CHAPTER II. (Chap. II.--Verse 1.) I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.
1. Well does Christ call himself a flower, who, while he destroys the thorns of sins, adorns the mind of the bride with the beauty of his righteousness, and while he applies heavenly desire to the nostrils of the heart, refreshes the interior of the soul as if with fragrance. He continues further and says: (Verse 2.) As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters.
2. Well, just as the lily among thorns, so the bride is said to be among the daughters; because while there are many in the Church who confess Christ with words alone, yet in their works pursue nothing but human concerns, that soul alone is counted worthy of the lily's dignity which rises from the root of mortality to heavenly beauty, and guards for itself the brightness of purity in heart and body, and refreshes all its neighbors with the fragrance of a good reputation. But because the Bridegroom held his bride worthy of such great praise, she now in turn rightly praises him by whom she perceives herself to be praised, and says: (Verse 3.) As the apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the sons.
3. Wild trees do not produce fruits suitable for human consumption; but what the apple tree produces, people eat fittingly and healthfully. Rightly, therefore, Christ is figured by the apple tree, while other people are figured by the wild trees; because in Christ alone, whenever we seek the food of salvation, we find it; in His words and examples we refresh our souls with sweet and wholesome fruit. He Himself is indeed the tree of life, which He bestows upon us. He Himself is the one who, while breathing Himself into us, feeds the soul. But if we find any refreshment in others, we receive from them not what is theirs, but what is Christ's; because whatever in them is apart from God, we find without doubt to be deadly to us. (Verse 3.) I sat under the shadow of Him whom I had desired, and His fruit was sweet to my palate.
4. The shadow of Christ is the protection of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit overshadows the mind that it fills, because it tempers all the heat of temptations; and while the breeze of its inspiration gently touches the mind, it expels whatever harmful heat it was enduring; and the mind which perhaps the excessive heat of vices had already made withered, the protecting shadow of the Holy Spirit refreshes, so that while it sits resting in his inspiration, it gathers strength by which to run more vigorously toward eternal life. There follows: 'And his fruit was sweet to my throat.' For Christ himself, planted in the heart, stands as a fruit-bearing tree; which if our mind worthily loves and earnestly cultivates, it assuredly produces beautiful and useful fruits within. When the mind, seizing these, eagerly eats them, it sets aside all the pleasures of the world in comparison with his sweetness. For it is very sweet to think upon heavenly things, to fix the inward eye upon eternity, so that sometimes even amid weeping the enkindled mind is pierced with compunction, and, lifted up amid tears, is fed upon the food of angels — that is, wisdom itself — and the more sweetly, the more eagerly it is nourished. Hence it is that there follows: (Verse 4.) 'The King brought me into the wine cellar; he set charity in order within me.'
5. For what do we more fittingly understand by the wine cellar than the hidden contemplation of eternity itself? In this eternity the holy angels are inebriated with the wine of wisdom, while seeing God himself face to face, they are satisfied with every spiritual delight. The holy mind, if it is led in by the bridegroom (all temporal things having been set aside), enters this cellar, in which it tastes of those angelic delights as much as is granted to it. And because it is still held in a corruptible body, it does not perfectly satisfy itself; yet from that small amount which it takes in passing, it considers how much it ought to love what it loves. The wine cellar can also, however, be understood as a figure of divine Scripture. For through it, charity is ordered in the bride, because in its teaching it is clearly learned how God and neighbor are to be loved in proper order. Struck by this charity, she continues and says: (Verse 5.) Support me with flowers, surround me with apples, for I am sick with love.
6. By the tender and budding flowers, the beginning faithful are designated, but by the apples, the perfect faithful. For the Bride, because she languishes with love, desires to be supported with flowers and surrounded with apples, because while she afflicts herself with longing for eternity, while she seeks with total anxiety how she might arrive there, but does not at all find the arrival while she lives in the flesh, she rests, wearied in her desire, and rejoices in this alone: if she sees around her those by whom she herself, or in whose perfection, she might perceive consolation for her languishing. To whom she subsequently says this about her Bridegroom: (Verse 6.) His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
7. By the left hand of the bridegroom the present life is signified, and by the right hand the eternal life. By the head of the bride, moreover, the mind that rules over the soul is understood. But the left hand of the bridegroom is said to be under the head of the bride, and his right hand embraces her, because she always places the temporal life beneath her mind, but desires to embrace the eternal life in every way. For those things which she sees, she tramples with greatness of soul and a lofty mind, and occupies herself with heavenly duties. She endures the former out of necessity, but for the latter she sighs with utmost desire, as if bound by the right arm of the bridegroom. When she enters into these things even a little, she rests delightfully, and out of love for that rest she utterly despises worldly tumults. The bridegroom surely loves her all the more as she rests thus, and drives away all the wicked from disturbing her, saying: (Verse 7.) I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and the deer of the fields, that you do not rouse or awaken the beloved, until she herself wills it.
