Marguerite Porete (1260? – 1310 CE) was a French Catholic mystic who was burned at the stake for heresy after a lengthy trial in Paris. We know nothing about her personal life, but “The Mirror of Simple Souls”, a book of her writings, somehow survived her.
You who would read this book,
If you indeed wish to grasp it,
Think about what you say,
For it is very difficult to comprehend;
Humility, who is keeper of the treasury of
Knowledge
And the mother of the other Virtues,
Must overtake you.
Theologians and other clerks,
You will not have the intellect for it,
No matter how brilliant your abilities,
If you do not proceed humbly.
And may Love and Faith, together
Cause you to rise above Reason,
Since they are the ladies of this house.
Humble, then, your wisdom
Which is based on Reason,
And place all your fidelity
In those things which are given
By Love, illuminated through Faith.
And thus you will understand this book
Which makes the Soul live by love.
Translation Ellen L. Babinsky
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Such a compelling message, made all the more so by her eventual fate at the hands of those who did not understand her truth. Thank you so much for connecting us with her, over the centuries. After reading this post a couple of times, I got a copy of her book. I must add that the translation by Ellen L. Babinsky in your post is far superior to that of the edition I located. I see that the version by Ellen L. Babinsky is currently available…
Dear Howard thank you for your response. Her poetry is very find and delicate – still living. The Babinsky translation is published by the Paulist Press, which generally is quite reliable.
Yes, thank you! I ordered it today!
Continued gratitude for you and the Inner Call.