Chapter 1
Before the pursuit of knowledge comes life; for a good and virtuous life has grace even without knowledge, but knowledge without life lacks integrity. Indeed, wisdom does not enter into a malevolent soul (Wisdom 1:4); thus it is said: 'Evil men seek me, but they shall not find me' (Proverbs 1:28), for the eye of the mind is blinded by wickedness and cannot find deep mysteries in the darkness of its own injustice. Therefore, the first thing to be done is to engage in the battle of life, correcting one's character. When we establish these things for the proper course, so that there may be correction of offenses for the sake of purity, then we may proceed to the pursuit of knowledge in its own order and manner. Therefore, the first things are moral, the second mystical: in the former is life, in the latter is knowledge; so that if you seek perfection, neither life without knowledge, nor knowledge without life, should be lacking, each complementing the other. Solomon, following this arrangement, wrote the book of Proverbs, in which he more fully expressed the moral aspect, the natural aspect in Ecclesiastes, and the mystical aspect in the Song of Songs; although if you carefully examine them, you will find many mystical elements in Proverbs, and sweetness of morals in the Song of Songs. For surely it is mysterious: Wisdom has built her house and set up seven pillars, she has killed her beasts, etc. (Prov. IX, 1). Indeed, in the Song of Songs, this mystical and moral truth shines forth, in which the sweetness of endearment and the affection of a lover are expressed.
2. (Vers. 1, 2.) Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth; for thy breasts are better than wine, smelling sweet of the best ointments. Therefore doth the chaste Virgin, betrothed for a long time, and burning with sincere love, know by the testimony of probable witnesses, having often expanded her desires, now unable to bear delay, whatsoever she hath done that she might deserve her spouse; sometimes obtaining what she wished for, she is troubled with joy at the unexpected coming of her spouse, not seeking the beginning of salutation, not the interchange of words, but forthwith demanding what she hath desired. And so the holy Church, which was betrothed to in the beginning of the world in paradise, prefigured in the flood, proclaimed through the Law, called by the prophets, having long awaited the redemption of mankind, the beauty of the Gospel, eagerly rushes into His embrace, saying: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; and delighted by the kisses, she adds: for your breasts are more delightful than wine.
And to speak more morally, I understand that flesh which had been tainted by the venom of the serpent in Adam, which was marred by the stench of sins, which advanced in the daughters of Zion with a high neck and nodding of the eyes, and dragging along robes with the journey of her feet, and playing with her own feet, with locks of hair and composed countenance and headbands, and with all affected beauty, exposing more shame. However, she was instructed by numerous prophecies that He would come who, after excluding the allurements of the serpent, would infuse the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that all flesh would see the salvation of God, all flesh would come to God, and would wither in desire. But fearing that, as before, she would displease as impatient, as lustful, as luxurious, as complaining, even though she could endure the delay of the Lord's coming longer than she was able, she would be tormented by the expectation of His delayed arrival. Yet she would not murmur or step over the bounds, but would raise pure hands in every place, without anger and dispute, dressed with modesty and sobriety, adorning herself not with twisted hair or gold or pearls or precious garments, but with those things which give grace to chastity and good conduct, and would say in prayer: Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth; for your love is better than wine. Now she desired to cling to Christ in the flesh, now she hastened to be joined in marriage, so that there would be one spirit and the flesh of Christ would become what it was before the prostitute. 'Kiss me,' she says, 'Let the Word of God kiss us when the spirit of knowledge enlightens our understanding.'
Therefore, either the Church, for a long time suspended by the promise made to her through the prophets of the Lord's coming in many ages, or the soul, which, having elevated itself from the body, having cast aside luxury and pleasures, and carnal desires, and having also stripped away the cares of worldly vanities, longs for the infusion of divine presence and the grace of the saving Word, laments that He comes late and is afflicted; therefore, as if wounded by love, since it cannot bear His delays, it turns to the Father to beseech Him to send the Son, and declares the cause of its impatience, saying: Let Him kiss me with the kiss of His mouth.
5. He does not seek just one kiss, but many kisses, so that he may fulfill his desire; for the one he loves is not satisfied with the scarcity of one kiss, but demands many, claims more, and thus she is accustomed to commend herself more to her beloved. Finally, the woman in the Gospel is proven thus, For she did not cease, says the Lord, to kiss my feet, and for this reason many sins have been forgiven her, because she loved much (Luke 7:46-47). Therefore, this soul also desires many kisses of the Word, so that it may be illumined by the light of divine knowledge; for this is the kiss of the Word, namely, the light of sacred knowledge. For God the Word kisses us when He illuminates our heart and the principal Spirit of man with the light of divine knowledge; whereby the soul, gifted with the pledge of bridal charity, says with joy and exultation: I opened my mouth and drew in the breath (Ps 118:131). The kiss is indeed the way in which those who love each other adhere to one another, and they possess the sweetness of inner grace. Through this kiss, the soul adheres to the Word of God, which is poured into it by the Spirit of the one who kisses: just as those who kiss each other are not satisfied with a mere touching of lips, but seem to pour their spirits into each other.
6. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. Do you want to be united to Christ? Nothing could be more pleasing. Do you want to please your soul? Nothing could be more delightful. Let him kiss me, he sees that you are cleansed from all sin, because sins come from the earth; therefore, he judges you worthy of heavenly sacraments, and therefore he invites you to the heavenly banquet; so that he may kiss you with the kisses of his mouth. However, because of the following, your soul, whether it be human condition or the Church, has seen that it has been cleansed from all sins, worthy to approach the altar of God. What is the altar but the representation of the body of Christ? He saw wonderful sacraments and said: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; that is, may Christ imprint a kiss on me. Why? Because:
7. Your breasts are better than wine, that is, better senses, your sacraments are better than wine, better than that wine which, although it has sweetness, joy, and grace: yet in that is worldly joy, but in you is spiritual delight. Then already Solomon was leading the marriage either of Christ and the Church, or of spirit and flesh and soul. And as if despising all his joys and delights, desiring to cling to heavenly commands, he says: for the precepts of your testaments are better than any desire of the flesh and the pleasure of the world; for he remembered himself fallen in Eve before, when he preferred the pleasure of the body over heavenly commands. Therefore, showing not only the appearance of the Word and a certain expression, but also loving all His inner things, He adds to the favor of kisses: 'For, your breasts are better than wine and the fragrance of your ointments is above all spices.' She asked for a kiss, and God the Word poured Himself completely into her and uncovered His breasts, that is, His teachings and the disciplines of internal wisdom, and He fragranced them with the sweet scent of His ointments, by which she, captivated, says that the pleasure of divine knowledge is more abundant than the joy of all bodily pleasure.
8. The emptied ointment or poured out oil is your name. This means that the whole world, fetid with the foul impurities of various crimes, now breathes everywhere the sweetness of chastity, the ointment of faith, the flower of integrity. It also breathes in the Word the fragrance of grace and the forgiveness of sins, which, poured out throughout the world, has filled everything as if emptied out with ointment, because the heavy flood of vices has been washed away throughout all, by means of this ointment. This emptied ointment is above the Jews and is gathered to those who act: emptied out in Judea and scented in all the lands. By this ointment Mary was anointed, and the Virgin conceived, the Virgin bore the good scent of the Son of God. By this ointment it was poured out upon the waters, and it sanctified the waters. By this ointment three boys were anointed, and their moisture was tempered by fire; by this ointment Daniel was anointed, and it softened the mouths of the lions, and it soothed their ferocity. This ointment flows daily, and never fails. Take your vessel, virgin, and approach, so that you may be filled with this ointment: take this ointment valued at three hundred denarii, but given freely, not sold, so that all may have it freely. Virgin, anoint yourself; do not be saddened like Judas, because this ointment is poured out, but rather embrace Christ in yourself: indeed, close your vessel, lest the ointment flow away: close it with the key of integrity, with the modesty of speech, with the restraint from boasting; whoever possesses this ointment, receives Christ: The ointment empties your name.
9. (Verse 2) Therefore the young women love you. Who are these young women, if not the souls of each individual who have shed the senility of this body, renewed by the Holy Spirit? Your name is like a poured-out ointment, of which the power of speech can have nothing more excellent. For just as ointment enclosed in a vessel retains its fragrance, which fragrance, as long as it is confined within the narrowness of that vessel, although it cannot reach many people, nonetheless preserves its strength; but when that ointment which was enclosed in the vessel has been poured out, it is said to have been diffused far and wide: so is the name of Christ before his advent in the people of Israel, as if it were enclosed in some vessel of Jewish minds. For God is known in Judah, and his name is great in Israel. (Psalm 75:1) This, therefore, is the name that the vessels of the Jews were contained within their narrowness. Indeed, it was a great name then, when it was confined to the narrowness of the sick and few, but its greatness had not yet spread through the hearts of the nations and to the ends of the whole world. But after it shone upon the whole world with its coming, it certainly extended that divine name of his through every creature, not filled by any addition, for fullness knows no increase; but filling the empty, so that his wonderful name would be in all the earth. Therefore, the pouring out of this name signifies an abundant overflow of grace and heavenly blessings, for whatever is poured out in abundance overflows. Therefore, young girls love you. Bonum, she says, is prudence, but sweet mercy; few attain the former, while the latter reaches all: it is because of this indulgence of yours that renewed souls love you with a renewed spirit.
10. (Verse 3.) Draw us after you, we shall run in the fragrance of your ointments. The holy soul, having already kissed the Word of God, is not satisfied, and it says: You are sweet, O Lord, and in your delight teach me your commandments (Psalm 118:12). The Word of God, having been kissed, desires surpassing beauty, loves surpassing joy, takes pleasure in all aromas, desires to see frequently, intends to listen often, desires to be drawn so that it can follow; Your name is a poured-out ointment, therefore we love you, young women; therefore we strive, but we cannot comprehend. Draw us, so that we can run; so that, with the fragrance of your ointments, we may receive the strength to follow. He also eagerly desires to see the internal mysteries, the very rest of the Word, the very dwelling place of that highest good, and his light and glory in that native bosom and sanctuary; he eagerly desires to hear his words, and when he hears them, he receives them above all sweetness.
11. Let the prophet teach you, who has tasted and said: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103) For what else does the soul desire, once it has tasted the sweetness of the Word, once it has seen His glory? Moses, standing on the mountain for forty days receiving the Law, did not require bodily food; Elijah, hastening to that place of rest, besought that his soul might be taken from him; Peter, also looking upon the glory of the Lord's resurrection on the mountain, did not want to come down, saying: Lord, it is good for us to be here (Matthew 17:4). Therefore, how great is the glory of the divine substance, how great are the gifts of the Word, which the angels long to behold!