8. Deer and goats are said to be clean animals in the law. What then do we understand by deer and goats, if not faith, hope, and charity? While we keep these clean within ourselves, through them we ascend the high mountains of contemplation. But the holy soul, the bride of Christ, desires to rest from all the disturbances of the world; she longs to sleep in holy leisure in the bosom of the bridegroom, with earthly desires lulled to rest, so that she sometimes even disdains necessary conversations, and rejoices in the conversation of the bridegroom alone all the more serenely the more quietly it takes place. But the carnal ones who are in the Church sometimes rudely awaken her as she sleeps; they desire to entangle her in the affairs of the world, because they consider her life useless when they see her abstaining from their cares. Such people are quite fittingly called not sons but daughters, because while they nurture effeminate habits, having lost manly dignity, what they are inwardly is outwardly designated by a feminine name. These are forbidden under the weight of an oath to awaken the beloved, lest they disturb the mind that girds itself to be free for God and longs to cling to spiritual pursuits alone with importunate anxieties, and cloud the eye of her heart with the darkness of earthly cares. And yet not all care for her neighbor is forbidden to her, but when she ought to be awakened is left to her own will, because indeed every perfect soul must discern both when to devote herself to heavenly contemplation and when to serve the needs of her neighbors. The bride most gladly accepts this freedom to be at leisure for God, and immediately embraces the word of the bridegroom and says: (Verse 8.) The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
9. As if she were saying: I recognize this to be the voice of my beloved spouse; I desire always to hear this from his mouth, because in this I see how much he loves me, since he forbids anything to hinder me from his desirable embraces. How she arrived at these embraces she suddenly narrates, saying: Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. Christ, arranging to come to the embraces of his bride, graciously assumed our humanity. To accomplish this mystery, he came as if leaping upon the mountains, because he displayed certain works among men which the human race, perceiving them to be exceedingly sublime and beyond human capacity, could admire but could not attain. For he was born of a virgin; an angel urged the shepherds to go and adore the crying infant; a star led the magi; hanging on the cross, he gave up his spirit at the hour he willed; dead, he raised himself on the third day; entering heaven, he bestowed the Holy Spirit on those whom he pleased; through fishermen and unlettered men he subjected the world to his faith — doing these things, he walked as it were upon the mountains, where no creature was able to follow him. In these works, indeed, he bounded over the hills, because he transcended all the saints, however much they may have grown, by the power of his working. Of him it also follows: (Verse 9.) My beloved is like a roe and a young hart of the stags. He is rightly said to be like a roe, because he drew his flesh from the Synagogue, which is signified by the roe. And because he was begotten from the stock of the ancient saints, he is rightly declared to be as it were a young hart of the stags. There follows: (Verse 9.) Behold, he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattices.
10. Christ incarnate stood, as it were, behind our wall, because in the humanity he assumed, his divinity lay hidden. And because if he were to reveal his immensity, human weakness could not endure it, he set before himself the barrier of flesh, and whatever great things he accomplished among men, he did as one hiding behind a wall. Now he who looks through windows and lattices is partly seen, but partly conceals himself. So also the Lord Jesus Christ, while he both performed miracles through the power of his divinity and endured lowly things through the weakness of his flesh, looked forth as it were through the window and lattices, because while hiding in one nature, in the other he revealed who he was. Therefore, incarnate, he speaks to his Church, or to each perfect soul, and exhorts her toward the eternal homeland, saying: (Verse 10.) Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.
11. On account of faith, Christ calls his bride his friend; a dove on account of simplicity; beautiful on account of her works. For since without faith we cannot please God, rightly through faith we are called friends, because while by faith we seek heavenly things, having cast aside earthly things, we cling to God. The soul is rightly called a dove on account of simplicity, because while it searches for the simple God with simplicity of heart, it by no means pursues in dissoluteness the foolish joy of the world, but always hastening toward eternal things, it lovingly imitates the groaning of the dove. The soul is rightly called beautiful on account of her works, because while she redeems the sins of her past life through good works, she hides, as it were, her former ugliness by assuming a better form before the eyes of the Bridegroom. Therefore the Bridegroom exhorts her to arise and come, because it is fitting that whoever hastens to the love of Christ should cast off the sluggishness of the flesh as much as he can, and gird himself quickly to attain eternal things. But because we have received from God, through the presentation of the New Testament, the means to hasten toward heavenly things, therefore there rightly follows: (Verse 11) For now the winter has passed, the rain has departed and gone away.
