. I fear, too, that I shall be accused of temerity and that I shall encounter the reproaches of many, because I have dared to disgrace by my uncultured style matters that should be set forth with the festal eloquence of choice expression. Yet, if a person of good judgment who knows how to appraise things fairly examines my work, he will pardon me the more readily because of the weakness of my sex and the inferiority of my knowledge, especially since I undertook this little work not of my own presumption but at your bidding. Why, then, should I fear the criticism of others, since if I have erred somewhat, I become responsible only to your judgment? Or why can I not escape reproofs for those works about which I was anxious to be silent? If, because of its crudeness, I should wish the work to be shown to no one, should I not deserve the blame of all? To your decision, however, and that of your most intimate friend, Archbishop William [of Mainz], to whom you have bidden me present this testimony of my simplicity, I submit the work to be appraised for its worth and its imperfections.

Original letter:

Gerbergae, illustri abbatissae, cui pro sui eminentia probitatis haut minor obsequela venerationis, quam pro insigni regalis stemmate generositatis, Hrotsvit Gandeshemensis, ultima ultimarum sub huiusmodi personae dominio militantium, quod famula herae. 0 mea domna, quae rutilanti spiritalis varietate sapientiae perlucetis, non pigescat vestri almitiem perlustrare, quod vestra confectum si ignoratis ex iussione. Id quidem oneris inposuistis, ut gesta caesaris augusti, quae nec auditu unquam affatim valui colligere, metrica percurrerem ratione. In huius sudore progressionis quantum meae inscitiae obstiterit difficultatis, ipsa conicere potestis, quia haec eadem nec prius scripta repperi, nec ab aliquo digestim sufficienterque dicta elicere quivi, sed veluti si aliquis nescius ignoti per latitudinem saltus esset iturus, ubi omnis semita nivali densitate velaretur obducta, hicque nullo duce, sed solo praemonstrantium nutu inductus, nunc per devia erraret, nunc recti tramitem callis inprovise incurreret, donec tandem emensa arboreae medietate spissitudinis locum optatae comprehenderet quietis, illicque gradum figens ulterius progredi non praesumeret, usquedum vel alio superveniente induceretur vel praecedentis vestigia subsequeretur: haut aliter ego, magnificarum prolixitatem rerum iussa ingredi, regalium multiplicitatem gestorum nutando et vacillando aegerrime transcurri, hisque admodum lacessita competenti in loco pausando silesco nec augustalis proceritatem excellentiae sine ducatu appono subire. Si enim facundissimis disertissimorum sententiis quas vel modo scriptas vel ocius de his rebus non dubito fore scribendas, fuerim animata, fortasse nanciscerer, unde mei rusticitas velaretur aliquantisper. Nunc autem omne latus tanto magis caret defensione, quanto minus ulla fulcitur auctoritate; unde etiam vereor me temeritatis argui tendiculasque multorum non devitare convicii, eo quod pomposis facetae urbanitatis exponenda eloquentiis praesumpserim dehonestare inculti vilitate sermonis. Si tamen sanae mentis examen accesserit, quae res recte pensare non nescit, quanto sexus fragilior scientiaque minor, tanto venia erit facilior; praesertim cum si meae praesumptionis, sed vestrum causa iussionis huius stamen opusculi coeperim ordiri. Cur tamen aliorum iudicia formido, quae vestri solummodo censurae, si quid fefelli, obnoxia existo? vel cur nequeam devitare convicia, quae solummodo silentio studere debeo, ne, si seriem pro sui vilitate nulli ostendendam velim propalari, I merito omnium succumbam reprehensioni? Vestro autem vestrique familiarissimi, cui hanc rusticitatem sanxistis praesentatum iri, scilicet archipraesulis Wilhelmi, iudicio, quoquomodo factum sit, aestimandum relinquo.

Historical context:

Gerberga asked Hrotsvit to write the epic, the first life of her uncle emperor Otto I. The Gesta was translated by M.B. Bergman in Hrosvithae liber Tertius (Covington, KY.: Sisters of St. Benedict, 1943). I have used her translation for this letter with slight modifications based on Homeyer's text.

Printed source:

Hrotsvithae Opera, ed. H. Homeyer (Munich: Schöningh, 1970), p.385-86, preface to Gesta Ottonis.