Poetic-Verses from ATHANASE
Hortus deliciarum (English)
Hortus Deliciarum
For Daniel Wheeler
« Anima hominis symphoniam in se habet et symphonizans est »
(The soul of man carries a symphony within itself and is itself symphonic)
  Sainte Hildegard of Bingen
The rain falling gently, cautiously,
elegantly on the ancient paving stones of the garden,
calls to order the robins' wild dance.
Leaning against the trunk of the cypress tree,
the trembling soul suddenly rediscovers
the Edenic splendour of language!
Is thus that words become
little attentive pools of brightness
where we see reflected the whole beauty of subtle beings
and the ineffable fire of everyday things?
Is it so limitless, the power of the Word,
the inexhaustible theology of rebirth,
full of the affectionate gift of a God
so close to our lips?
(Be silent demons of the air,
fractious spirits,
stop that long painful empty noise!)
Sea, cypress trees, seagulls, my heart
conversing with taciturn flowers!...
Superna symphonia!
Does all this make the sovereign consciousness of self
look transparently modest?
O infinite subtleties, new fascinations!...
Tell me, O poplar trees blazing with light,
tell me that it's true, that it's good,
that it's right and proper to say
that through its ceaseless fire, the soul attracts,
transforms and ennobles
discrete things
and the glorious words that name them!
Opus alterum per alterum:
yes, one is the work of the other!
Fall, O delicate rain,
meticulous music, sweet incarnate echo
of the harmony of the Heavens!
Protect the insubstantial song, the fervent praise,
the palpable joy of the grass!
Water the thirsty earth
with this ethereal light
that quivers, lives and breathes in your drops!
Wash it clean, O loving rain,
purify the book of the world
that is written painstakingly by both
the clamorous and the silent!
Translated into English by Norton Hodge
NB: Superna symphonia: symphonia coming from the sky.
For Daniel Wheeler
« Anima hominis symphoniam in se habet et symphonizans est »
(The soul of man carries a symphony within itself and is itself symphonic)
  Sainte Hildegard of Bingen
The rain falling gently, cautiously,
elegantly on the ancient paving stones of the garden,
calls to order the robins' wild dance.
Leaning against the trunk of the cypress tree,
the trembling soul suddenly rediscovers
the Edenic splendour of language!
Is thus that words become
little attentive pools of brightness
where we see reflected the whole beauty of subtle beings
and the ineffable fire of everyday things?
Is it so limitless, the power of the Word,
the inexhaustible theology of rebirth,
full of the affectionate gift of a God
so close to our lips?
(Be silent demons of the air,
fractious spirits,
stop that long painful empty noise!)
Sea, cypress trees, seagulls, my heart
conversing with taciturn flowers!...
Superna symphonia!
Does all this make the sovereign consciousness of self
look transparently modest?
O infinite subtleties, new fascinations!...
Tell me, O poplar trees blazing with light,
tell me that it's true, that it's good,
that it's right and proper to say
that through its ceaseless fire, the soul attracts,
transforms and ennobles
discrete things
and the glorious words that name them!
Opus alterum per alterum:
yes, one is the work of the other!
Fall, O delicate rain,
meticulous music, sweet incarnate echo
of the harmony of the Heavens!
Protect the insubstantial song, the fervent praise,
the palpable joy of the grass!
Water the thirsty earth
with this ethereal light
that quivers, lives and breathes in your drops!
Wash it clean, O loving rain,
purify the book of the world
that is written painstakingly by both
the clamorous and the silent!
Translated into English by Norton Hodge
NB: Superna symphonia: symphonia coming from the sky.
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Hortus deliciarum (English)
Hortus deliciarum (English)