12. What is to be understood by winter, if not the austerity of the law? Which, while it held the ancient people in carnal sacrifices, did not help its observers to seek spiritual and heavenly things. We can also understand by winter the present life, which, while it assails us with constant temptations, compels us to grow sluggish in following Christ, as if by relentless rains. But let the bride now arise, because the winter has passed, since the more the last day presses near, the more the present life recedes, and the more time is drawn toward its end, the more quickly one must run, lest the chosen soul be deprived of the eternal gifts offered to it. For it is said to have "passed" because it is not doubted that it is about to pass away shortly. There follows: (Verse 12.) The flowers have appeared in the land, the time of pruning has come.
13. The flowers are said to have appeared on the earth, because when holy souls depart from their bodies, they are received in heaven. And because in this life, although it was winter, they did not grow sluggish from good work, as soon as they departed, they gloriously flourished in the land of the living. Rightly therefore follows what he says: The time of pruning has arrived, because the more the number of the elect is gathered in heaven, the more quickly the reprobate are cut off from the Church like useless branches, so that the world may end more swiftly. There follows: (Verses 12, 13.) The voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land, the fig tree has put forth its green figs, the flowering vines have given forth their fragrance.
14. What is designated by the turtledove, if not the Church; what by the land of the bridegroom, if not that blessed life? But the voice of the turtledove is said to have been heard in the land of the bridegroom, because while the holy Church prays for what it desires, it is most mercifully heard by Christ in heaven. Concerning which it is rightly added: 'The fig tree has put forth its green figs, the flowering vines have given their fragrance.' For the fig tree put forth its green figs, because the holy Church sent its martyrs ahead to the eternal homeland. After whom the flowering vines gave their fragrance, because throughout the whole world examples of good works increased. The vines indeed produce flowers when the individual churches lead souls previously unbelieving to the newness of faith through baptism. But the flowers themselves bring forth fragrance when believing souls spread good examples to one another and to others through a sweet reputation. But because Christ draws us by both modes of exhortation — namely, that he both admonishes us by precepts and raises us up by the examples of the saints — therefore he first commanded his bride by admonishing her to arise, and then brought the examples of the saints to her knowledge, and after the presentation of examples he again turned to the admonition of precept, saying: (Verses 13, 14.) 'Arise, my beloved, my sister, and come, my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow of the wall.'
15. The soul rises when it lifts itself from the commission of sin; it comes when through good works it advances with the holy steps of holy desire toward heavenly things. For when a holy mind beholds the shameful deeds of its past life, when it counts up the sins it has committed, it soon blushes with shame within its own conscience, and turning to hatred everything it had loved in the world, it punishes itself with tears, and made stronger by that very repentance, it leaps free from every defilement and shakes itself loose from all the sluggishness of negligence, so that it no longer lies prostrate in base thoughts but stretches itself out through holy desires toward the longing for invisible things. This mind, therefore, rises and comes, because it both lifts itself from the weakness of torpor through compunction and, exercising itself in holy pursuits, runs toward eternal things on the feet of love. By the holes of the rock, moreover, I would gladly understand the wounds of the hands and feet of Christ hanging on the cross. And the cavity of the wall I would interpret in the same sense as the wound in his side made by the lance. And rightly is the dove said to be in the holes of the rock and in the cavity of the wall, because while it imitates the patience of Christ in the remembrance of the cross, while it recalls those very wounds to memory for the sake of example, just as a dove in the holes of a rock, so the simple soul finds in the wounds the nourishment by which it grows strong. Nevertheless, by the holes of the rock can be signified the mysteries of Christ's incarnation, and by the cavity of the wall can be figured the very protection of angelic guardianship. When the soul is placed in this guardianship, the bridegroom rightly says to her: (Verse 14.) Show me your face, let your voice sound in my ears: for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
16. For what do we understand by the face, except the faith by which we are known by God? And what do we understand by the voice, except preaching? But the bridegroom commands the bride to show him her face, because whoever says he has faith must necessarily exercise himself in good works, so that through outward works the interior faith may become known. But it is also necessary that the voice of preaching follow the works, because whoever expands himself in holy works, it follows that he should exhort all his neighbors to do the same. Therefore it follows: 'For your voice is sweet, and your face is beautiful.' For the voice pleases and the face is made beautiful when preaching accompanies works, and in turn good works accompany preaching. To such preachers it is consequently said: '(Verse 15.) Catch for us the little foxes that destroy the vineyards, for our vineyard has blossomed.'