12. Therefore, the soul which sees that, does not require this body, and understands that it must have the least familiarity with it, renounces the world, frees itself from the bonds of the flesh, and strips away all these bonds of pleasures. Finally, Stephen saw Jesus and was not afraid to be stoned; in fact, when he was being stoned, he did not pray for himself but for those who were killing him. Paul, too, whether he was in the body or out of the body, when he was caught up to the third heaven, did not know, whether he was in the body or out of the body, he was caught up, I say, into paradise, and did not feel the use of his own body anymore, and when he heard the words of God, how He descended to the weaknesses of the body, he blushed. Therefore, knowing what he had seen in paradise, or what he had heard, he cried out, saying: Why do you still decide as if living in this world? Do not touch, do not defile, do not taste, all of which lead to corruption through their very use (Colossians 2:20-21). For he wished us to be in the likeness of this world, not in possession and use, so that we may use this world as if not using it, as if passing through, not as residents; walking as if in the image of the age, not in desire, so that through a rapid dispute we may transcend the image of this world itself. Finally, walking by faith, not by appearance, he wandered from the body and was present with God: and while he was on earth, he conversed not in earthly things, but in heavenly things. Therefore, let our soul, which desires to draw near to God, raise itself from the body, always cleave to that highest good, to that good which is divine, which is always, and which was from the beginning, and which was with God (1 John 1), that is, the Word of God: it is that divine Word, In whom we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).
13. Let us run to the fragrance of your ointments. This fragrance is smelled by the soul which begins to open to Christ, in order to receive the first fragrance of the Lord's burial, and to believe that his flesh did not see corruption, nor wither from any smell of death: but rather, covered in the fragrance of that eternal and evergreen flower, he rose. For how could it decay in the flesh, whose name is an Anointed One emptied out? He emptied himself in order to breathe for you; this ointment was always present, but it was with the Father, it was in the Father, it smelled only to the angels and archangels, as if inside a heavenly vessel. The Father opened his mouth, saying: Behold, I have set you as a testament of my people, as a light to the gentiles; that you may be for salvation even to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). The Son descended, and all things were filled with the new fragrance of the Word. The heart of the Father brought forth the good Word, the Son made fragrant, the Holy Spirit exhaled, and diffused through the hearts of all: For the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The Son of God himself contained his own fragrance in his body like in a vessel, waiting for the time as he said: The Lord has given me the tongue of instruction, that I should know when it is necessary to speak. The hour came, he opened his mouth, the ointment came forth, when power was going out from him. And therefore, this [fragrance] hastens towards the Word, and it asks to be drawn, lest perhaps it be left behind; because the Word of God runs, and it is not restrained. Finally, it rejoices like a giant to run on the way (Psalm 18:6). And because I have come out from the highest heaven and his coming extends to his highest point, seeing myself unequal to such speed, he says: Draw us.
14. A good soul who does not pray only for herself, but for everyone: Draw us, I say, for we have the desire to follow, which is inspired by the grace of your ointments; but because we cannot keep pace with your course, Draw us; so that supported by your help, we may be able to walk in your footsteps. For if you draw us, we will run, and we will catch the spiritual breath of speed. For the burden is laid down on those whose hand is your staff, and your oil is poured on the one who was wounded by robbers.
15. But lest it seem impudent to you what he says: Draw us, hear him saying: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you (Matt. XI, 28). You see that he willingly draws us, so that we do not remain following: but whoever wants to be drawn, let him run so as to grasp, and let him run forgetting the things behind, and desiring the things that are before, for thus he will be able to grasp Christ; which is why the Apostle also says: Run in such a way that you may grasp. He wants to attain those things which he desires to understand. Therefore, he wisely asks to be rebuked, because not everyone can follow. Finally, when Peter said, 'Where are you going?' the Word of God responded, 'You cannot follow me now, but you will follow later' (John 13:36; Matthew 14:30). He entrusted to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and in following him, he considered himself unworthy. However, he did not delay his soul, because he did not presume, but he asked. Denique,
16. (Vers. 3.) He led me into his chamber. Blessed is the soul that enters the innermost secrets of the Word, for when it rises above the body, it becomes more distant from all things; and that which is beyond itself, it investigates and seeks as if it can somehow attain the divine. And when it can comprehend it, having surpassed intelligible things, it is confirmed in that and nourished by it. Such was Paul, who knew that he was caught up into Paradise, but whether outside the body or in the body, he did not know. For his soul had risen from the body, and had withdrawn itself from the bowels and bonds of the flesh, and had been lifted up, and being estranged from itself, held within itself ineffable words which it had heard and could not express in common language, which it perceived could not be spoken to mortal man. Therefore, the good soul despises visible and sensible things, neither abides nor dwells in them, but ascends to those eternal and invisible things, full of miracles, uplifting itself with pure intellect. For indeed, one who strives for perfection, intends only that good of divinity, and thinks nothing else is to be sought, because they hold that it is the highest.
17. The king led me into his chamber. A kiss is simple, but the secret of the chamber is full of activity; for in this place, he testifies that he wants to know the mysteries more fully, so that he may enter the innermost secrets of the celestial mysteries, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ are revealed to him: which he may be able to do, perhaps he says what is above: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. It signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit that is to come, just as the Angel said to Mary: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Luke 1:35). But when the king brought her into his chamber, it signifies the time of suffering, the piercing of the side, the shedding of blood, the anointing of burial, the mystery of the resurrection; so that she may receive a kiss as a bride. But let the Church be brought into the chamber of Christ, not now as only betrothed, but also as wedded: not only entering into the bridal chamber, but also obtaining the keys of legitimate union. Therefore, as if seated in the bridal chamber, she says: A drop of my brother is bound to me, it rests between my breasts (Song of Solomon 8:12).
18. But if we seek a bedroom, He Himself teaches us, saying: But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret (Matt. VI, 6). The bedroom of the Church is the body of Christ. The king has led her into all the inner mysteries, he has given her the keys to open for herself the treasures of knowledge, to reveal the mysteries shut behind the doors of sacraments, to understand the grace of the sleeping, the sleep of the dead, the power of the risen. In that chamber, the bride of the Lord Jesus finds the justice. What are those justices? Surely the sacraments of Baptism, as we read, because when John said to Jesus coming to be baptized: I ought to be baptized by you, and you come to me; Jesus replied: Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all justice (Matthew 3:15). In that chamber, she learns the justifications of the Lord, she knows the counsel of God, which nothing can be higher; for this is divine, in which the forgiveness of sins takes place.
19. This seeks to learn from the Lord what humans could not teach, unless God had taught it beforehand: what the apostles learned from Christ, the Church says: The king has brought me into his chamber, that is, into that secret place where all the treasures of his knowledge and understanding are found. Therefore, it is said to you: When you pray, enter into your chamber (Matthew 6:6), which signifies the secret of the mind and soul. In this chamber, the bride of justice requested to be brought, when she rushed out after the smell of the ointment, which always flows and never runs out.
20. The king led me into his bedroom, the Greek has his pantry and cellar: where there are good sacrifices, where there are good smells, sweet honey, where there are various fruits, where there are various feasts, so that your lunch is prepared with many feasts. Finally introduced into the secret of that divine bridegroom.
21. Let us rejoice and be glad in you, he says; let us love your breasts more than wine; for he does not rejoice in riches and treasures of gold and silver, nor in the produce of possessions, nor in powers, nor in feasts, but only in God, saying to him: Let us love your breasts more than wine. Nevertheless, he drank in such a way that he was not swallowed up by the wine, but he drew the joy of his heart from the grace of it, not stumbling from the intoxication of his body. Finally, drinking this wine, he opened his eyes and saw the straight path, leaving behind the crooked paths, saying: Righteousness has loved you, that is, your steps are not crookedly following you; but only the path of justice can reach you, for he who loves justice does not turn away from Christ. How, then, does the innocent conscience fear the judge of justice and the rewarder of merits? Nevertheless, the same soul, knowing itself to be united with the body, says to other souls, or to other celestial powers joined with the sacred mystery: Do not look upon me, for I am obscured, for the sun does not gaze upon me.
22. (Verse 4.) I am dark and lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem. Behold the Lord Jesus reclining at the feast, with John resting on his chest, and others amazed that a servant would recline above the Lord, that sinful flesh would recline above the temple of the Word, that a soul bound by the chains of the flesh would search the hall of divine fullness. Therefore, in response to the amazement of others, the soul of John said: I am dark and lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem; dark through sin, lovely through grace. And she says, 'I am dark and beautiful; dark with secular dust collected by striving, beautiful with spiritual sight that washes away the dust and filth of this world. Dark through vice, but beautiful now through the bath that cleanses all sin. I am dark because I have sinned, but beautiful because Christ now loves me; for what he had rejected in Eve, he receives in the Virgin, he assumes from Mary.'
23. The Synagogue also says, whose mysteries seem to be expressed in this place to most; which, when it saw itself rejected because of the impiety of the whole people, still consoled itself, because it saw not only Christ himself but also Peter, John, and James adhering to Christ, because it had entrusted words to itself. And therefore it said: I am dusky and beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem: dusky through unbelief, beautiful through the law: dusky through falling, beautiful because the sun, who is Christ, loved me, and I have become the first assembly of God. Do not reject me because I am dark; I am dark because the sun has left me, who used to illuminate me before. I have lost the color of my face, the sharpness of my eyes which used to see before the sun: I walk in darkness, which I do not know the day of Christ. Yet do not despise me, for he who has left can look back again. He is accustomed to show mercy again, to gather the dispersed, to seek the forsaken, to gather the destitute. All the tribes of Israel, come together, look at me, beautiful before the sins; do not look at me, for I am obscured; this is not the only reason why you should look, because I am obscured; the sun does not shine on me alone, and therefore I am obscured. But the sun shines on the righteous and the unrighteous, on the righteous with grace, on the unrighteous with mercy; giving them the reward of their merits, forgiving them their sins. And it did not shine before the gentiles, now it shines, now it rises for them who used to rise for me; he who forgave them, will also forgive me. Do not think that because I am obscured, the sun has completely abandoned me, and now does not look at me, does not inquire about my illness. It has hidden itself from me because I have not kept its commandments: it will be reconciled when it sees the repentance of my sins. The sun has not seen me because I have not received it coming, I have not opened the windows for the light of life to enter: when I open, it will illuminate my eyes, who came to illuminate the whole world, and let even the blind see.
Or the Church says concerning the nations: Look not upon me, because I am dark, because the sun hath looked upon me; because, as with winter frost and ice the error of the Gentiles hath held me fast, the sun of righteousness, for a long time unworthy, hath thought scorn to look upon the congregation of the Gentiles, whom the shining brightness of His countenance ought to have illuminated. Did it not seem to thee a winter season, when the Lord was known in Judea only? But now the fulness of light of summer is shining, when Christ is all things in all men. Is not the earth the Lord's, and the fullness thereof (Psalm. XXIII, 1)? And truly the world is the Church, for it is not only the Jew or the Greek, not the Barbarian or the Scythian, not the servant or the free: but all are one in Christ (Coloss. III, 11). The sun shines for everyone, the day lightens for everyone. I am black and beautiful. He sent blackness before beauty, so that blackness would increase beauty: He did not say: I am black and beautiful, so that what is black might be considered beautiful: but he says: I am black by reason of previous sin, but beautiful by confession of sin, and by the desire for correction and the love of virtue. Therefore, although the syllable, as grammarians call it, is conjunctive, it still has a distinction by which confusion is distinguished and separated; for if you say that Ambrosius Bassus is inside, he is considered as one person; but if you assert that Ambrosius and Bassus are inside, then two people are certainly understood.
25. Like the tents of Kedar, like the skins of Solomon; for tents are made from the skins of dead animals. Therefore, she who said this was dead to sin, and she lived for God: and so let us die to sin, that we may live for God. Filled with the spirit, with joy and the sweetness of gladness, we shall be spiritual robes, free from bodily weakness, and preserving within us the divine grace infused into us in the fullness of our minds. But it is clear that the tabernacle of Cedar or the skins of Solomon's body are called this from multiple places: yet also understand from there that when Adam and Eve removed the celestial image that they previously carried and put on the image of an earthly man, they were said to be clothed in tunics made of skin; for God had made them bodily from spiritual things because of the sin they committed.
And it is not absurd to understand that she says she became a spouse just as the skins of the sun, burnt by its heat; because even though she was placed in the roughness of tribulations, she still mortified her body so that she could not feel that roughness: just as the skin of the tabernacle does not feel the heat of the sun, because the skin is from a dead animal; so she, dead to sin, could not feel the heat of sin: either because she was not broken by necessities, or because we are the body of affliction, and we must always bear the death of the Lord Jesus in our body.
27. (Verse 5.) The sons of my mother fought against me; that is, the passions of the body attacked me, the allurements of the flesh discolored me. Therefore the sun of righteousness did not shine upon me, because being deprived of protection, I could not keep my devotion and full obedience, that is, I did not guard my vineyard, for I brought thorns instead of grapes, that is, I committed sins instead of bearing fruits. And when he speaks about the Word, shining with the splendor of the Word, he turns to him and says:
28. (Verse 6.) Where do you feed, where do you stay at noon? He rightly says, where do you feed, because the Word of God is royal; where do you stay, because it is moral; at noon, because it is mystical: for at noon Joseph, with his brothers, while sitting in a feast, revealed the mysteries of future times. But David also says: Put your life before the Lord and hope in him, and he will act and bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. (Psalm 36:5). And Paul himself declared that a light shone around him at midday when he was converted from persecution to grace.
29. Therefore, it is questioned why she is deserted and why the poor is abandoned by the rich; for she was abounding in the gift of grace: but she began to lack when the abundance of divine presence was denied to her. And therefore she demands to be considered as if she were a hired worker, who before claimed the grace of a more precious connection for herself.
They set me as a watchman in the vineyards, but I did not keep my own vineyard (Verse 5). Some think that this is said about those who bind the Synagogue to the commandments of the law, so that it may keep the law and watch over its own vineyard, which it could not keep. In the end, it guarded in order to produce grapes, but it produced thorns. Therefore, David came to testify to us about the vineyard, saying: You have taken the vineyard from Egypt, and you have cast out the nations and planted it (Psalm 80:9). The apostles can also be understood as the sons of their mother, who truly fought against the Synagogue, saying: Behold, we turn to the Gentiles, and began to sow the word of God among the nations. The prophets can also be understood who, by warning and denouncing, did not succeed in keeping their vineyard, the Synagogue, for it produced thorns of wickedness instead of the rich fruits of virtue it should have borne. And for this reason, it confesses that it could not keep its people and, rightly, it seeks to possess late the one whom it lost when it possessed him. It is far different from She who says: I have found him whom my soul loves, I have taken hold of him, and I will not let him go (Song of Solomon 3:4). Finally, she invites her fiance into her garden; when she looks for the one who feeds on these things, she says to him:
31. Announce to me the one whom my soul loves. Why do you say the one whom my soul loved, and not the one whom he loves? Why did you let go of the one you were holding? You loved the faith of the fathers, you lost it through unbelief: you held on to the bonds of charity, you lost them through the long rope of treachery. Therefore, you do not know where he pastures, where he remains; for if you knew, you would not seek. For you say: Where do you pasture, where do you remain at midday? You know that midday is the Church that holds Christ, and you seek him in the night. Tell me, Christ, respond why, because of this, you were dear and beloved to me; therefore, although I lost the privilege of such love, still respond to me. Where do you graze, where do you dwell? You left me, you went away to the nations, you withdrew far from me, and you became closer to those from whom you were far away. But you became close because they believed in your blood. You withdrew from me because I did not accept the cross for the redemption of the world, but for the condemnation of the guilty. But those who receive as the author of salvation are at midday; in them you shine, in them you glow, in them your grace burns like the midday sun. For me, you were the morning, when I still believed, but I did not fully believe, because I was not found at midday, like Joseph with his brothers who held the midday: you became midday for them, who feed on your riches and hope in you. Therefore, as David said: You will lead their righteousness like light, and their judgment like midday (Psalm. XXXVI, 6).
You seek, therefore, what you were as a stranger, what you were as a poor man who became rich: you want to follow what you were leading, and I wish you would even follow those whom you should have led! You desire to be a hired hand whom you used to gather before; therefore, the voice of one saying this is that of a hired hand: Lest I become surrounded by the flocks of your companions. What you used to receive before from the nations as proselytes, now you yourself want to be received among the nations as proselytes, and to be gathered as a stranger. The Word of God answered the longing soul:
33. (Verse 7.) Unless you know yourself to be beautiful among women. Know yourself, O man, it is said to your soul, unless you have recognized yourself to be beautiful in women. Know yourself, soul, for you are not of the earth, not of clay, for God has breathed into you, and made you into a living soul. You are a magnificent work, formed by the inspiration of God: Attend to yourself, as the Law says, that is, to your soul: let worldly and mundane things not detain you, let earthly things not kill you. Hasten to that with your whole intention, on whose inspiration you rely: 'Great', he says, 'is the man, and precious is the merciful man; it is necessary to find a faithful man.' (Prov. XX, 6). Learn, O man, where you are great and precious. Earth shows you as lowly, but virtue makes you glorious, faith makes you rare, an image makes you precious. For what is anything so precious as the image of God? Which at first should instill faith in you, so that a certain likeness of the Creator may shine forth in your heart; lest anyone who questions your mind does not recognize the author. Is there anything so precious as humility; that you may examine the nature of body and soul and subject yourself to one, and recognize yourself in the other. The allure of the flesh urges mercy; for what you give to others, you pay to yourself: whatever proceeds from you, returns to you, and whatever you do, you do for yourself: and whatever benefits you, benefits yourself. Let the vitality of the lively soul, the senses of reason and the receptive intellect and judgment, not lose the prerogative of their nature, so that the worthy house may seem to have such a great inhabitant. Unless you know yourself, you are beautiful among women. Why do you complain that you have been abandoned, unless you know yourself, unless you regret your mistake, unless you approve of your intention of devotion, unless your faith and sincerity are increased, complaining will be of no use. Or thus, unless you know yourself that you are beautiful, unless you preserve the beauty of your nature, and the allurements of the body do not engulf you, nor do obstacles detain you, the nobility of a better creature will be of no assistance to you.
34. Therefore, know yourself and the beauty of your nature, and go forth as if freed from the shackles of your feet, and with bare footstep, so that you do not feel the carnal coverings: let the chains of your body not entangle the trace of your mind, so that your foot may appear beautiful. For such are those who are chosen by the Lord to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, of whom it is said: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach peace (Isaiah 52:7). Like Moses to whom it is said: Take off the sandals from your feet (Exodus 3:5); so that, casting off the garments of the flesh, he who would call the people to the kingdom of God would first proceed with a bare spirit and trace of the mind. This is therefore what he says: Go forth in the sandals of the flock, and feed your kids in the tents of the shepherds.
35. By flocks, we understand a kingdom, because it has the power to preside over flocks. And each person presides over themselves with a certain royal power, if they restrain the luxury of the body within themselves, and bring their flesh into servitude. Therefore it is said: The kingdom of God is within you. Hence he well says to the soul: Go forth, that is, go forth from servitude, go forth from the rule and dominion of the flesh, and go forth not in the flesh but in the spirit, go forth to the governance of power. Therefore, He added: Feed your young goats, that is, govern those things which are on your left hand; for if they are not governed, they easily slip away. Restrain the impudence, the lasciviousness of your body, and the irrational indulgence, and subdue the fleeting movements: feed them not in bodily tabernacles, but in the tabernacles of shepherds who know how to govern the flock; for the tabernacles of Israel are lovely, like shade-giving groves over a river, in which the soul, like an army encamped, practices good warfare and scouts out enemy attacks.
36. Unless you know yourself, you are admired among women. What is it to know oneself, except that each person knows that they were made in the image and likeness of God, capable of reason, and that they should cultivate their own land like a good farmer with a certain plow and the sickle of wisdom; so that either the harsh things are cut away, or the luxuriant things are pruned, who should govern the inner part of their soul with authority. Therefore it is also written in the Law: Take care of yourself, lest a hidden word be made in your heart (Deut. XV, 9): take care of yourself, it says, not certainly for your money, not for your possessions, not for the powers of the body, but for your soul and your mind, from which all counsel, actions, and thoughts flow. So pay attention to yourself where you know yourself to be superior. Know yourself, which is attributed to the Gentile men to Apollo Pythius, as if he himself were the author of this statement; since they take what is ours and transfer it to their own, and Moses, who wrote the book of Deuteronomy, was far earlier than the philosophers who invented these things.
37. Therefore, following the divine oracle, Solomon wrote in the Song of Songs: Unless you know yourself, you are beautiful among women; that is, unless you understand yourself as a mortal being endowed with reason, and quickly confess your sins, quickly speak of your iniquities in order to justify yourself, unless you convert and first accuse your own faults, the day of death will come and there will be no remedy for conversion; you will be overtaken while you still contemplate. Ignite your torch before the door of the bridegroom is closed to you, for he does not often wait for the negligent. Unless you know, he said, beautiful among women; and say: I am dark and beautiful: I am dark, because I have sinned, beautiful, because I am loved, because I am of the lineage of Abraham, the chosen lineage, beloved by God; the grace of the fathers will profit you nothing: For God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham (Matthew 3:9). And elsewhere in the Gospel you have read that the daughter of Abraham was bound by the devil of wickedness with his chains, whom the Lord loosed on the Sabbath day. Therefore, if you do not know yourself, it will be of no benefit to you. Even if you say, 'I am the daughter of Abraham', if you do not believe, if you do not correct the error, Abraham indeed is saved, but the nobility of your lineage will not help you unless faith saves you. Do not let the promise given to the fathers deceive you, I do not judge a person based on their lineage, I do not judge based on the prerogative of lineage. Unless I see a moral nobility consistent with the lineage, so that a just election of lineage may be made.
38. But if you know yourself, and know that you are subject to sin, you must leave in the footsteps of the flock. Go forth, therefore, barefoot, and feed your goats in the shepherds' tents. The one who is without sin feeds lambs, feeds sheep: but the one who is subject to sin, let them feed the goats which are on the left; for they cannot be on the right of the good shepherd. Let them instead follow the one who says to Peter: Get behind me, Satan (Mark 8:33). By following Peter, he deserved to be placed on the right hand; and that is why it is said of him: Feed my lambs (John 21:16). But listen to where he goes: He says, 'To the tents of the shepherds, that is, to the Gentiles, to the dispersion.' And that is why it is said: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (Zechariah 13:7); so that the whole world may be filled with the flock of Christ, signifying that the Synagogue will then be saved when it joins this dispersion itself, which has filled this world; for the tents of the shepherds are the kingdoms of the earth.
39. (Verse 8.) I have compared you, my dear, to the horses in Pharaoh's chariots, my closest one. In this comparison, as the similarity of swift horses to the Church is observed, her wealth is esteemed. Therefore, do not understand her as a single horse of a wealthy king, but rather as the whole cavalry, as we have often said, such as the sheep to their flock. Therefore, Pharaoh, as the most powerful and wealthy king, had powerful horses; hence, the Scripture says, 'Pharaoh's chariots,' as the most powerful type for the use of war and a support for fighting: finally, with these chariots, Pharaoh easily captures the fleeing Hebrews. Just as, therefore, yoked horses easily pull a chariot, and patiently bear the yoke, and carry it with grace, and by the acceptance of that yoke they become gentle: so also the congregation of nations, with untamed customs, used to boast of itself. But when it accepted the yoke of Christ saying: Take my yoke upon you, for it is light; and my burden, for it is sweet (Matth. XI, 29 and 30); and the bride of Christ began to be exalted by the harmony and gentleness of the peoples, and to be carried throughout the whole world, as if a chariot snatched up by swift horses ascended above the world to the bridegroom.
For Christ has horses, of which the prophet says: You have sent your horses into the sea, disturbing many waters (Habakkuk 3); because the apostles, by proclaiming the good news, have stirred up the nations, who are like many waters and are tossed by the waves of water, so that they may rise up from earthly idolatrous ceremonies and believe in Christ. And it also says above: You have ascended on your horses, your chariot is salvation. O wondrous pair of good horses, by whose reins peace is governed, and the bridle is charity: bound together by the bonds of harmony, and subject to the yoke of faith, they carry the mystery of the Gospel on their four wheels to the ends of the whole world, carrying the Word of God, the good charioteer; by the whip of whom secular allurements have been banished, the prince of this world has been exterminated, and the race of the righteous has been completed. Oh, the great contest of rational horses! Oh, the astonishing mystery! A wheel ran within a wheel, and was not impeded. The new Testament was running within the old Testament, through which it was announced. The wheels went in four directions, and did not turn back; for the breath of life was in those who ran in the four parts of the world. And they ran without stumbling, because the life of the horses was good. Therefore, the horses were running, for the one who had mounted the horses did not sleep.
Therefore, Jesus is the charioteer of our souls, who also wants to mount our horses, that is, our bodies, and always be vigilant so that it may not be said of us: They who mounted the horses have fallen asleep (Psalm LXXV, 7). This sea must be crossed swiftly; it is hardly crossed by those who are vigilant. But if anyone falls asleep, they cannot cross, but they are submerged, like the Egyptian whose soul and body perished. For the horse and its rider were cast into the sea (Exod. XV, 1), those who did not follow the law, but followed themselves.
42. I likened you to my horse in the chariots of Pharaoh. The labor of virtue seeks victory, so that it cannot be compared to the horse that belongs to Solomon, swift in running, adept in giving birth; for the fruitfulness of the soul is desired and sought. Therefore, this horse is precious, and the chariots of Pharaoh are fleet. But in this place we have undertaken to speak of the soul, of this horse which is considered similar to this soul, that is, of prophetic or apostolic virtue: which is counted among the flock of those who, by the fruitfulness of their preaching, have filled the whole world with their words. And although they are in a physical body, they have not experienced any loss in their spiritual journey. Therefore, it is praised that, enlightened by the heavenly precept, she is now beautiful and radiant, displaying the virtue of chastity in her appearance and wearing the symbols of patience and humility around her neck. And for this reason, he praised his bride, saying:
43. (Verse 9.) How beautiful are your cheeks like turtledoves, your neck like necklaces. Your countenance is more noble, where there is consciousness of charity; and to bear the yoke of Christ is sweet, if you consider the ornaments of your neck to be, not burdens. Lift up your eyes always to your Lord, and seek God, in order to find. Raise your neck, you wear necklaces not chains: mute animals rejoice in necklaces, and seem to prefer being adorned rather than being tied up. May our cheeks, like those of doves, bear the marks of modesty: Let the ribbons of freedom lift up our confidence; for the yoke of Christ is light, and thus the neck is not pressed down, but lifted up.
44. (Vers. 10, 11.) We will make similes of gold for you from the distinctions of silver, as long as the king is in his decline. For from those who are of the Law and the Prophets, they had moderately believed in the glory of the Lord Jesus, and his inheritance spread among the peoples, which, when examined more frequently, is proven more. Indeed, frequent persecutions of the Church of the righteous have produced to us titles, victories of martyrdom. Therefore, just as gold is good, when the Church uses anger, it does not feel the resulting harm, but rather its brilliance increases, until Christ comes into his kingdom and reclines his head in the faith of the Church. When he came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, he had nowhere to recline his head; but now the faith already emits a fragrance, and thus the Church says: My spikenard has given off its fragrance; and it speaks with presumption, awaiting retribution. The fragrance of grace is spread, in which the virgin gave birth, and the Lord Jesus assumed the sacrament of the incarnation.
45. (Verse 12, 13.) The gathering of myrrh, my brother, shall remain with me, in the midst of my breasts, or dwell. Previously, it had been said that myrrh had given its fragrance to the bridegroom; and because it had received the fragrance of its scent through the ointment with which it had been anointed: but now it is said: My brother gives off a drop for me, and this drop is not spread or dispersed as one pleases, but gathered and bound, so that the scent of its sweetness may become denser and more powerful. And here, he says, when he is such, he dwells and remains in the midst of my breasts, and makes his rest and dwelling place in the location of my heart. Colligation, he says, the brother of my cousin, the bunch of Cyprus, will rest between my breasts. For the Lord Jesus, taking on a body, bound himself with the chains of love, and not only united himself with our members and natural passions, but also with the cross; therefore, as a bunch of grapes rests in the faith of the Church, and rests in moral grace.
46. Nardus cypri consobrinus meus in vineis Engaddi. Si locum quaerimus regionis cujusdam quae in Judaea est, locus sic dicitur in quo opobalsamum gignitur: si interpretationem, tentatio Latine significatur.In illis vero vineis lignum est, quod si quis compungat, unguentum emittit, hic fructus est ligni. Si non incidatur lignum, non ita fragrat et redolet, cum autem compunctum fuerit artificis manu, tunc lacrymam distillat. Just as Christ, on that cross of temptation, wept for the people in order to wash away our sins, and from the depths of his mercy poured out the ointment, saying: 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing' (Luke 23:34). Then, pierced by the spear while on the cross, blood and water flowed from him, sweeter than any ointment, offering to God a sacrifice which, pouring forth the fragrance of sanctification, spreads throughout the whole world. And just as balsam comes out from a tree, so virtue was coming out from his body, as it is said: 'I feel that virtue has gone out from me' (Luke 8:46). Hence opobalsamum is more expressly called, because balsam comes out through the cavity of the puncture by means of the compunction of the wood.
Therefore, Jesus, with a feeling of remorse, poured out the fragrance of the remission of sins and redemption. For he was bound when the Word became flesh: and he became poor when he was rich; so that we may be enriched by his poverty: he was powerful, yet he presented himself as despised, so that Herod could reject him and mock him: he moved the earth, and clung to the wood: he covered the heavens with darkness, and crucified the world, and was crucified: he bowed his head, and the Word went forth: he was emptied, and he filled all things: God descended, man ascended: the Word became flesh, so that the flesh could claim the throne of the Word on the right hand of God: there was a wound and ointment flowed: the scarab was heard, and God was recognized. And Christ replied.
48. (Verse 14.) Behold, you are good, my neighbor, behold you are good: your eyes are like doves. For the Church knew the mystery and preached the crucified Lord Jesus for the redemption of the whole world, and she deserves to hear: Behold, you are good, who call me good; Behold, you are good, who have seen the glory of my beauty, and you yourself are beautiful and lovely. But what does it mean to say to Christ: You are good, or you are lovely, unless it is that Gospel: Be steadfast, daughter, your sins are forgiven you (Matt. IX, 22)? Therefore, the one whom Christ forgave sins says correctly: 'Reward your servant, that I may live, and keep your commandments' (Psalm 118:146). He does not have anything to despair about in retribution, for the Lord Jesus came to save the world, not to destroy it. Therefore, he forgets the offense and remembers the grace, as it is testified in the prophetic book itself, saying: 'I am, I am the one who wipes out your iniquities, and I will not remember them; but you, remember and let us argue, state your case first, that you may be vindicated' (Isaiah 43:25-26). Therefore, whoever confesses their injustices to God is justified; and whoever is justified does not fear retribution, but seeks it; whoever does not fear retribution, lives.
49. (Vers. 15, 16.) Behold, he says, my handsome cousin, and indeed beautiful. Our darkened incline, the beams of our houses cedar, our ceilings cypress. The Church praises the beauty of the groom, which everyone quietly praises with deep affection, and a faithful interpreter of mysteries proclaims even more by remaining silent. For what secrets it reveals, it diminishes the beauty of Christ; therefore, let no one cast their pearls before swine, lest they trample the precious ornaments. Therefore, not in the shop of the loquacious and garrulous; for in much speaking sin is committed. But in the serious man, who is sparing in speech, neither intemperate in conversation, and avoids the drunkenness of loquacity with the sobriety of words, Christ rests his head.
50. And appropriately it signifies a shady reclining; because the virtue of the Most High overshadows those placed in the Church. David requested to be protected by this shade, so that the sun would not burn him during the day, nor the moon during the night (Psalm 120:6). This shade is provided by spiritual grace, fleeing the scorching heat of this world and the summer of the world. Therefore, the shady reclining of Christ and the Church, for whom that eternal rest of God the Father aspires. In this shade, let us rest, weary from the heat of our sins if our desires have burned anyone, may the cross of the Lord refresh them, on which He reclined in order to accept our debts. If anyone has been wearied by fault, may Jesus receive them into his own embrace and cherish them with tender affection; hence I dare to say that the leaning of Christ's flesh is the Church.
51. The beams of our houses are made of cedar. The glory of the righteous is symbolized by the cedar, the glory of our ancestors who were just. For the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon (Psalm. XCI, 13); just as the cedar does not decay, so the glory of our ancestors is not corrupted by any age.
Our cypress saucers. This type of tree never loses its greenness, it nourishes its hair in both winter and summer, and it does not change color. Only the wind never strips this tree of its own honor, only it is never stripped of its old cover or dressed in new flowers. Similarly, the grace of the apostles never knows weariness, but it flourishes with the passage of time. Therefore, the soul does not know corruption, as it thrives in flourishing limbs, always sustaining the peaks of justice and other virtues with great patience and courage. And for this reason, it does not wither or fade, because there is nothing in it that is porous or weak, nothing that is movable, nothing that can be said to be released from it due to a fault in speech. The Church follows or the faithful soul follows, I say the soul, because nothing is so essential to a person as the soul.