17. By the foxes, heretics are designated; by the vineyards, individual Churches. But the foxes destroy the vineyards, because through heretics the Churches are dried up from the greenness of right faith. They are rightly called "little," because although they are inwardly puffed up against the truth, outwardly they pursue humility in their words through pretense. They are then caught by holy preachers when, in the course of disputation, they are refuted by the judgments of truth. Indeed, holy preachers are sometimes called dogs by way of comparison, because through their constant preaching, as if by relentless barking, they strive to drive all adversaries away from the flock of sheep. These dogs catch the foxes for Christ, because while they faithfully love their leader, laboring for love of him, they lead the evasive heretics out from the entanglements of their questions, as if from dark dens into the light of truth. The reason the destruction wrought by the foxes is to be feared is made clear when it says: 'For our vineyard has flourished.' The vineyard has indeed flourished, because the holy Church through baptism has brought her children to a new manner of life in the faith. For these there is reason to fear lest they be corrupted by heretics, because when any believers are regenerated into the newness of Christ, the more tender each one is, the more quickly he is seduced into error. There is every reason to fear for the blossoms, lest they perish, because while anyone has not yet grown strong toward perfection through long practice, if he is bitten by a venomous tooth, he easily fades from what he had attained. For every perfected soul does not easily lose what it has long exercised itself in, because the more frequently it has tasted with its innermost palate how sweet the Lord is, the more steadfastly it holds to the righteousness of the bridegroom and spurns what is crooked. She fittingly continues and says: (Verses 16–17.) 'My beloved is mine, and I am his, who feeds among the lilies, until the day breathes and the shadows decline.'
18. As if she were saying: I hold firmly to the friendship of my beloved, because I feel his constant goodwill toward me. For while I have his kind intimacy, whatever I hear from barking enemies against him is grievous to me. And while in his constant presence I see what he is like, if adversaries bring forth any error, I do not depart from the truth that I have come to know in the sight of him. About which there well follows: 'Who feeds among the lilies, until the day breathes and the shadows decline.' What is signified by lilies, if not souls? Which, while they retain the brightness of chastity, smell sweetly to all their neighbors through the reputation of good fame. The bridegroom therefore feeds among the lilies, because without doubt he is delighted by the chastity of souls, which both preserve purity of the flesh in themselves, and please him through pure thoughts in his presence, and give examples to their neighbors like the sweetness of fragrance. The day will then breathe, and the shadows will decline, when eternal life appears and the present life comes to an end. For that will be day, but here is night; because here we are dim in our vision, but there the day itself, which is the whole truth, will shine forth to our minds. Toward this day souls earnestly strive to arrive; for its sake they preserve justice unstained as much as they can; and because without Christ they can do nothing, they invoke his help and desire his intimacy. While he considers their mind, he is near and kindly helps them, and the more they advance, the more intimately he always loves them, until, when the darkness of the world is ended, he leads them, now made perfect, to the light of eternal life. Because they greatly desire this light and believe it will be seen when the Lord comes to judgment, therefore with the greatest desire they say: (Verse 17.) 'Return, be like, my beloved, a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bethel.'
19. The Beloved departed from us bodily when after the resurrection he ascended into heaven. But he will return when, at the end of the world, with the bodies of men having been raised, he will be manifested to all in judgment. He will truly appear like a gazelle and a young stag, because coming in our flesh to judgment, he will show himself to all. For by the gazelle, which is a clean animal, the Church is designated, which while it dwells in mind among heavenly things, feeds as it were upon the mountains. And by the deer, what else is designated but the ancient fathers, from whose flesh Christ was born and presented to the world as a young stag? Now Bethel is interpreted as "house of God." Which is rightly called the Church of God, because the Lord dwells in it, while our hearts are cleansed through faith. Therefore upon the mountains of Bethel he will appear like a gazelle and a young stag, because he will come to judgment in that form of humanity which he took from the Church, when in this world he was born humbly from the lineage of the fathers, like a fawn from deer. He will truly appear both like a gazelle and upon the mountains of Bethel, because in his human form he will be like the Church, and yet he will stand forth more sublimely in the Church above even the highest ones, who rise up like mountains. While he delays in coming, because the holy soul always strives to seek him, therefore there follows: