The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works

«The writing that follows is the English version of a book written by St Denis to Timothy, which is called in Latin Mystica Theologia» — el prólogo del autor del Cloud a su Mystical Theology of St Denis presenta el texto como versión inglesa de un libro escrito por San Denis a Timoteo. La atribución la hace el propio texto; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«It is stated in chapter 70 of an earlier book called The Cloud of Unknowing that Denis’s argument will clearly confirm everything that is written in the» — el mismo prólogo remite al capítulo 70 del Cloud y declara que el argumento de Denis afianza lo que ahí se escribe; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *Cloud*

«and for that reason, in translating it, I have not only followed the literal sense of the text, but, to clarify its difficulties, I have closely followed the interpretation of the Abbot of St Victor, a noble and excellent expositor of the book» — el autor del Cloud declara su propio método de traducción: además del sentido literal siguió de cerca la interpretación del Abad de San Víctor, a quien llama expositor noble y excelente del libro

«Everlasting Wisdom without beginning, who are in yourself the First Cause transcending all being, the transcendent Godhead3 and the transcendent Good, the inward beholder of the divinely created wisdom of Christians» — la Oración de San Denis, en la versión del autor del Cloud, invoca a la Sabiduría eterna sin principio como Primera Causa que trasciende todo ser, Deidad y Bien trascendentes

«I beseech you to raise us to a capacity that accords with the transcendently unknown and transcendently shining height of your dark, inspired utterances, where all the secret matters of theology are concealed and hidden under the transcendently shining darkness of wisest silence» — la misma oración pide ser elevado a la altura de las oscuras palabras inspiradas, donde las materias secretas de la teología quedan ocultas bajo la tiniebla resplandeciente del silencio más sabio

«And because these matters are beyond understanding, I desire with love beyond understanding as best I can to gain them for myself with this prayer» — cierre de la oración: siendo esas materias inaccesibles al entendimiento, se las desea con un amor que también está más allá del entendimiento

«Timothy my friend, whenever by the stirring of divine grace you set yourself to undertake the active exercise of your blind contemplation, see that with strong, prudent and eager contrition you forsake your bodily senses (namely hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch), and also your spiritual senses, otherwise known as your intellectual activities» — Mystical Theology, capítulo 1: la instrucción a Timoteo manda abandonar los cinco sentidos corporales y también los espirituales, es decir, las actividades intelectuales

«see that you ascend with me in this grace, in a way that is beyond what you know, to be made one with him who is above all being and all ways of knowing» — el capítulo 1 fija el término del ejercicio: hacerse uno con quien está por encima de todo ser y de todo modo de conocer, por una vía que excede lo que se sabe

«then, once everything has been negated in this way, you will be drawn up in your feelings above understanding to the radiance of divine darkness that transcends all being» — el capítulo 1 describe el resultado de la negación completa: el afecto queda arrastrado por encima del entendimiento al resplandor de la tiniebla divina

«Take care that none of those unwise people still dwelling in their senses hear about these matters. That is what I call all those who are bound down to knowing and loving the things that can be known and that have a beginning, and whose opinion is that nothing is transcendently higher than such existing things» — el capítulo 1 impone el secreto: la materia no se dice a quienes viven atados a conocer y amar lo cognoscible y no admiten nada por encima de las cosas que existen

«For these people do not know how to achieve knowledge of the First Cause, which is transcendently set above all things, except by making figures of the last and least worthy of existing visible things, such as stocks or stones» — el capítulo 1 describe a los que rebajan la Primera Causa a figuras de las cosas visibles menos dignas, como palos o piedras

«and they say that there is nothing higher than those wicked and multifarious shapes, created by themselves in their capricious imaginations» — el capítulo 1 les adjudica la afirmación de que nada hay más alto que esas formas que ellos mismos crean en sus imaginaciones caprichosas

«and more appropriately and more firmly we need to deny all such attributes, in that he is transcendently above them all, supreme in his own nature and distinct from them all» — el segundo paso, declarado más propio y más firme: negarle todos esos atributos, en cuanto está trascendentemente por encima de todos y distinto de todos

«and not to be of opinion that the denial of existing things is contrary to the original affirmation of them, but to hold steadfastly what is seen in faith, that he who in himself is above all things is above all negation of things that exist or could exist, yes, above both their negation and their affirmation» — el capítulo 1 cierra la regla: la negación no se opone a la afirmación, porque él está por encima de la negación y de la afirmación de lo que existe o podría existir

«and all things that now exist or that have existed though they do not now exist; and all things that do not now exist, or that may exist in the future» — el capítulo 1 de la Mystical Theology extiende la negación a los tres tiempos: lo que existe, lo que existió y ya no, y lo que aún no existe pero podrá existir

«In no way is it so. This is how it must be: we need to acknowledge, recognize and affirm in him who is above all knowledge and intellect» — el capítulo 1 enuncia el primer paso de la vía: reconocer y afirmar en quien está sobre todo conocimiento e intelecto; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *all the positive attributes of all existing things*

«It is for this reason that the saintly Bartholomew, Christ’s apostle, states in his writing that Christian theology is both great and minute» — el capítulo 1 apoya la doble vía en San Bartolomé, apóstol de Cristo, según el cual la teología cristiana es a la vez grande y mínima. Voz nombrada dentro del texto

«It appears to me that he was carried up to supernatural insight when stating that the good Cause of all things speaks both in many words and in brief sayings» — el texto explica la contradicción por arrebato sobrenatural: la buena Causa de todo habla a la vez con muchas palabras y con dichos breves

«Yet, for all that, he is not concealed but manifests himself openly in truth and clarity, not to all, but only to those who rise above all existing things, pure as well as impure, and who pass beyond all ascents to all the holy bounds or limits that are set for human beings or angels, and who abandon all divine illuminations and all heavenly sounds and words, and enter with love into darkness» — el capítulo 1 acota la ocultación: se manifiesta abiertamente, pero solo a quienes se elevan sobre todo lo existente, puro e impuro, abandonan iluminaciones y sonidos celestes y entran con amor en la tiniebla

«See this illustrated in the history which tells of the godly Moses, the humblest of men:12 first he was told to be purified both in himself and also in his people, and after that to be separated from all occasion of defilement» — el capítulo 1 pone a Moisés como ejemplo: primero purificado él y su pueblo, y luego apartado de toda ocasión de mancha

«And then, after all the purification of him and his people, he heard many sounds of trumpets, and saw many lights shining, sending out very broad and pure beams» — la secuencia de Moisés: tras la purificación, trompetas y luces de rayos amplios y puros

«And afterwards he was separated from the multitude of his people, and with chosen priests he attained the height of the ascent to God, which is the limit and bound of human understanding, however much it may be assisted by grace» — la secuencia sigue: apartado del pueblo y con los sacerdotes elegidos alcanza la cima del ascenso a Dios, que es el límite del entendimiento humano por más que lo asista la gracia

«Yet in all this he was not with God in a manner corresponding to the perfection of his divinity; the object of his contemplation was not God himself, for he cannot be seen by the eye of contemplation; but the place where God was, that was his object» — el texto acota lo que Moisés alcanzó: no a Dios mismo, que no puede verse con el ojo de la contemplación, sino el lugar donde Dios estaba

«And that place symbolizes the highest divine vision, passing beyond all human reasonings and holding them in subjection as a lady does her handmaidens» — el lugar se lee como símbolo de la visión divina más alta, que rebasa los razonamientos humanos y los tiene sujetos como una señora a sus criadas

«It was at this point that, in singleness of love, Moses was separated from the chosen priests mentioned above, and entered by himself the darkness of unknowing,16 darkness which is truly hidden, and in which all intelligible knowledge is shut up» — el capítulo 1 cierra con Moisés entrando solo, por simplicidad de amor, en la tiniebla del no saber, donde queda encerrado todo conocimiento inteligible

«But in the emptying out of all knowledge of what is entirely unknowable, he is united with him in the best way; and in knowing nothing he is made to know beyond understanding» — la fórmula que cierra el capítulo 1: vaciado todo conocimiento de lo enteramente incognoscible, queda unido a él del mejor modo, y no sabiendo nada se le hace saber más allá del entendimiento

«and that the Gospel is broad and great, but (he says soon afterwards) it is narrow and small» — la segunda mitad de la cita de Bartolomé en el capítulo 1 de la Mystical Theology: el Evangelio es ancho y grande, y poco después, estrecho y pequeño. La contradicción se consigna sin resolver

«We pray to be raised up in this transcendently shining darkness, and, by seeing nothing and by not knowing, to see and know in this very absence of sight and knowledge him who is above all seeing and all knowing; and, through the negation of all things that exist, to praise in transcendence him who is intrinsically transcendent» — Mystical Theology, capítulo 2: la petición es ver y conocer por no ver y no conocer, y alabar por negación de todo lo que existe

«While the block is still completely whole, the image may exist inside himself through the sheer power of imagination, but common sense tells you that before he can manage to see it clearly with the bodily sight of his outward eyes, or reveal it to be seen by others, he must always use his skill and his tools to remove all the outward parts of the wood that surround the image and prevent it from being seen» — el ejemplo sigue: la imagen existe en la imaginación mientras el bloque está entero, y para verla hay que quitar con herramienta todo lo que la rodea

«That is just how we must conduct ourselves in this high work of theology, so far as our understanding can be aided by such a crude illustration, so contrary in nature to what it illustrates» — el texto aplica el ejemplo a la alta obra de teología y declara en la misma frase su límite: es una ilustración burda y de naturaleza contraria a lo que ilustra

«For in this work we must be like people making an image of God’s naked nature, uncreated and without beginning. Though it is unconstrained in itself and to itself – inside all creatures yet not enclosed; outside all creatures yet not excluded; above all creatures yet not forced up; below all creatures yet not thrust down; behind all creatures yet not pushed back; in front of all creatures yet not driven forward» — el capítulo 2 enuncia la serie de negaciones de lugar: dentro de las criaturas sin estar encerrado, fuera sin quedar excluido, arriba sin ser forzado, abajo sin ser empujado, detrás y delante sin serlo

«yet all the same, to human understanding, as long as it is linked to this corruptible body, he is never clearly revealed except as something covered up and enwrapped and overlaid with innumerable material bodies and kinds of intelligible substance, with many marvellous fanciful images coagulated around him, as it were, in an encumbering lump» — el capítulo 2 describe cómo se presenta Dios al entendimiento atado a un cuerpo corruptible: cubierto, envuelto y recubierto de cuerpos materiales y sustancias inteligibles, con muchas imágenes fantasiosas cuajadas en torno como un bulto que estorba

«In the divine work of contemplation we must, with the dexterity of grace, skilfully pare completely away this encumbering lump, coagulated in this way out of innumerable unlikenesses, as a powerful hindrance antagonistic to the pure hidden sight of God» — el capítulo 2 prescribe la operación: desbastar con destreza de gracia ese bulto cuajado de desemejanzas, que estorba la vista oculta y pura de Dios

«How this can be done is unknown to all except those alone who experience it, and even to them is unknown except while the experience lasts» — el capítulo 2 pone el límite del saber sobre esto: solo lo sabe quien lo experimenta, y aun él solo mientras dura la experiencia

«All of us who practise this theology need to make our denials in the opposite way to our affirmations; for when we put forward our affirmations we begin at the noblest of existing things and descend in order by intermediate stages to the least noble, but in our denials we begin with the least noble and mount up to the most noble; and later, moving from the highest by stages to the lowest, and back from the lowest to the highest» — el capítulo 2 fija el orden de las dos vías: la afirmación desciende de lo más noble a lo menos, la negación asciende de lo menos noble a lo más

«It is outside himself, lying in front of him, while within himself he has the intention and skill to make an image of the smallest size from that part of the wood which, measured by plumb line, lies in the centre and middle of the block» — el ejemplo sigue: el bloque está fuera, delante de él, y dentro lleva la intención y la destreza de sacar del centro, medido a plomada, una imagen del menor tamaño

«clearly, beyond understanding, Beauty itself in its own naked, uncreated reality without beginning» — lo que queda al final del desbaste, en la otra plana: la Belleza misma en su realidad desnuda, increada y sin principio

«Here is a man who has a solid block of wood of the largest size» — el capítulo 2 de la Mystical Theology abre el ejemplo del tallista con un bloque macizo del mayor tamaño; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 17, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«And thus, through the dexterous removal of all these things, brought about by grace, we can praise» — el término de la operación del capítulo 2; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *clearly, beyond understanding, Beauty itself in its own naked, uncreated reality without beginning*

«For this reason in our other books of theology, and especially in those of positive theology, first in the Hierarchies of Heaven and second in the Hierarchies of the Church Militant» — Mystical Theology, capítulo 3: el texto remite a sus otros libros de teología positiva, las Jerarquías del Cielo y las de la Iglesia Militante. Autocatálogo del propio texto atribuido a San Denis

«we have affirmed with praise how the high, divine, unique nature which is God is one; how it is three, and in accordance with its own nature is called Father, Son, and Holy Ghost» — el capítulo 3 declara qué afirmó en aquellos libros: la unidad de la naturaleza divina y su trinidad de Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo

«And in the book On God’s Names21 it is affirmatively stated with praise that he is named Good, Being, Life, Wisdom, and Power, and whatever other may be the intelligible names of God» — el capítulo 3 sigue el catálogo: en el libro Sobre los Nombres de Dios se afirmó con alabanza que se le nombra Bueno, Ser, Vida, Sabiduría y Poder

«I suppose you have seen all this, and how these latter things involve more words than the former. It was necessarily the case that the former two books, the Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies, and the exposition of the divine names in the third, involved fewer words than the Compendium of Divine Meanings mentioned last» — el capítulo 3 hace notar la desproporción: los libros de lo más alto usan menos palabras que el compendio de los sentidos materiales

«For in proportion as we consider the things that are highest, so the words that are spoken of them to correspond to our perceptions limit our understanding» — el capítulo 3 da la razón de la desproporción: cuanto más altas las cosas, más limitan nuestro entendimiento las palabras que las dicen

«So it is here, in the present book: when we enter into the darkness that is beyond understanding, we shall find not only a growing lack of words but, as it were, a madness and a complete irrationality in all that we say» — el capítulo 3 anuncia lo que pasa en este libro: al entrar en la tiniebla no solo faltan palabras, sino que lo dicho se vuelve locura e irracionalidad completa

«In composing all the other books, we descended from the highest things to the lowest, and the further we descended, the greater the copiousness of our writing» — el capítulo 3 declara la dirección de los otros libros: descendían de lo más alto a lo más bajo, y cuanto más bajaban más copiosos eran

«And once this ascent is over, there will be no voice, and all will be united with that which is unspeakable» — el término del ascenso, según el capítulo 3: no habrá voz, y todo quedará unido a lo indecible

«But perhaps you ask: what is the reason why in positive theology we begin with the noblest things, and in negative theology with those that are least noble» — el capítulo 3 se pone la objeción en boca del discípulo: por qué la teología positiva empieza por lo más noble y la negativa por lo menos noble

«This is the reason: when we wish to designate God, who is in himself above all affirmation and all understanding, by affirming of him that which can be understood, it is most fitting that we should begin by affirming the things that are noblest and nearest to him» — la respuesta del capítulo 3 para la vía afirmativa: conviene empezar afirmando lo más noble y cercano a él

«And if we wish to designate him by negating that which is intelligible, it is most fitting that we should begin by negating the things that are perceived to be furthest from him» — la respuesta para la vía negativa: conviene empezar negando lo que se percibe más lejano de él

«For instance: ‘life’ or ‘goodness’ is nearer and more fitting to him than ‘air’ or ‘stone’; and it would be more obviously appropriate to deny him gluttony and madness than speech or understanding. And yet in himself he is above all speech and all understanding» — el ejemplo con que el capítulo 3 cierra: vida y bondad le convienen más que aire o piedra, y es más obvio negarle glotonería y locura que habla o entendimiento, aunque en sí esté sobre toda habla y todo entendimiento

«I have affirmatively stated with praise all the names taken from material things that are applied to God – what are the divine forms and the divine figures, what are his parts and his instruments,23 what are his places and his adornments, what are his frenzies and his griefs, what are his madnesses and his drunkennesses, what are his gluttonies and his oaths and his curses, what are his sleeps and his awakenings, and whatever other material qualities are in any way attributed to God in Holy Scripture» — el capítulo 3 de la Mystical Theology enumera los nombres tomados de lo material que la Escritura aplica a Dios: formas, figuras, partes, instrumentos, lugares, adornos, frenesíes, duelos, locuras, embriagueces, glotonerías, juramentos, maldiciones, sueños y despertares. El verbatim arranca después de la llamada de nota 22, pegada a la palabra

«But now in this book we ascend from the lowest things to the highest, and our words» — el capítulo 3 declara la dirección de este libro: asciende de lo más bajo a lo más alto; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *are limited in proportion to the ascent*

«Beginning from what is furthest, we first remove from God that which is without substance and everything that does not exist; for these are further than the things that merely exist and do not have life» — Mystical Theology, capítulo 4: la negación empieza por lo más lejano, lo que no tiene sustancia y lo que no existe

«And after that we remove the things that exist and have life but lack feeling, for they are further than those that have feeling. And after that we remove those that have feeling but lack reason and understanding» — el capítulo 4 sube por grados: se quitan los vivientes sin sensación y luego los sensibles sin razón ni entendimiento

«And at the same time we remove from him all bodily things, and all that belongs to the body or bodily things, such as shape, form, quality, quantity, weight, location, visibility, sensibility, and all acting and being acted upon; all excess of fleshly appetite, all immoderation of physical passion, all subjection to material occurrences, all need of light; and all coming into existence and all decay, all division and all passibility, and all temporal succession by process of time» — el capítulo 4 despoja a Dios de todo lo corporal: figura, forma, cualidad, cantidad, peso, lugar, visibilidad, apetito, pasión, luz, generación, corrupción, división, pasibilidad y sucesión temporal

«For he is not and has not any of these, or any or all other things perceptible to the senses» — la conclusión del capítulo 4: no es ni tiene ninguna de esas cosas ni ninguna otra perceptible por los sentidos

«And then, ascending and beginning our denials and negations at the highest of intelligible things, we say that he is neither soul nor angel, nor does he have imagination or opinion or reason or understanding; nor is he reason or understanding; nor is he spoken or understood» — Mystical Theology, capítulo 5: negadas ya las cosas sensibles, se niegan las inteligibles: ni alma ni ángel, ni imaginación ni opinión ni razón ni entendimiento, ni es dicho ni entendido

«And – to pass from these high things by intermediate stages to the lowest things – he is not number, or order, or greatness, or littleness, or equality, or likeness, or unlikeness; nor does he stand or move or keep silence or speak» — el capítulo 5 baja por grados: no es número, ni orden, ni grandeza, ni pequeñez, ni igualdad, ni semejanza, ni desemejanza, ni está quieto ni se mueve ni calla ni habla

«And – to turn back by intermediate stages to the highest things, and end our denials at the highest – we say that he has no power, nor is he power, or light, nor does he live, nor is he life or substance or age or time, nor is there any intelligible contact with him, nor is he knowledge or truth or kingship or wisdom or one or unity or Godhead or goodness» — el capítulo 5 vuelve a subir y niega lo más alto: ni poder, ni luz, ni vive, ni es vida, ni sustancia, ni edad, ni tiempo, ni conocimiento, ni verdad, ni realeza, ni sabiduría, ni uno, ni unidad, ni Deidad, ni bondad

«nor is he spirit according to our understanding of spirit; nor sonship nor fatherhood nor anything else known to us or to any who exist; nor is he any of the things that do not exist or any of the things that do exist» — el capítulo 5 niega también los nombres trinitarios tal como los entendemos, y tanto lo que existe como lo que no existe

«nor does any of the things that are known know him as he is; nor does he know the things that exist as they are in themselves, but as they are in him» — el capítulo 5 invierte también la dirección del conocimiento: nada de lo conocido lo conoce como es, ni él conoce las cosas como son en sí mismas, sino como son en él

«he has no name; there is no knowledge of him; he is neither darkness nor light, neither error nor truth; nor, all told, can he be affirmed or denied, but when we attribute by affirmation or remove by denial any or all of the things that are not himself, we can neither posit nor negate him, nor in any intelligible way affirm or deny him» — el capítulo 5 cierra la serie: sin nombre, sin conocimiento, ni tiniebla ni luz, ni error ni verdad, y ni afirmable ni negable

«For the perfect and unique Cause of all things must necessarily lack the possibility of comparison with the highest height, and be above all positing and negation. And his incomprehensible transcendence is incomprehensibly above all affirmation and denial» — la conclusión de la Mystical Theology: la Causa perfecta y única carece de término de comparación y está por encima de toda posición y negación, y su trascendencia incomprensible está incomprensiblemente por encima de la afirmación y de la negación

«Here Begins a Book of Contemplation called The Cloud of Unknowing, in which a soul is made one with God» — la rúbrica que abre el Cloud of Unknowing declara su asunto: un libro de contemplación en que un alma se hace una con Dios

«God, to whom all hearts are open, and to whom all desires speak, and from whom no secrets are hidden, I beseech you to cleanse my heart’s purpose with the inexpressible gift of your grace, so that I may perfectly love you and worthily praise you» — la oración que precede al Cloud: pide que la gracia limpie el propósito del corazón para amar y alabar dignamente

«And furthermore I command and beseech you, by the authority of love, if any such persons should read it, copy it, or speak of it, or should hear it being read or spoken of, that you should command them, as I do you, to take time to read it, speak of it, copy it, or hear it, all through» — el Prólogo añade la segunda condición: quien lo lea o lo oiga ha de tomarse el tiempo de recorrerlo entero

«For it may perhaps contain some material at the beginning or in the middle which is left incomplete and not fully explained where it stands; and if not there, it is explained soon afterwards, or else at the end. So, if someone saw one part of the material and not another, he might perhaps be easily led into error; and therefore, so that you and all others may avoid this error, I beg you for love’s sake to do as I say» — el Prólogo da la razón de esa condición: hay materia que queda incompleta donde está y se explica después o al final, y quien vea una parte y no otra puede caer en error

«And so I do not wish them, or anyone driven by mere curiosity, whether educated or uneducated,2 to concern themselves with it» — el Prólogo excluye también a los movidos por mera curiosidad, letrados o iletrados

«Indeed, these matters have nothing to do even with people who lead truly good active lives, except for those who, though their outward manner of existence belongs to the active life, are nevertheless inwardly and secretly stirred by the Spirit of God, whose judgements are hidden, to be inclined by grace towards the highest level of contemplative activity – not continually, as is appropriate for true contemplatives, but to share in it now and then» — el Prólogo abre la excepción que Spearing subraya en su introducción: quien vive exteriormente vida activa y a la vez es movido en secreto por el Espíritu hacia lo alto de la contemplación, no de continuo sino de vez en cuando

«The book is divided into seventy-five chapters, the very last of which teaches a number of signs by which a soul may test whether or not it is called by God to take part in this work of contemplation» — el Prólogo declara la estructura del Cloud: setenta y cinco capítulos, y el último enseña señales para probar si un alma está llamada a esta obra

«Chapter 1 The four levels of Christian life; and the process by which the book’s recipient was called» — la lista de capítulos del Cloud abre con los cuatro grados de la vida cristiana y el modo en que fue llamado el destinatario del libro

«Chapter 4 The brevity of this work, and how it may not be achieved by intellectual ingenuity or by imagination» — la lista de capítulos anuncia la tesis del capítulo 4: la obra es brevísima y no se alcanza por ingenio intelectual ni por imaginación

«Chapter 5 While this work is being performed, all created beings that have ever existed, exist now or ever shall exist, and all their deeds, must be hidden beneath the cloud of forgetting» — la lista de capítulos anuncia la nube del olvido: mientras dura la obra, todo ser creado y todos sus hechos quedan ocultos bajo ella

«In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I command and beseech you, with as much strength and force as the bond of love is capable of bearing, whoever you may be that have this book in your possession, whether by owning it or being in charge of it, whether by carrying it as a messenger or borrowing it, that so far as you are able you do not willingly and deliberately read it, copy it, speak of it, or allow it to be read, copied, or spoken of, by anyone or to anyone» — el Prólogo del Cloud impone la restricción de lectura: por el vínculo del amor, el libro no se lee, copia ni comenta con nadie salvo con quien cumpla la condición que sigue

«except by or to a person who, in your opinion, has undertaken truly and without reservation to be a perfect follower of Christ – not only in the active life, but at the highest point of the contemplative life that may be attained by grace in this present existence by a perfected soul still dwelling in this mortal body – and one too who does all he can, and, in your opinion, has long done so, to prepare himself for the contemplative life by means of virtuous active living; for otherwise it has nothing to do with him» — la condición del Prólogo: haberse entregado sin reservas a seguir a Cristo hasta lo más alto de la vida contemplativa alcanzable por gracia en esta vida, y haberse preparado largamente con vida activa virtuosa

«I do not desire that this book should be seen by worldly chatterers, public self-praisers or fault-finders, newsmongers, gossips or» — el Prólogo enumera a quienes excluye: charlatanes mundanos, jactanciosos, buscadores de faltas, chismosos; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *scandalmongers, or detractors of any kind*

«Chapter 9 While this work is being performed, thoughts of the holiest of all God’s creations hinder more than they help» — la lista de capítulos del Cloud enuncia la tesis más dura del libro: durante la obra, hasta los pensamientos de lo más santo estorban más de lo que ayudan

«Chapter 12 By means of this work, not only is sin destroyed, but virtues are acquired» — la lista declara el doble efecto de la obra: destruye el pecado y adquiere las virtudes

«Chapter 15 A brief confutation of the error of those who say that there is no more perfect means to humility than thoughts of one’s own sinfulness» — la lista anuncia la objeción del capítulo 15 contra quienes ponen el pensamiento del propio pecado como único camino a la humildad

«Chapter 18 As Martha complained about Mary, so down to the present day all actives complain about contemplatives, the cause of these complaints being ignorance» — la lista fija la lectura de Marta y María que Spearing destaca: los activos se quejan de los contemplativos y la causa de la queja es la ignorancia

«Chapter 34 God grants his grace freely without any intermediary, and it may not be achieved through intermediaries» — la lista enuncia la gratuidad y la inmediatez de la gracia: se da sin intermediario y no se consigue por intermediarios

«Chapter 35 Three ways in which an apprentice contemplative should be occupied: reading, thinking and praying» — la lista da las tres ocupaciones del aprendiz de contemplativo: leer, pensar y orar

«Chapter 41 In all activities inferior to this we should be moderate, but not in this» — la lista enuncia la excepción a la moderación: en todo lo inferior a esta obra hay que ser moderado, en ella no

«Chapter 43 If a soul is truly to experience the perfection of this work in this life, all knowledge and feeling of its own being must necessarily be lost» — la lista anuncia la exigencia del capítulo 43: perder todo conocimiento y sentimiento del propio ser

«Chapter 51 We should be extremely careful not to understand in a bodily sense what is meant spiritually; and it is especially desirable to be careful in understanding the words IN and UP» — la lista enuncia la regla de lectura del libro: no entender en sentido corporal lo que se dice espiritualmente, con cuidado especial en las palabras IN y UP

«Chapter 60 The main and shortest road to heaven is run by desires and not by footsteps» — la fórmula del capítulo 60, tal como la anuncia la lista: al cielo se corre por deseos y no por pasos

«Chapter 61 All bodily things are subject to spiritual things, and in accordance with the order of nature are governed by them, and not the reverse» — la lista enuncia el orden que el libro sostiene: lo corporal está sujeto a lo espiritual y gobernado por ello, no al revés

«Chapter 67 Anyone who does not know the soul’s faculties and the way they operate may easily be deceived in understanding spiritual language and spiritual activity; and how a soul is deified by grace» — la lista anuncia el capítulo de las facultades del alma y el término del proceso: el alma es deificada por gracia

«Chapter 68 Nowhere in the body is everywhere in the spirit; and how to our outer man the work described in this book is nothing» — la fórmula del capítulo 68 según la lista: en ninguna parte para el cuerpo es en todas partes para el espíritu, y para el hombre exterior esta obra es nada

«Chapter 73 We benefit in three ways from this grace of contemplation, corresponding to the ways in which Moses, Beseleel and Aaron concerned themselves with the Ark of the Covenant, which is a symbol of this grace» — la lista declara la correspondencia del capítulo 73: Moisés, Beseleel y Aarón ante el Arca de la Alianza como símbolo de esta gracia

«Chapter 75 Certain tokens by which one may test whether one is called by God to perform this work» — el último capítulo, según la lista, da señales para probar si uno está llamado por Dios a esta obra

«Spiritual friend in God, I pray and beseech you to give earnest consideration to the order and manner in which you have been called» — cerrada la lista, el autor del Cloud se dirige a su discípulo y le pide considerar el orden y el modo en que ha sido llamado

«And thank God sincerely, so that, with the help of his grace, you may stand firm in the inward state and level and outward form of life that» — la bendición que cierra el preámbulo del Cloud: mantenerse en el estado y la forma de vida asumidos; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *you have deliberately undertaken*

«you have deliberately undertaken, and resist all the cunning attacks of your enemies, in body and in spirit, and gain the crown of everlasting life» — el final de esa bendición, en la plana siguiente: resistir los ataques astutos del enemigo en cuerpo y espíritu y ganar la corona de vida eterna

«Spiritual friend in God, you must understand that, to my simple perception, there are four levels and forms of Christian life: Ordinary, Special, Solitary, and Perfect» — Cloud, capítulo 1: el autor enuncia los cuatro grados y formas de vida cristiana, y lo hace en primera persona y con fórmula de modestia, *to my simple perception*

«Three of these can be begun and completed here on earth, while the fourth can by grace be begun here, but it will last for ever, unendingly, in the blessedness of heaven» — el capítulo 1 acota el cuarto grado: los tres primeros se empiezan y se acaban en la tierra, el cuarto se empieza aquí por gracia y dura sin fin en la bienaventuranza

«And just as you see them set out here in order – first Ordinary, then Special, next Solitary, and last Perfect – so, in the same order and sequence, it appears that our Lord in his great mercy has called you and led you to him by the desire of your heart» — el capítulo 1 aplica la escala al discípulo: en ese mismo orden lo ha llamado el Señor por el deseo de su corazón

«For you know well that at first, when you were living on the ordinary level of Christian life in the company of your earthly friends, it seemed that God, in the everlasting love by which he made and fashioned you when you were nothing, and then redeemed you at the cost of his precious blood when you were lost with Adam, could not allow you to be so distant from him in your manner and level of life» — el capítulo 1 recuerda el primer paso: viviendo el discípulo en el grado ordinario, Dios, que lo hizo de la nada y lo redimió con su sangre, no pudo consentirlo tan lejos

«And in that solitary form and manner of life you can learn to lift up the foot of your love and step towards the state and level of life that is perfect, the last state of all» — el capítulo 1 describe el paso del tercer grado al cuarto con otra imagen corporal: levantar el pie del amor y dar el paso hacia el estado perfecto

«Look up now, you weak wretch, and see what you are. What are you, and what have you deserved, to be called like this by our Lord? What kind of heart is it, weary, wretched, and slothfully sleeping, that is not aroused by the pull of this love and the voice of this calling» — Cloud, capítulo 2: la apóstrofe con que el autor sacude al discípulo. Es el pasaje aliterado que Spearing cita en inglés medio en su introducción

«Wretch, at this moment beware of your enemy,6 and do not think yourself any holier or better because this calling is so noble or because of the solitary form of life you have adopted, but think yourself all the more wretched and accursed unless you do the best you can, by grace and counsel,7 to live in accordance with your vocation» — el capítulo 2 corta de raíz la vanidad de la vocación: nadie es más santo por lo noble de la llamada ni por la forma de vida solitaria, sino más miserable si no vive conforme a ella

«And you should be all the humbler and more loving towards your spiritual bridegroom,8 because he, almighty God, King of kings and Lord of lords, was willing to humble himself so deeply towards you, and so graciously to choose you from among the whole flock of his sheep to be one of his intimates, and then placed you in the pastureland where you can be fed with the sweetness of his love, as a foretaste of your inheritance, the kingdom of heaven» — el capítulo 2 da la razón de la humildad: Dios se humilló hasta él y lo eligió del rebaño para ponerlo en el pasto del sabor de su amor, anticipo de la herencia

«Press on quickly then, I beg you. Look forward now, and forget backwards, and see what you lack, and not what you have: that is the easiest way to get and keep humility» — el capítulo 2 da su regla práctica de humildad: mirar adelante, olvidar lo de atrás, y ver lo que falta y no lo que se tiene

«Your whole life now must always consist of desire, if you are to make progress on the level of perfection. This desire must always be shaped in your will by the hand of almighty God and with your own consent» — el capítulo 2 define la vida del contemplativo como deseo, moldeado en la voluntad por la mano de Dios y con el consentimiento propio

«But I tell you one thing: he is a jealous lover and will put up with no rivalry, and he will not work in your will unless he is with you alone by himself. He demands no help, but only yourself» — el capítulo 2 declara la exclusividad: es un amante celoso, no obra en la voluntad si no está a solas con ella, y no pide ayuda sino a la persona misma

«He only wants you to watch him and let him alone; and guard the windows and door against flies and enemy attacks. And if you are willing to do this, you need only thrust [put] at him with humble prayer, and he will soon help you. Thrust [put] away then, and show how you acquit yourself. He is quite ready, and is only waiting for you. But what are you to do, and how are you to thrust» — el capítulo 2 cierra con la imagen del empuje que Spearing analiza: guardar puertas y ventanas, embestir con oración humilde, y la pregunta que abre el capítulo siguiente

«See, too, that you refuse to think of anything but him, so that nothing acts in your intellect or will but God himself. And do what you can11 to forget all of God’s creations and all their actions, so that your thoughts and desires are not directed and do not reach out towards any of them, in general or in particular. But leave them alone, and pay no heed to them» — el capítulo 3 manda olvidar todas las criaturas y sus obras, sin dirigir a ellas pensamiento ni deseo

«This is the work of the soul that pleases God most. All the saints and angels rejoice in this work, and hasten to help it with all their might. All the devils are driven crazy when you do this, and try to frustrate it in all ways they can» — el capítulo 3 declara el rango de la obra: es la que más agrada a Dios, los santos y los ángeles la ayudan y los demonios se enloquecen por estorbarla

«And yet it is the easiest work of all and the soonest completed, when a soul is helped by grace in the desire it feels; but otherwise it is hard, and you can do it only by miracle» — el capítulo 3 acota la facilidad en la misma frase: es la obra más fácil y más pronta cuando la gracia ayuda al deseo, y sin eso es dura y solo se hace por milagro

«Do not give up, then, but labour at it till you feel desire. For the first time you do it, you will find only a darkness, and as it were a cloud of unknowing,12 you do not know what, except that you feel in your will a naked purpose» — el capítulo 3 describe la primera experiencia: solo tiniebla y como una nube del no saber, y en la voluntad un propósito desnudo hacia Dios

«Whatever you do, this darkness and this cloud are between you and your God, and hold you back from seeing him clearly by the light of understanding in your reason and from experiencing him in the sweetness of love in your feelings» — el capítulo 3 declara la función de la nube: impide verlo con la luz del entendimiento y experimentarlo en la dulzura del sentimiento

«And so prepare to remain in this darkness as long as you can, always begging for him you love; for if you are ever to feel or see him, so far as is possible in this life, it must always be in this cloud and this darkness» — el capítulo 3 da la instrucción que de ahí se sigue: permanecer en esa tiniebla cuanto se pueda, porque solo ahí se lo puede sentir o ver en esta vida

«in his grace he kindled your desire, and fastened to it a leash of longing, and led you by it into a more special state and form of life, to be a servant of his intimate servants» — la imagen del capítulo 1 del Cloud que Spearing subraya por su concreción: la gracia encendió el deseo y le ató una traílla de anhelo para llevarlo a servir entre los servidores íntimos. La frase se repite en la introducción de Spearing, citada de aquí

«Lift up your heart towards God with a humble stirring10 of love; and think of himself, not of any good to be gained from him» — Cloud, capítulo 3: la instrucción central del libro, levantar el corazón con un impulso humilde de amor y pensar en él mismo y no en el provecho. El ancla conserva la llamada de nota 10, pegada a la palabra, porque es lo único que distingue este pasaje de su cita en la introducción

«try to frustrate it in all ways they can. All people living on earth are marvellously helped by this work, in ways you do not know. Yes, the very souls in purgatory are relieved of their pain by the power of this work» — el capítulo 3 declara el alcance de la obra: ayuda a todos los vivos de maneras que no se saben, y alivia la pena de las almas del purgatorio. Spearing cita el pasaje en su introducción; se ancla aquí, en el cuerpo

«This work does not demand a long time to be fully completed, as some people suppose, for it is the briefest of all imaginable actions» — Cloud, capítulo 4: la obra no pide tiempo largo, es la más breve de todas las acciones imaginables

«an instant, which, as defined by expert scientists in the field of astronomy, is the smallest unit of time; it is so tiny that its small size makes it indivisible and almost beyond our understanding» — el capítulo 4 toma su unidad de los astrónomos: el instante, la menor unidad de tiempo, indivisible por pequeña y casi fuera del entendimiento. Es el pasaje con que Spearing sostiene que la teología mística forma sistema con la filosofía natural

«for it is exactly equivalent, neither longer nor shorter, to a single stirring within the principal active faculty of your soul, which is your will» — el capítulo 4 iguala el instante con un solo impulso de la voluntad, la facultad activa principal del alma

«For exactly as many stirrings of volition or desire can and do occur in one hour in your will as there are instants in one hour, neither more nor fewer» — el capítulo 4 hace la cuenta: en una hora caben en la voluntad tantos impulsos como instantes tiene la hora, ni más ni menos

«And if you were reformed by grace to the original state of the human soul,16 as it was before sin, then, with the help of that grace, you would always be in control of every such stirring or stirrings; and so none would go astray, but they would all reach out towards the supreme goal of desire and the highest object of will, which is God» — el capítulo 4 describe lo que haría la gracia restauradora: dominio de cada impulso, y todos apuntando al objeto supremo del deseo y de la voluntad, que es Dios

«For by circumscribing his Godhead he adapts himself exactly to our soul; and our soul is exactly adapted to him by the dignity of our creation in his image and likeness» — el capítulo 4 funda la correspondencia entre Dios y el alma: él se adapta al alma circunscribiendo su divinidad, y el alma le corresponde por haber sido creada a su imagen

«Only see: all rational beings, angels and men, have in them, each individually, two principal active faculties, one a faculty of knowledge, and the second a faculty of love» — el capítulo 4 reparte las dos facultades activas de todo ser racional, ángel u hombre: una de conocimiento y otra de amor

«and God, their maker, is forever beyond the reach of the first of these, the intellectual faculty; but by means of the second, the loving faculty, he can be fully grasped by each individual being, to such an extent that each single loving soul may, by virtue of love, embrace within itself him who is fully sufficient (and beyond comparison more than fully) to fill all the souls and angels that can ever exist» — la tesis del capítulo 4 que Spearing pone en el centro de su lectura: Dios queda fuera del alcance del intelecto y es del todo asible por el amor, de modo que cada alma amante puede abrazar a quien basta y sobra para llenar cuantas almas y ángeles existan

«Let whoever has grace to see this, see it, for to experience this is unending bliss, and to lack it is unending pain» — el capítulo 4 cierra el milagro con su reverso: experimentarlo es bienaventuranza sin fin, y carecer de él, pena sin fin

«A sign that time is precious is that God, the giver of time, never gives two times together, but always one time after another. And he does this because he does not wish to reverse the order or regular course of causes in his creation» — el capítulo 4 argumenta la preciosidad del tiempo: Dios no da dos tiempos juntos sino uno tras otro, para no alterar el orden de las causas de su creación

«In his disposition of time, therefore, God, the ruler of nature, will not diverge from the natural movement of the human soul, which consists of just one stirring at a time» — el capítulo 4 acomoda la disposición del tiempo al movimiento natural del alma, que es de un solo impulso por vez

«But now you say sadly, ‘How shall I manage? And since what you are saying is true, how shall I give account of each separate moment, I who, now aged twenty-four, never before this day took heed of time» — el capítulo 4 pone la objeción en boca del discípulo y de paso da su edad: veinticuatro años. Es el dato con que Spearing describe la escena de enunciación

«For time is made for man, and not man for time» — la fórmula del capítulo 4 sobre el tiempo y el hombre

«Help me now, for the love of Jesus» — el discípulo cierra su objeción del capítulo 4 pidiendo ayuda por el amor de Jesús, y el maestro tomará de ahí la respuesta

«governor of time; and as God and Man together he is the truest judge and auditor of the spending of time» — el final de ese reparto, en la plana siguiente: como hombre gobierna el tiempo, y como Dios y hombre es el juez y auditor verdadero de cómo se gasta

«So bind yourself to him in love and faith, and then, by means of that bond, you will be an equal partner with him and with all who are thus bound to him by love» — el capítulo 4 saca la consecuencia práctica: atarse a él por amor y fe hace socio igual suyo y de cuantos están así atados

«as you will hear later, this is the work in which humanity would have continued if we had never sinned, and it is the work for which we were made and everything was made for us to help and further us in it» — el capítulo 4 declara el rango original de la obra: es aquello en que la humanidad habría seguido de no haber pecado y aquello para lo que fuimos hechos. Spearing cita el pasaje en su introducción; se ancla aquí

«and by it we shall once more be restored. And for want of this work, we fall deeper and deeper into sin, and further and further from God; and simply by perseverance and continual activity in it, and nothing else, we always rise higher and higher from sin, and nearer and nearer to God» — la continuación del capítulo 4: por esta obra se restaura la humanidad, sin ella se cae más hondo, y solo perseverando en ella se sube

«And so take good care of time and how you spend it, for nothing is more precious than time» — el capítulo 4 pasa del instante al tiempo; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 19, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«In one little time, however little it is, heaven may be won and lost» — la razón que el capítulo 4 da para cuidar el tiempo: en un tiempo pequeñísimo puede ganarse y perderse el cielo

«You did well to say ‘for the love of Jesus’, for in the love of Jesus shall be your help» — la respuesta del capítulo 4 arranca de la fórmula del propio discípulo

«Love is so great a power that it makes all possessions common» — el capítulo 4 declara por qué el amor basta: hace comunes todos los bienes. El verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 21

«Love Jesus, therefore, and all that he has is yours» — la consecuencia que el capítulo 4 saca de eso: amar a Jesús y tener por suyo cuanto él tiene

«As God he is the maker and giver of time; as Man he is the true» — el capítulo 4 reparte los papeles de Cristo respecto del tiempo; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *governor of time*

«each single loving soul may, by virtue of love, embrace within itself him who is fully sufficient (and beyond comparison more than fully) to fill all the souls and angels that can ever exist. And this is the unending marvellous» — el capítulo 4 del Cloud cierra su tesis sobre el amor: cada alma amante puede abrazar a quien basta y sobra para llenar cuantas almas y ángeles existan. Spearing reproduce el pasaje palabra por palabra en su introducción; se ancla aquí, en el cuerpo, y el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«This is where comfort is to be found: interpret it correctly and seize some profit from it. I warn you, though, of one thing above all: I cannot see who can truly claim this partnership with Jesus and his just mother, his holy angels and his saints, but someone who does all he can, aided by grace, to attend to time, so that he can be seen to benefit the company on his own part, little though that is, just as all the others do on their part» — el capítulo 4 del Cloud acota su propio consuelo: la sociedad con Jesús, su madre, los ángeles y los santos solo la puede reclamar quien atiende al tiempo por su parte

«And so attend to this work of contemplation and the marvellous way it operates within your soul. For, truly understood, it is just a sudden and as it were unforeseen stirring, springing swiftly to God like a spark from a coal» — el capítulo 4 define la obra con la imagen que Spearing destaca: un impulso súbito y como imprevisto que salta a Dios como chispa de un carbón

«And it is marvellous how many stirrings can occur in an hour in a soul that is given to this work. And yet, in just one of all these stirrings, it can happen that you forget the whole created world, suddenly and completely» — el capítulo 4 declara el efecto de un solo impulso: en uno de ellos puede olvidarse de golpe el mundo creado entero

«But straight after each stirring, because of the flesh’s corruption, the soul falls back down into some thought or action, done or not done. But what of that? For straight afterwards it rises again as suddenly as it did before» — el capítulo 4 consigna la recaída y su remedio: por la corrupción de la carne el alma vuelve a caer en algún pensamiento, y en seguida se levanta tan de súbito como antes

«Here is how to understand in brief the nature of this work, and to recognize clearly that it is far from any fantasy, false imagining, or strange opinion; for these are produced not by any such devout and humble blind stirring of love, but by a proud, ingenious and fanciful intellect» — el capítulo 4 separa la obra de la fantasía: esta no nace de un impulso de amor devoto, humilde y ciego, sino de un intelecto soberbio, ingenioso y fantasioso

«Such a proud, ingenious intellect must always be overcome and firmly trodden underfoot if the work of contemplation is to be truly undertaken in purity of spirit» — el capítulo 4 prescribe qué hacer con ese intelecto: vencerlo y pisarlo con firmeza para emprender la obra en pureza de espíritu

«For those who hear reading or discussion about this work, and suppose that it can or should be achieved by labour of the intellect – and so they sit and search their intellects for ways to do it, and perhaps ingeniously torment their imaginations against the course of nature, and devise a kind of activity that is neither bodily nor spiritual – truly, any such person, whoever he may be, is dangerously deceived» — el capítulo 4 declara engañado a quien crea que la obra se logra por trabajo de intelecto y fuerce su imaginación contra el curso de la naturaleza

«Indeed, unless God of his great goodness should miraculously take mercy on him, and make him give up this activity quickly and turn humbly to the advice of experienced contemplatives, he will fall either into attacks of frenzy or into other kinds of trouble, spiritual sins and diabolic deceptions, through which he could easily be lost, life and soul, without end» — el capítulo 4 describe el desenlace de ese engaño: ataques de frenesí u otros males, pecados espirituales y engaños diabólicos, salvo que la misericordia lo saque y lo vuelva al consejo de contemplativos experimentados

«And if you should ever reach this cloud, and dwell and work in it as I am telling you, then, just as this cloud of unknowing is above you, between you and your God, so you will need to put a cloud of forgetting beneath you, between you and everything that was ever created» — Cloud, capítulo 5: al llegar a la nube del no saber hay que poner debajo una nube del olvido, entre uno y todo lo que alguna vez fue creado

«Perhaps it will seem to you that you are far distant from God because the cloud of unknowing is between you and him, but in fact, rightly understood, you are much further from him when you have no cloud of forgetting between you and everything that was ever created» — el capítulo 5 invierte la impresión: parece que la nube del no saber aleja de Dios, y de hecho aleja más no tener nube del olvido

«Whenever I say ‘everything that was ever created’, I mean not only the created things themselves but all they do and all their attributes. I do not except anything created, whether bodily or spiritual beings, nor any act or attribute of any such being, whether good or evil; but, in brief, they should all be hidden in this way under the cloud of forgetting» — el capítulo 5 extiende el olvido a todo lo creado, corporal o espiritual, y a todos sus actos y atributos, buenos o malos, sin excepción

«Consciousness or recollection of anything that God ever created, and equally of any such creature’s acts, is a kind of spiritual sight; for the eye of your soul is open to it and fixed upon it, as the eye of an archer is on the target he is aiming at» — el capítulo 5 explica por qué: recordar cualquier criatura es una vista espiritual, con el ojo del alma fijo en ella como el del arquero en el blanco

«And I tell you one thing, that everything you are thinking of is above you while you are thinking of it, and between you and your God. And you are further from God to the extent that anything is in your mind but God alone» — el capítulo 5 saca la consecuencia: lo pensado queda por encima y entre el alma y Dios, y se está más lejos de Dios cuanto más haya en la mente fuera de él solo

«Yes, and if it is not discourteous and unseemly to say so, in this work of contemplation it is of little or no benefit to think of God’s kindness or excellence, or our Lady, or the saints or angels in heaven, or even the joys of heaven – that is, with particular attention to them, as if by meditating on them you would sustain and strengthen your purpose. I believe that in these circumstances, in this work, it cannot be so at all» — el capítulo 5 lleva la exigencia hasta lo santo: en esta obra de poco o nada sirve pensar en la bondad de Dios, ni en la Virgen, ni en los santos y ángeles, ni en los gozos del cielo

«For, good though it may be to think of God’s acts of kindness, and to love and praise him for them, it is far better to think of his naked being,23 and to love and praise him for himself» — el capítulo 5 cierra con su fórmula: mejor que pensar en los actos de bondad de Dios es pensar en su ser desnudo y alabarlo por sí mismo. El verbatim conserva la llamada de nota 23 que el troceo pega a la palabra

«or a darkness like that in your house at night when your candle is out. By intellectual ingenuity you can imagine such a darkness or cloud brought before your eyes on the brightest day of summer, just as, conversely, in the darkest night of winter you can imagine a clear shining light» — Cloud, capítulo 4: el pasaje de la vela que Spearing analiza como epítome de la vía negativa, porque prohíbe imaginar lo que acaba de evocar. Spearing lo reproduce en su introducción con los pronombres del inglés medio entre paréntesis; se ancla aquí, en el cuerpo

«because you cannot see it with your mind’s eye. And for this reason it is not called a cloud in the air but a cloud of unknowing that is between you and your God» — el capítulo 4 cierra la definición: no es nube del aire sino nube del no saber entre el alma y su Dios

«I mean an absence of knowing, in the sense that everything you do not know, or have forgotten, is dark to you» — el capítulo 4 del Cloud define su término: tiniebla significa ausencia de conocer, porque lo que no se sabe o se ha olvidado queda oscuro. Spearing reproduce el pasaje en su introducción con los pronombres del original entre paréntesis; se ancla aquí

«But now you ask me, ‘How am I to think of God himself, and what is he?’ And to this I can only answer, ‘I do not know» — Cloud, capítulo 6: a la pregunta del discípulo sobre cómo pensar a Dios, el maestro responde que no lo sabe

«For with your question you have brought me into that very darkness and that very cloud of unknowing that I want you to be in yourself. By grace it is possible to have full knowledge of all other created things and their works, and indeed of the works of God himself, and to think clearly about them, but of God himself no one can think» — el capítulo 6 acota lo que la gracia permite conocer —todas las criaturas y aun las obras de Dios— y lo que no: a Dios mismo nadie puede pensarlo

«And therefore, though it may be good at times to think specifically of the kindness and excellence of God, and though this may be a light and a part of contemplation, all the same, in the work of contemplation itself, it must be cast down and covered with a cloud of forgetting» — el capítulo 6 acota su propia regla: pensar en la bondad de Dios puede ser bueno y es parte de la contemplación, y aun así en la obra misma hay que echarlo bajo la nube del olvido

«And if any thought rises up and keeps on wanting to force itself above you, between you and that darkness, and asks you, ‘What are you seeking, and what would you have?’, say that it is God you would have: ‘I want him, I seek him, and nothing but him» — Cloud, capítulo 7: al pensamiento que pregunta qué se busca se le responde que a Dios, y nada más que a él

«And if it asks you what that God is, say that it is God who made and redeemed you, and who has graciously called you to his love; and say that you have no understanding of him» — el capítulo 7 da la única respuesta admitida sobre qué es Dios: el que te hizo, te redimió y te llamó a su amor, y de él no tienes entendimiento

«And therefore say, ‘Get back down’, and tread the thought down firmly with a stirring of love, even though it seems to you most holy, and as though it would help you to seek God» — el capítulo 7 manda pisar el pensamiento aunque parezca santísimo y aunque parezca ayudar a buscar a Dios

«Yet, nevertheless, what it said was both good and holy – so holy, indeed, that a man or woman who hopes to achieve contemplation without first going through many such sweet meditations on their own sinfulness, the Passion, the kindness and great goodness and excellence of God, will certainly go wrong and fail in their purpose» — el capítulo 7 acota la advertencia en la misma página: lo que ese pensamiento dice es bueno y santo, y quien pretenda contemplar sin pasar antes por muchas de esas meditaciones fracasará

«And yet, all the same, a person who has had long practice in these meditations must always leave them, and push them and hold them down, far beneath the cloud of forgetting, if he is ever to pierce the cloud of unknowing between him and his God» — el otro lado de esa acotación: quien lleva mucho practicándolas ha de dejarlas y sujetarlas bajo la nube del olvido para atravesar la nube del no saber

«And do not accept even these thoughts, unless you choose; for a naked intention directed to God is fully sufficient, without any other goal than himself» — el capítulo 7 fija el mínimo: una intención desnuda dirigida a Dios basta, sin más fin que él mismo

«A word of this kind is the word GOD or the word LOVE. Choose whichever you wish, or another as you please, whichever you prefer of one syllable, and fasten this word to your heart, so that it never parts from it, whatever happens» — el capítulo 7 da las dos palabras propuestas, DIOS o AMOR, y manda fijarla al corazón para que no se aparte

«This word is to be your shield and spear, whether you ride in peace or in war. With this word you are to beat on the cloud and the darkness above you. With this word you are to hammer down every kind of thought beneath the cloud of forgetting; so if any thought forces itself on you to ask what you would have, answer it with no more than this one word» — el capítulo 7 da la función de esa palabra: escudo y lanza para golpear la nube y para machacar todo pensamiento bajo la nube del olvido

«And if, in its great learning, it offers to expound that word and tell you its attributes, say that you wish to have it quite whole, and not analysed or explained» — el capítulo 7 prohíbe analizar la palabra: se la quiere entera, sin desglose ni explicación

«For perhaps it will bring to your mind various beautiful and wonderful instances of God’s kindness, and say that he is very sweet and loving, very gracious and merciful. And if you are willing to listen, it desires nothing better; for it will chatter more and more till at last it brings you lower, to remembrance of his Passion» — el capítulo 7 describe cómo empieza la cadena del pensamiento consentido: instancias hermosas de la bondad de Dios, y de ahí al recuerdo de la Pasión

«If you want to have this intention wrapped and enfolded in one word, so that you can hold on to it better, take only a short word of» — el capítulo 7 ofrece la técnica de la palabra única; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *one syllable*

«one syllable; that is better than one of two syllables, for the shorter it is, the better it agrees with the work of the spirit» — el criterio del capítulo 7: una sílaba mejor que dos, porque cuanto más corta más conviene a la obra del espíritu

«it must be cast down and covered with a cloud of forgetting. And you must step above it stoutly but deftly, with a devout and delightful stirring of love, and struggle to pierce that darkness above you; and beat on that thick cloud of unknowing with a sharp dart of longing love, and do not give up, whatever happens» — el capítulo 6 del Cloud manda pasar por encima con firmeza y destreza, con un impulso devoto y deleitoso de amor, y golpear la nube espesa del no saber con un dardo afilado de amor anhelante. Spearing reproduce el pasaje en su introducción, cortado antes del final; se ancla aquí, en el cuerpo

«And so I wish to give up everything that I can think, and choose as my love the one thing that I cannot think. For he can well be loved, but he cannot be thought. By love he can be grasped and held, but by thought neither grasped nor held» — el capítulo 6 del Cloud enuncia la elección y su fórmula: soltar todo lo pensable, escoger por amor lo único impensable, porque puede ser amado pero no pensado, asido por el amor y no por el pensamiento. Spearing cita la fórmula en su introducción; se ancla aquí

«Now this certainly seems to me a well-put question, and so I shall try to answer it with what little skill I can» — el maestro acepta la objeción como bien puesta y responde con fórmula de modestia

«I say that it is a clear and penetrating insight from your natural intelligence, imprinted upon your reason within your soul» — el capítulo 8 identifica el pensamiento intruso: una penetración clara de la inteligencia natural, impresa en la razón dentro del alma

«I say that it must always be good in its own nature, because it is a ray of God’s likeness» — el capítulo 8 lo declara bueno por naturaleza: es un rayo de la semejanza de Dios

«But the use to which it is put may be either good or evil: good, when by grace it enables you to see your own sinfulness, the Passion, God’s kindness and the wonders in both body and spirit that he performs through his creation» — el capítulo 8 traslada el juicio al uso: es bueno cuando por gracia hace ver el propio pecado, la Pasión y la bondad de Dios en su creación

«but its use is evil when it is swollen with pride and with the ingenuity of great learning and bookish knowledge, as in the case of clerics, making them thrust themselves forward to be thought not humble scholars and masters of divinity or devotion, but proud scholars of the Devil and masters of vanity and falsehood» — el capítulo 8 describe el uso malo entre los clérigos: hinchado de soberbia y de ingenio libresco, los vuelve doctores soberbios del Diablo y maestros de vanidad y falsedad

«And in other men or women, whether they live religious24 or secular lives, the use and effect of this natural intelligence is evil when it is puffed up with proud and ingenious arguments about worldly matters and fleshly thoughts, coveting worldly honours, possession of wealth, empty pleasure, and the flattery of others» — el capítulo 8 describe el uso malo en los demás: argumentos ingeniosos sobre lo mundano, codicia de honores, riqueza, placer vacío y halago ajeno

«my answer is that you must clearly understand that there are two ways of life within the Church. One is active, and the other contemplative. The active is the lower, and the contemplative is the higher» — el capítulo 8 introduce el esquema de las dos vidas de la Iglesia: la activa, más baja, y la contemplativa, más alta

«Active life has two levels, a higher and a» — el capítulo 8 subdivide la vida activa; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *lower*

«lower; and contemplative life also has two levels, a lower and a higher. And these two lives are so linked together that, though they differ in some respects, neither of them may be attained without some part of the other, because that which is the higher part of active life is at the same time the lower part of contemplative life. Thus you cannot be fully active unless you are partly contemplative, nor can you be fully contemplative (so far as that is possible on earth) unless you are partly active» — el capítulo 8 traba las dos vidas: el grado alto de la activa es el bajo de la contemplativa, de modo que ninguna se alcanza del todo sin parte de la otra

«The nature of active life is such that it both begins and ends in this life, but this is not so with contemplative life, for it begins in this life and will last without end, because the part that Mary25 chose shall never be taken away» — el capítulo 8 distingue por su duración: la vida activa empieza y acaba aquí, la contemplativa empieza aquí y no acaba, porque la parte que eligió María no le será quitada

«Active life is troubled and harassed about many things, but contemplative life sits at peace with one thing» — la fórmula del capítulo 8, calcada del Evangelio de Lucas: la activa se afana por muchas cosas, la contemplativa reposa en una

«The lower part of active life consists of good and honourable corporal works of mercy26 and charity» — el capítulo 8 llena el grado bajo de la vida activa: obras corporales de misericordia y caridad

«The higher part of active life and the lower part of contemplative life consists of good spiritual meditation and earnest thought – of one’s own sinfulness, with sorrow and contrition; of the Passion of Christ and the sufferings of his servants, with pity and compassion; and of the wonderful gifts, kindness and works of God in all his creation, bodily and spiritual, with thanksgiving and praise» — el capítulo 8 llena el grado intermedio: meditación del propio pecado con contrición, de la Pasión con compasión, y de los dones de Dios con acción de gracias

«But the higher part of contemplation (so far as it is attainable on earth) rests entirely in this darkness and in this cloud of unknowing, with a loving stirring and a blind attention only to the bare existence of God himself» — el capítulo 8 llena el grado alto: reposa entero en esta tiniebla y en esta nube del no saber, con un impulso amoroso y una atención ciega a la sola existencia de Dios

«In the lower part of active life, you are outside yourself and beneath yourself. In the higher part of active life and the lower part of contemplative life, you are within yourself and level with yourself. But in the higher part of contemplative life, you are above yourself and below your God» — el capítulo 8 sitúa al alma en cada grado: fuera y debajo de sí, dentro y a nivel de sí, y por encima de sí y debajo de Dios

«You are above yourself, because you are determined to get by grace to where you cannot come by nature; that is to say, to be bound to God in spirit and in singleness of love and harmony of will» — el capítulo 8 explica el estar por encima de sí: llegar por gracia adonde no se llega por naturaleza, atado a Dios en espíritu, en simplicidad de amor y en concordia de voluntad

«Just as to human understanding it is impossible for someone to reach the higher part of active life without giving up the lower part for a time» — el capítulo 8 impone dejar el grado bajo por un tiempo para alcanzar el alto, en la vida activa y en la contemplativa por igual

«It is for this reason that I tell you to push down any such penetrating subtle thought and cover it with a thick cloud of forgetting, however holy it may be or however much it may promise to help you in your purpose» — el capítulo 8 cierra la respuesta a la objeción: hundir el pensamiento sutil bajo una nube espesa de olvido por santo que sea

«And the whole time that the soul dwells in this mortal body, the sharpness of our understanding is always mixed with some kind of mental image when it is directed towards spiritual things, but most especially towards God; and because of this our work of contemplation must be impure, and it would be very surprising if it did not lead us into great error» — el capítulo 8 declara impura toda contemplación en esta vida: mientras el alma habita un cuerpo mortal, el entendimiento va mezclado con alguna imagen, y sería raro que no llevara a gran error

«But now you ask me, ‘What is it, this thing that forces itself on me in the work of contemplation? And is it a good thing, or evil? If it is an evil thing,’ you say, ‘then I wonder why it will heighten devotion so greatly. For I sometimes find it a great comfort to listen to what it says. Sometimes I find it will make me weep bitterly for pity of Christ’s Passion, and sometimes for my sinfulness, and for many other reasons that seem to me very holy and do me great good. And therefore it seems that it cannot in any way be evil» — Cloud, capítulo 8: la objeción del discípulo, puesta en diálogo, sobre el pensamiento que se le impone y que a la vez le aumenta la devoción y le hace llorar por la Pasión y por su pecado

«And if it is good, and does me so much good with its sweet sayings, then I wonder greatly why you tell me to push it down away from me, so far below the cloud of forgetting» — la segunda mitad de la objeción del capítulo 8: si es bueno, por qué mandas hundirlo bajo la nube del olvido

«however holy it may be or however much it may promise to help you in your purpose. For love may reach God in this life, but knowledge may not» — la fórmula del capítulo 8 que Spearing cita en su introducción: el amor alcanza a Dios en esta vida, el conocimiento no. Se ancla aquí, en el cuerpo

«And so the sharp stirring of your understanding, which keeps on thrusting itself on you when you apply yourself to this blind work of contemplation, must always be forced down; and unless you force it down, it will force you down, and the outcome will be that when you most think you are dwelling in this darkness, and that nothing is in your mind but God alone, if you look truly you will find your mind not engaged in this darkness but in a clear sight of something lower than God» — Cloud, capítulo 9: el impulso agudo del entendimiento ha de ser hundido, porque si no hunde él, y entonces lo que se toma por tiniebla es vista clara de algo inferior a Dios

«If so, then that thing is certainly above you for the time, and between you and your God. And so be determined to push down such clear sights, however holy or pleasing they may be» — el capítulo 9 saca la consecuencia: eso queda por encima y entre el alma y Dios, y hay que hundirlo por santo o placentero que sea

«For I tell you one thing: such a blind stirring of love towards God for himself, and such a secret thrust of love at this cloud of unknowing, is more beneficial to your soul’s well-being, more valuable in itself, and more pleasing to God and to all the saints and angels in heaven – yes, and more helpful to all your friends, in body and spirit, living and dead» — el capítulo 9 declara el provecho del impulso ciego de amor: para el alma propia, para Dios, para los santos y ángeles, y para los amigos vivos y muertos en cuerpo y espíritu

«and it would be better for you to have it and to feel it spiritually than to have the eye of your soul opened in contemplation or vision of all the angels or saints in heaven, or to hear all the joy and melody experienced by those in bliss» — el capítulo 9 lo pone por encima de toda visión: vale más sentirlo que ver en contemplación a todos los ángeles y santos o escuchar la melodía de los bienaventurados

«You may be sure that no one will ever have such clear vision here on earth; but the feeling can be attained by grace when God grants it» — el capítulo 9 acota lo anterior: esa visión clara no se tiene en la tierra, el sentimiento sí, por gracia y cuando Dios lo da

«And therefore lift up your love to that cloud; or rather, if I am to speak truly, let God draw your love up to that cloud, and try with the help of his grace to forget all other things» — el capítulo 9 se desdice en la misma frase: más que levantar el amor a la nube, dejar que Dios lo atraiga

«For since a bare memory of anything below God, forcing itself on you without your will and knowledge, pushes you further from God than you would otherwise be, and hinders you, and makes you all the less able to experience in your feelings the fruit of his love, how far do you think a thought knowingly and voluntarily entertained will hinder you in your purpose» — el capítulo 9 argumenta a fortiori: si un recuerdo involuntario de algo inferior a Dios ya estorba, cuánto más un pensamiento admitido a sabiendas y de grado

«It is not the same with the memory of any man or woman living on earth, or of any bodily or worldly matter, whatever it may be» — Cloud, capítulo 10: el recuerdo de una persona viva o de cualquier cosa corporal o mundana no se juzga igual que el de un santo

«Because a mere unexpected thought of any of these, forcing itself on you without your will and knowledge, though it may not be a sin for which you are responsible – for it is the painful effect of original sin thrusting beyond your control, and you were cleansed of that sin itself by your baptism» — el capítulo 10 exime de culpa el pensamiento involuntario: es el efecto penoso del pecado original, del que el bautismo limpió el pecado mismo

«still, if this unexpected stirring or thought is not soon beaten down, your bodily heart in its weakness will at once be gripped by it, with some kind of delight if it is something that pleases you or has previously pleased you, or with some kind of discontent if it is something that seems to do you harm or to have done so previously» — el capítulo 10 describe qué pasa si no se abate pronto: el corazón corporal queda preso de deleite o de descontento según lo que la cosa le agrade o le dañe

«In men and women living unregenerate lives, who are already in deadly sin, this grip is deadly; but in you and all others who have sincerely forsaken the world, such delight or discontent gripping the bodily heart is only a venial sin» — el capítulo 10 gradúa la culpa según el estado: en quien vive en pecado mortal ese apego es mortal, y en quien ha dejado el mundo de veras es venial

«This is because, when you entered into the way of life you have undertaken, with the knowledge and advice of some prudent father,29 your purpose was rooted and grounded in God» — el capítulo 10 da la razón de esa diferencia: el propósito quedó arraigado en Dios al entrar en ese modo de vida con consejo de un padre prudente

«I do not say that a mere unexpected thought of any good and pure spiritual matter below God, forcing itself on you without your will or knowledge, or else voluntarily entertained, upon consideration, to heighten your devotion, must be evil, even though it may hinder this» — el capítulo 9 del Cloud acota su propia advertencia: un pensamiento inesperado de materia espiritual buena no es malo, aunque estorbe la obra; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«But I say that, though it may be good and holy, it still hinders you more than it helps while you are actually engaged in contemplation. For it is certain that someone who perfectly seeks God will not come to rest finally in the thought of any angel or saint in heaven» — el capítulo 9 cierra: por bueno y santo que sea estorba más que ayuda mientras dura la obra, y quien busca a Dios perfectamente no descansa en el pensamiento de ángel ni de santo

«unreproved so long that at last it grips the spiritual heart (that is, the will) with its full consent, then it is a deadly sin» — el capítulo 10 del Cloud fija dónde empieza el pecado mortal: cuando el apego llega a prender en el corazón espiritual, es decir, en la voluntad, con pleno consentimiento

«This occurs when you, or any of those I refer to, willingly entertain thoughts of any man or woman living on earth, or of any other bodily or worldly matter, so that, if it is something that does you harm or has previously done so, there rises in you a passionate anger and desire for vengeance, which is called Wrath; or a fierce contempt and a kind of loathing of their person, accompanied by critical and malevolent thoughts, which is called Envy;30 or weariness and listlessness with any good activity, bodily or spiritual, which is called Sloth» — el capítulo 10 deriva tres pecados capitales del pensamiento consentido sobre lo que daña: ira, envidia y pereza

«And if it is something that pleases you or has pleased you previously, there rises in you an irresistible delight in thinking of it, whatever it may be, so that you linger in that thought, and finally bind your heart and will to it, and gratify your bodily heart with it, so that it seems to you for the moment that you desire no blessing but always to live in such peace and rest with the thing of which you are thinking» — el capítulo 10 describe el mecanismo del deleite: se demora el pensamiento, se le ata el corazón y la voluntad, y parece que no se desea otra bienaventuranza

«If this thought that you thus entertain, or else admit when it is suggested to you, and in which you linger with such delight, is of excellence of nature or knowledge, of grace or rank, of favour or beauty, then it is Pride» — el capítulo 10 nombra el cuarto: si lo pensado es excelencia de naturaleza, saber, gracia, rango, favor o belleza, es soberbia

«And if it is of any kind of worldly possession, wealth or property, or anything that one can have or be lord of, then it is Covetousness» — el capítulo 10 nombra la codicia: posesión mundana, riqueza, propiedad o señorío

«If it is of delicious food and drink, or anything that gives pleasure to the» — el capítulo 10 nombra la gula; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *taste, then it is Gluttony*

«taste, then it is Gluttony. And if it is of love or carnal pleasure, or any kind of flirtatious behaviour, sweet talk or flattery by any man or woman living on earth, or indeed by yourself, then it is Lechery» — el capítulo 10 cierra la lista con la lujuria: amor o placer carnal, coqueteo, palabras dulces o halago de cualquiera, o del propio interesado

«I do not say this because I believe that you, or anyone else I am referring to, are guilty and burdened with sins of this kind, but because I want you to weigh every thought and stirring according to its own nature, and to make a serious effort to destroy the first stirring and thought of matters in which you might sin in this way» — Cloud, capítulo 11: el maestro aclara que no acusa al discípulo, y manda pesar cada pensamiento e impulso según su propia naturaleza y destruir el primero

«For I tell you one thing: anyone, whoever he may be, who gives little weight or importance to the first thought – yes, even if it is not sinful in itself – will not avoid carelessness about venial sin» — el capítulo 11 encadena descuido y culpa: quien no da peso al primer pensamiento, aunque no sea pecado, acabará descuidando el pecado venial

«In this mortal life, venial sin cannot be completely avoided by anyone; but carelessness about venial sin must always be avoided by all those who truly pursue perfection, or else it will be no surprise if they soon fall into deadly sin» — el capítulo 11 acota: el pecado venial no se evita del todo en esta vida, pero el descuido sí, y quien no lo evita cae pronto en pecado mortal

«So, if you wish to stand and not fall, never relax your purpose, but beat continually upon this cloud of unknowing that is between you and your God with a sharp dart of longing love. Avoid thinking about anything below God; and do not give up, whatever happens» — Cloud, capítulo 12: la instrucción resumida, golpear sin descanso la nube del no saber con un dardo afilado de amor anhelante y no pensar en nada inferior a Dios

«For this alone is the work that by itself destroys the ground and root of sin. However much you fasted, however long you stayed awake, however early you rose, however hard the bed you lay on, however harsh the garment you wore,32 yes, and, were it permissible (as it is not), if you should put out your eyes, cut the tongue out of your mouth, stop up your ears and nose as firmly as possible, even if you should slice off your private parts and cause your body all the pain you could think of, none of this would help you at all. The stirring and rising of sin will still be in you» — el capítulo 12 declara la insuficiencia de la ascesis corporal: ayunos, vigilias, lecho duro, cilicio, y aun sacarse los ojos o cortarse la lengua no quitarían el brote del pecado

«Yes, and there is more! However much you weep for sorrow of your sins or of Christ’s Passion, and however much you think of the joys of heaven, what can it do for you? Certainly it will bring you much good, much help, much benefit, and much grace» — el capítulo 12 concede el provecho de llorar por los pecados y por la Pasión y de pensar en los gozos del cielo. Spearing cita esta concesión para acotar el contraste con los otros místicos ingleses

«but, unaided, it does and can do little in comparison with this blind movement of love. That by itself is Mary’s best part,34 without any other devotions. Without it, they bring little or no benefit» — el otro lado de esa concesión: por sí solas esas devociones poco pueden frente al movimiento ciego de amor, que es la mejor parte de María

«It not only destroys the ground and root of sin, so far as that is possible on earth, it also brings virtues. For, truly understood, all virtues will be perceived and felt to be included within it subtly and completely, without any contamination of its purpose» — el capítulo 12 declara el doble efecto: destruye la raíz del pecado y trae las virtudes, todas contenidas sutil y enteramente en ese movimiento

«And however many virtues someone has without it, they are all contaminated by some distorted purpose, which makes them imperfect» — el capítulo 12 declara imperfecta toda virtud tenida sin eso, contaminada por algún propósito torcido

«For virtue is nothing but an ordered and controlled love, simply directed towards God for himself. He in himself is the pure goal of all virtues, so that if anyone is moved to any virtue by some other goal mixed with God, even if God is the chief goal, that virtue is then imperfect» — el capítulo 12 define la virtud como amor ordenado y regido, dirigido a Dios por él mismo, e imperfecta cuando se mezcla otro fin aunque Dios sea el principal

«And the two virtues can well be humility and charity,35 for anyone who could acquire these two would clearly need no others, for he would have them all» — el capítulo 12 reduce las virtudes a dos: humildad y caridad, y quien las tuviera las tendría todas

«Humility in itself is nothing but a true knowledge and feeling of oneself as one is; for certainly anyone who could truly see and feel himself as he is would be truly humble» — Cloud, capítulo 13: la definición de humildad, conocimiento y sentimiento verdadero de sí mismo tal como se es

«There are two reasons for humility, and they are as follows. One is humanity’s impurity, wretchedness and weakness, into which we have fallen by sin, and which we must always feel to some degree while we live on earth, however holy we may be» — el capítulo 13 da la primera causa de humildad: la impureza, miseria y flaqueza en que caímos por el pecado, sentida en algún grado mientras se vive

«The second is the superabundant love and excellence of God in himself, at the sight of which all nature trembles, all scholars are fools, and all saints and angels are blind; so that, were it not that through the wisdom of his Godhead he made their vision proportionate to their capacity in nature and in grace, I tremble to say what would become of them» — el capítulo 13 da la segunda causa: el amor y la excelencia sobreabundantes de Dios, ante los cuales la naturaleza tiembla, los doctos son necios y los santos y ángeles ciegos

«This second reason is perfect, because it will last eternally; the first reason is imperfect, not only because it will cease at the end of this life» — el capítulo 13 jerarquiza las dos causas: la segunda es perfecta porque dura eternamente, la primera imperfecta porque acaba con esta vida

«but also because it may often happen that a soul in this mortal body will find its longing so heightened through the abundance of grace that, as often and as long as God deigns to bring it about, the soul will suddenly and completely lose and forget all knowledge and feeling of its existence, paying no attention to whether it has been holy or wretched» — el capítulo 13 da la otra razón de esa imperfección: por abundancia de gracia el alma puede perder de golpe todo conocimiento y sentimiento de su propia existencia

«but whether this happens often or seldom to a soul in this state, I believe that it lasts only a very short time» — el capítulo 13 acota la duración de ese estado: dure a menudo o rara vez, cree que dura muy poco

«During this time it is made perfectly humble, for it knows and feels no reason but the chief one; and whenever it knows and feels the other reason associated with it, even if God is the chief reason, it is imperfect humility» — el capítulo 13 fija el criterio: es humildad perfecta cuando solo obra la causa principal, e imperfecta cuando se le junta la otra aunque Dios sea la principal

«It is good all the same, and must always be had; and God forbid that you should understand it in any other way than I am saying» — el capítulo 13 acota su propio juicio: la humildad imperfecta es buena y hay que tenerla siempre

«For even though I call it imperfect humility, still I had rather have a true knowledge and feeling of myself as I am, and I believe this alone would sooner bring me to the perfect reason for humility, than it would if all the saints and angels in heaven, and all the men and women alive within the Church on earth, of all ranks, religious or secular, were jointly set to do nothing but pray to God that I should achieve perfect humility» — Cloud, capítulo 14: el autor prefiere el conocimiento verdadero de sí a que todos los santos, ángeles y fieles rueguen por su humildad perfecta

«Yes, and without this self-knowledge it is impossible for a sinner to achieve the perfect virtue of humility, or to keep it when he has achieved it» — el capítulo 14 declara imprescindible el conocimiento de sí: sin él un pecador no alcanza ni conserva la humildad perfecta

«Struggle and sweat, then, as much as you can and may, to achieve a true knowledge and feeling of yourself as you are; and then I believe that soon afterwards you will have a true knowledge and feeling of God as he is – not as he is in himself, for no one but himself can do that, nor yet as you will know him when you are in heaven, both body and soul together, but as he is accessible and as he deigns to be known and experienced by a humble soul living in this mortal body» — el capítulo 14 enlaza los dos conocimientos y los acota: al conocerse de veras se conoce a Dios, no como es en sí ni como se lo verá en el cielo, sino como se deja conocer por un alma humilde en este cuerpo mortal

«Do not think, because I mention two reasons for humility, one perfect and another imperfect, that I therefore want you to give up working towards imperfect humility and apply yourself wholly to achieving perfect humility. No, indeed, I believe you would never succeed in that way» — el capítulo 14 sale al paso de una lectura: no manda abandonar la humildad imperfecta para dedicarse a la perfecta

«how a secret thrust of love, directed in purity of spirit at this dark cloud of unknowing between you and your God, subtly and completely contains within it the perfect virtue of humility, without any particular or distinct concern for anything below God» — el capítulo 14 declara qué contiene el empuje secreto de amor: la virtud perfecta de la humildad, entera y sutilmente, sin atención particular a nada inferior a Dios

«For it often happens, I think, that lack of knowledge causes great pride. For perhaps, if you did not know what perfect humility is, you would suppose, when you had a little knowledge and awareness of what I call imperfect humility, that you were on the verge of achieving perfect humility; and thus you would deceive yourself, and would suppose you were entirely humble, when you were enveloped in foul stinking pride» — el capítulo 14 da la razón de enseñar esto: la ignorancia engendra soberbia, y quien no sabe qué es la humildad perfecta se cree ya en ella mientras está envuelto en soberbia hedionda

«And so try to work towards perfect humility, for its nature is such that anyone who has it will not sin while he has it, nor sin greatly afterwards» — el capítulo 14 cierra con el efecto de la humildad perfecta: quien la tiene no peca mientras la tiene ni peca gravemente después

«Trust steadfastly that there is such a thing as the perfect humility of which I am speaking, and that through grace it may be achieved in this life» — Cloud, capítulo 15: el autor sostiene que la humildad perfecta existe y que por gracia se alcanza en esta vida

«I say this to confute the error of those who claim that there is no more perfect reason for humility than what arises from the remembrance of our wretchedness and the sins we have committed» — el capítulo 15 objeta a quienes ponen el recuerdo de la propia miseria y de los pecados como la única causa de humildad. Es la objeción que la lista de capítulos anuncia

«I readily grant that to those who have been habitually sinful, as I have been and am myself, the most necessary and beneficial cause of humility is to be humbled by the remembrance of our wretchedness and the sins we have committed, until the time when our consciences and our spiritual directors bear witness that the thick rust of our sin is largely rubbed away» — el capítulo 15 concede la parte contraria y se incluye en ella: al pecador habitual le es necesaria esa humillación por el recuerdo hasta que su director y su conciencia den por raído el óxido del pecado

«But for others, innocents as it were, who never committed deadly sin deliberately and with a fixed will, but only through weakness and ignorance, and who commit themselves to be contemplatives – and for the two of us, if our directors and our consciences testify to our faithful reformation through contrition and confession and satisfaction36 according to the established practices and laws of the universal Church» — el capítulo 15 pone la condición previa a la contemplación que Spearing subraya: reforma fiel por contrición, confesión y satisfacción según las prácticas y leyes de la Iglesia universal

«For suppose there were no perfect cause for humility other than the sight and feeling of our sinfulness: I should like to know from those who say this what cause for humility exists for those in whom there will never be sinfulness or temptation to sin and who will therefore never see or feel it – as is the case with our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lady St Mary, and all the saints and angels in heaven» — el capítulo 15 del Cloud pone la objeción decisiva: si la única causa de humildad fuera ver el propio pecado, qué causa tendrían Cristo, la Virgen y los santos y ángeles, que nunca lo sintieron

«To this perfection and all others our Lord Jesus Christ calls us himself in the Gospel, when he commands that we should be perfect by grace as he is himself by nature» — el capítulo 15 apoya la exigencia en el Evangelio: el mandato de ser perfectos por gracia como él lo es por naturaleza. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«Let no one think it presumptuous if the most wretched sinner on earth, after he has properly reformed himself, and has felt himself stirred to the life that is called contemplative, with the assent of his director and his conscience, dares to take upon him to offer a humble stirring of love to his God, secretly thrusting at the cloud of unknowing between him and his God» — Cloud, capítulo 16: el pecador más miserable, una vez reformado y con el asentimiento de su director y su conciencia, puede ofrecer el impulso humilde de amor

«When our Lord said to Mary, as the representative of all sinners who are called to the contemplative life, ‘Thy sins are forgiven thee» — el capítulo 16 toma a María Magdalena como representante de todos los pecadores llamados a la contemplación, y cita el perdón del Evangelio

«it was not because of her great sorrow, nor because of her consciousness of her sins, nor again because of the humility that arose merely from the consideration of her sinfulness. Why then? Truly, it was because she loved greatly» — el capítulo 16 adjudica la razón del perdón: no el dolor ni la conciencia del pecado ni la humildad nacida de ellos, sino que amó mucho

«Here can be seen what a secret thrust of love may obtain from our Lord, beyond all other actions that can be imagined» — el capítulo 16 saca de ahí el rango del empuje secreto de amor por encima de toda otra acción imaginable

«I fully admit that she had very great sorrow, and wept very bitterly for her sins, and was very greatly humbled by the remembrance of her sinfulness. And we too, who have been wretches and habitual sinners throughout our lives, should express intense and extreme sorrow for our sins, and be very greatly humbled by the remembrance of our sinfulness» — el capítulo 16 concede lo contrario en la misma página: María tuvo gran dolor y lloró amargamente, y así hay que hacer

«Though she could not cease to feel deep, heartfelt sorrow for her sins – because throughout her life she had them with her wherever she went, as if in a burden bound up together and secretly stored in the depth of her heart, so that they could never be forgotten» — la imagen del capítulo 16 que Spearing cita en inglés medio por su aliteración: los pecados llevados toda la vida como un fardo atado y guardado en secreto en el fondo del corazón

«nevertheless it may be said (and Scripture confirms it) that she had a more heartfelt sorrow and a more grievous desire, and she sighed more deeply and pined more painfully, yes, almost to the death, for lack of love (although she had abundance of love) than she did for any consciousness of her sins» — el capítulo 16 pesa las dos penas: María penó más por falta de amor, aun teniéndolo en abundancia, que por conciencia de sus pecados

«And do not marvel at this, for it is the nature of a true lover that the more he loves, the more he longs to love» — la razón que el capítulo 16 da: es propio del verdadero amante que cuanto más ama, más anhela amar

«But what of that? Did she therefore come down from the height of desire into the depth of her sinful life, and search in the foul stinking fen and dunghill of her sins, sorting through them one by one in every detail, and sorrowing and weeping for each of them separately» — el capítulo 16 se pregunta si María bajó a hurgar uno por uno en el estercolero de sus pecados, con la crudeza de lenguaje que Spearing subraya

«No, certainly, she did not. And why? Because God let her know by his inward grace in her soul that in that way she would never succeed» — la respuesta del capítulo 16: la gracia interior le hizo saber que por esa vía no llegaría

«And so she hung her love and her longing desire on this cloud of unknowing, and taught herself to love something that in this life she could not see clearly in her reason by the light of understanding, nor yet feel truly in her emotions in the sweetness of love, to such an extent that she often had little specific recollection whether she had ever been a sinner or not» — el capítulo 16 describe lo que María hizo en cambio: colgó su amor y su deseo de esta nube del no saber, hasta apenas recordar si había sido pecadora

«Yes, and very often I believe she was so deeply moved by love of his Godhead that she paid only the smallest regard to the beauty of his precious and blessed body,40 that beloved body in which he dwelt, speaking and preaching to her; nor did she pay regard to anything else, bodily or spiritual» — el capítulo 16 lleva el desapego hasta el cuerpo de Cristo: por amor de su divinidad, María apenas atendía a la hermosura de aquel cuerpo que le hablaba y le predicaba

«It is written in the Gospel of St Luke that when our Lord was in the house of Martha, while Martha was busying herself about the preparation of his food, her sister Mary was sitting at his feet» — Cloud, capítulo 17: la escena de Lucas, con Marta ocupada en la comida y María sentada a sus pies. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«Listening to his words, she paid no attention to her sister’s busy service, even though that service was very good and very holy (for it is the first part of active life» — el capítulo 17 ordena lo que María dejó atrás: el servicio atareado de Marta, bueno y santo, que es la primera parte de la vida activa

«nor yet to the excellence of his blessed body, nor to the sweet voice and words belonging to his Manhood, even though that was better and holier (for it is the second part of active life and the first of contemplative life» — el capítulo 17 sigue la escala: tampoco atendió a la excelencia del cuerpo bendito ni a las palabras de su humanidad, que es la segunda parte de la activa y la primera de la contemplativa

«but she attended only to the supreme wisdom of his Godhead cloaked within the dark words of his Manhood – to that she attended with all the love of her heart» — el capítulo 17 fija a qué atendió María: a la sabiduría suprema de su divinidad, encubierta en las palabras oscuras de su humanidad

«For I tell you one thing, that there never has been and never shall be any living creature, however pure, raised to whatever height of ecstasy42 in contemplation and love of the Godhead, who does not always have a high and wonderful cloud of unknowing between him and his God» — el capítulo 17 del Cloud declara la nube inevitable: ninguna criatura, por pura que sea y por alto que llegue el éxtasis, deja de tener entre ella y Dios una nube del no saber

«It was in this cloud that Mary was busy with many secret thrusts of love. And why? Because this was the best and holiest part of contemplation that can be achieved in this life» — el capítulo 17 sitúa a María dentro de esa nube y declara esa la parte mejor y más santa de la contemplación alcanzable en esta vida

«so that when Martha complained to our Lord and asked him to tell her sister to get up and help her, and not let her go on working and struggling by herself, Mary sat completely still and did not answer a word, and did not even look resentfully at her sister, whatever criticism she might make» — el capítulo 17 describe la respuesta de María a la queja de Marta: quedarse quieta, no responder palabra y no mirar con resentimiento

«And no wonder, for she had other work to do, of which Martha knew nothing, and therefore she had no leisure to listen to her or respond to her criticism» — la razón que el capítulo 17 da: María tenía otra obra que hacer, que Marta desconocía, y no tenía ocio para atenderla

«Friend, all the actions, words and looks that passed between our Lord and these two sisters serve as a lesson to all actives and contemplatives that have lived within the Church since then and shall do until the Day of Judgement. For by Mary all contemplatives are understood, so that they should model their way of life on hers; and similarly by Martha all actives, with the same consequent resemblance» — el capítulo 17 generaliza la escena: Marta y María son el modelo de activos y contemplativos en la Iglesia hasta el día del juicio

«And immediately they will gather up many untrue stories (and many true ones, too) about the fall of men and women who have devoted themselves to this way of life in the past; and never a good story of those who stand fast» — el capítulo 18 describe el argumentario de esa crítica: se juntan historias de caídas, falsas y verdaderas, y ninguna de quienes se mantienen

«I admit that many of those who appear to have forsaken the world do fall and have fallen; and when they should have become God’s servants and his contemplatives, because they would not be governed by true spiritual advice, they have become the Devil’s servants and his contemplatives, and they turn either into hypocrites or into heretics, or they fall into madness and many other troubles, to the disgrace of Holy Church» — el capítulo 18 concede la parte de verdad de la crítica: muchos caen, y por no dejarse guiar se vuelven siervos y contemplativos del Diablo, hipócritas o herejes, o caen en locura

«Some might think that I pay little respect to Martha, that special saint, because I compare her words in criticism of her sister to the words of these worldly men, or theirs to hers. Truly I intend no disrespect to her or to them; and God forbid that in this work I should say anything that might be taken as reproof of any of God’s servants, of whatever rank, and particularly of a special saint of his» — Cloud, capítulo 19: el autor se defiende de haber faltado al respeto a Marta al comparar su queja con la de los mundanos

«For it seems to me that her criticism should very readily be pardoned, considering the time and manner in which she spoke it. For her ignorance was the cause of what she said – and no wonder if at the time she did not know how Mary was occupied, for I suppose that before then she had heard little of such perfection» — el capítulo 19 excusa a Marta por ignorancia: no sabía en qué se ocupaba María y poco había oído de tal perfección

«And so it seems to me that, even though they say what they say rudely, men and women who live an active life in the world should also be readily pardoned for the critical words mentioned above, if their ignorance is taken into account. For just as Martha knew very little of what her sister Mary was doing when she complained about her to our Lord, similarly these people in our time know little or nothing of what young disciples of God intend when they set themselves apart from worldly concerns and aim to be God’s special servants in holiness and righteousness of spirit» — el capítulo 19 extiende el mismo perdón a los activos de ahora, que ignoran lo que buscan quienes se apartan de lo mundano. Spearing cita este pasaje en su introducción

«Also, when I consider the innumerable faults of word and deed that I myself have committed in the past out of lack of knowledge, it seems that if I wish to be pardoned by God for my ignorant faults I should always charitably and mercifully pardon the ignorant words and deeds of others; otherwise I certainly do not do to others as I would have others do to me» — el capítulo 19 funda el perdón en la reciprocidad: quien quiere ser perdonado por sus faltas de ignorancia ha de perdonar las ajenas

«Thus, as I see it, those who commit themselves to be contemplatives should not only pardon active persons for their critical words, they should be so engaged in spirit that they ought to pay little or no attention to what people have done or said about them» — Cloud, capítulo 20: los contemplativos no solo han de perdonar la crítica, sino no prestarle atención

«And just as Martha complained about her sister Mary, so to this very day all actives criticize contemplatives» — Cloud, capítulo 18: los activos critican hoy a los contemplativos igual que Marta a María

«immediately the brothers and sisters of any such people, and all their closest friends, along with many others who do not know their motives or the way of life to which they are committing themselves, will turn upon them in a great spirit of criticism, and tell them harshly that what they are doing is nothing» — el capítulo 18 describe la reacción del entorno de quien deja las ocupaciones exteriores: hermanos, amigos y desconocidos le dicen con dureza que lo que hace no es nada

«he answered courteously, and in a way that was appropriate from a rational point of view, on her behalf – for she was unwilling to stop loving him in order to excuse herself» — el capítulo 20 del Cloud interpreta la respuesta del Señor: contesta por María porque ella no quería dejar de amarlo para excusarse

«Not only as a judge, certainly, as Martha invoked him, but as an advocate he defended in legal terms her who loved him, and said, ‘Martha, Martha’. It was expedient to repeat her name twice, because he wanted her to hear him and pay attention to his words» — el capítulo 20 cambia el papel de Cristo en la escena: Marta lo invoca como juez y él responde como abogado de la que lo amaba, repitiendo el nombre para ser oído

«For those who are actives must always be concerned and occupied with many and various things, first to provide for their own needs and then in deeds of mercy towards their fellow Christians, as charity requires» — el capítulo 20 justifica el afán de los activos: proveer a lo propio y luego a las obras de misericordia con el prójimo

«And he said this to Martha, because he wanted to let her know that her activity was good and beneficial for her salvation. But so that she should not think it was the best of all possible human works, he added, ‘But one thing is necessary» — el capítulo 20 lee la escena en dos tiempos: primero se declara buena y saludable la actividad de Marta, y luego se acota que no es la mejor obra posible

«And what is that one thing? Surely that, above all other human concerns, bodily or spiritual, God alone should be loved and praised» — el capítulo 20 responde qué es esa una cosa necesaria: que por encima de todo cuidado humano, corporal o espiritual, solo Dios sea amado y alabado

«he added that Mary had chosen the best part, which would never be taken away from her. For the perfect stirring of love that begins on earth is of a piece with that which will last without end in the bliss of heaven, for they are one and the same» — el capítulo 20 funda la elección de María en la continuidad: el impulso perfecto de amor que empieza en la tierra es lo mismo que durará sin fin en el cielo

«What is the meaning of ‘Mary has chosen the best’? Wherever the best is set down or specified, two other things are prerequisites, a good and a better, in order that it may be the best and the third in number» — Cloud, capítulo 21: para que haya un mejor hacen falta un bueno y un más bueno, tres en número

«They are not three ways of life, for Holy Church takes account only of two – active life and contemplative life – and in the story of this Gospel these two are allegorically signified by the two sisters, Martha and Mary: by Martha the active life, by Mary the contemplative» — el capítulo 21 acota el número de vidas: la Iglesia cuenta solo dos, y las dos hermanas del Evangelio las significan alegóricamente

«Outside one of these two lives no one can be saved; and where there are no more than two, no one can choose the best» — el capítulo 21 saca la consecuencia lógica: fuera de esas dos vidas nadie se salva, y entre dos no se elige lo mejor de tres

«But though there are only two lives, nevertheless in these two lives there are three parts, each better than the last» — el capítulo 21 resuelve el problema repartiendo tres partes dentro de las dos vidas, cada una mejor que la anterior

«In this part contemplative life and active life are linked together in spiritual kinship and made sisters, on the model of Martha and Mary» — el capítulo 21 describe la parte media como el parentesco espiritual en que las dos vidas se hacen hermanas, al modo de Marta y María

«An active may come this high into contemplation and no higher, except very rarely and by special grace. A contemplative may come this low towards active life and no lower, except very rarely and in great necessity» — el capítulo 21 pone el tope de cada una: el activo no sube más arriba de esa parte media, y el contemplativo no baja más abajo, salvo rara vez y por gran necesidad

«The third part of these two lives dwells in this dark cloud of unknowing, with many secret thrusts of love towards God alone. The first part is good, the second is better, but the third is best of all. This is Mary’s best part» — el capítulo 21 sitúa la tercera parte en la nube oscura del no saber, con muchos empujes secretos de amor hacia Dios solo

«Though the first part and the second are both good and holy, they end with this life; for in the other life there will be no need, as now, to perform the works of mercy, or to weep for our wretchedness or for the Passion of Christ. For then no one will be able to hunger or thirst, as now, or to die for cold, or be sick, or homeless, or in prison, and no one will need burying, for then no one will be able to die» — el capítulo 21 declara por qué las dos primeras partes acaban: en la otra vida no habrá hambre, ni sed, ni frío, ni enfermedad, ni cárcel, ni muerte que pida obras de misericordia

«Therefore let the voice of our Lord call to these actives, as if he spoke on our behalf to them now as he did on Mary’s behalf to Martha then, ‘Martha, Martha!’ ‘Actives, actives! be as busy as you can in the first and second parts, now in one and now in the other, and, if it pleases you greatly and you feel yourselves drawn to it, be busy in both bodily. But do not concern yourselves with contemplatives: you do not know what is wrong with them. Let them sit in their rest and ease with Mary’s third and best part» — el capítulo 21 cierra poniendo en boca del Señor el aviso a los activos: ocúpense en la primera y la segunda parte y no se metan con los contemplativos, porque no saben qué les pasa

«The love between our Lord and Mary was sweet. She had much love for him; he had much more for her» — Cloud, capítulo 22: la fórmula del amor desigual entre el Señor y María

«Anyone desiring to see plainly all the relations between him and her (not as might be repeated by a mere gossip, but as testified by the history recorded in the Gospel, something that cannot possibly be false) would find that she was so deeply committed to loving him that nothing beneath him could please her or keep her heart from him» — el capítulo 22 remite la prueba al Evangelio y no al rumor: nada por debajo de él podía agradarle ni apartarle el corazón

«This is the same Mary who, when she sought him at the sepulchre, weeping, would not be comforted by an angel» — el capítulo 22 del Cloud da la escena del sepulcro; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 51, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«For when they spoke to her so sweetly and lovingly, and said, ‘Do not weep, Mary, for our Lord, whom you are seeking, is risen, and you shall have him and see him fully alive among his disciples in Galilee, as he promised,’ she would not stop on their account, because it seemed to her that anyone who was truly seeking the king of angels would not stop for angels» — la razón que el capítulo 22 pone en María: quien busca de veras al rey de los ángeles no se detiene ante los ángeles

«And if you want to see what is written in the Gospel about the wonderful and special love that our Lord had for her, as the representative of all habitual sinners who are truly converted and called to the grace of contemplation, you will find that our Lord would not permit any man or woman, no, not even her own sister, to speak a word against her, without responding on her behalf himself» — el capítulo 22 consigna que el Señor no permitió que nadie, ni su propia hermana, hablara contra María sin responder él

«This was great love; this was surpassing love» — el capítulo 22 cierra el pasaje sobre la reprensión a Simón el leproso con esa fórmula

«Truly, if we gladly conform our love and way of life to Mary’s love and way of life, so far as we can by grace and counsel, it cannot be doubted that he will now answer similarly in spirit on our behalf every day, in the secret hearts of all those who either say or think ill of us» — Cloud, capítulo 23: conformando el amor y la vida a los de María, el Señor responderá en espíritu por nosotros en los corazones de quienes hablen mal

«I do not deny that some people will always say or think some ill of us as long as we live under the burden of earthly life, as they did with Mary. But I say that if we pay no more attention to their words or thoughts than she did, and no more abandon our secret spiritual work, then our Lord will answer them in spirit and, if those who say and think such things are redeemable, within a few days they will be ashamed of their words and thoughts» — el capítulo 23 concede que siempre habrá quien hable mal, y acota el remedio: no atender ni abandonar la obra secreta

«And as he will answer on our behalf in spirit, so he will move others in spirit to give us the necessities of this life, such as food and clothes and everything else, if he sees that we are unwilling to leave the work of loving him in order to concern ourselves with such things» — el capítulo 23 extiende la providencia a lo material: Dios moverá a otros a dar comida y vestido a quien no deja la obra de amarlo por procurárselos

«I say this to confute the mistaken view of those who claim that it is not permissible to commit oneself to serve God in the contemplative life unless one is sure of bodily necessities beforehand» — el capítulo 23 objeta a quienes exigen tener asegurado el sustento antes de entregarse a la vida contemplativa

«For, whoever you may be who truly turn from the world to God, trust faithfully that, without any concern on your part, God will send you one of two things: either abundance of necessities, or the strength of body and endurance of spirit to suffer need» — el capítulo 23 promete una de dos cosas: abundancia de lo necesario, o fuerza de cuerpo y aguante de espíritu para padecer la falta

«Why should you care which of these you have? – because for true contemplatives it is all the same. And if anyone doubts this, either the Devil is in his breast and robs him of faith, or else, however ingeniously he argues, or whatever holy objections he puts forward, he has not yet truly turned to God as he should» — el capítulo 23 declara indiferentes las dos para el contemplativo verdadero, y adjudica la duda al Diablo o a una conversión incompleta

«And so, if you are committed to the contemplative life as Mary was, choose to be humbled by the wonderful height and excellence of God, who is perfect, rather than by your own sinfulness, which is imperfect: that is to say, see that you give special regard to God’s excellence rather than your own sinfulness» — el capítulo 23 fija la elección de causa de humildad: la excelencia de Dios, que es perfecta, antes que el propio pecado, que es imperfecto

«For to those who have perfect humility, nothing shall be lacking, either in body or in spirit; because they have God, in whom is all plenty; and whoever has him – and that is the lesson of this book – needs nothing else in this life» — el capítulo 23 declara lo que él mismo llama la lección del libro: quien tiene a Dios, en quien está toda plenitud, no necesita nada más en esta vida

«What has been said of humility – how it is subtly and completely contained within this little blind thrust of love when it is beating upon the dark cloud of unknowing, with everything else thrust down and forgotten – should also be understood of all other virtues, and especially of charity» — Cloud, capítulo 24: lo dicho de la humildad vale para las demás virtudes y sobre todo para la caridad

«For you should understand that charity means nothing but to love God for himself above all created beings, and to love other human beings equally with yourself for God’s sake» — el capítulo 24 define la caridad: amar a Dios por él mismo sobre todo lo creado, y amar a los demás como a uno mismo por amor de Dios

«for, as was said previously, the substance of contemplation is nothing but a bare intention directed towards God for himself» — el capítulo 24 define la sustancia de la contemplación como intención desnuda dirigida a Dios por él mismo

«They say that God sends the cow, but not by the horn;54 and truly they say wrong of God, as they well know» — el proverbio que el capítulo 23 del Cloud recoge y niega, y que Spearing analiza como ejemplo de cómo el libro llena la mente de una imagen para después quitarla. El ancla conserva la llamada de nota 54, pegada a la palabra, porque es lo único que distingue este pasaje de su cita en la introducción

«so that he neither cares nor considers whether he is in pain or in bliss, so long as the will of the one he loves is fulfilled» — el capítulo 24 del Cloud describe el desinterés del contemplativo: no repara en si está en pena o en gozo, con tal que se cumpla la voluntad del amado

«And it appears from experience that in this way the second and lower branch of charity, towards your fellow Christians, is truly and completely fulfilled. A perfect worker in contemplation has no regard to any specific person for his own sake, whether kin or stranger, friend or foe; for all alike seem kin to him, and none seems a stranger» — el capítulo 24 declara cumplida por esta vía la segunda rama de la caridad: ni pariente ni extraño, ni amigo ni enemigo, todos le parecen próximos

«All seem his friends, and none his enemies, so that for him all those who torment him and cause him distress on earth are his particular friends, and he feels moved to desire as much good for them as he would for the closest friend he has» — el capítulo 24 lleva la caridad hasta el enemigo: quienes lo atormentan le resultan amigos particulares y les desea tanto bien como al más cercano

«I do not say that in this work of contemplation he should have a special regard for anyone on earth, whether friend or foe, kin or stranger. That cannot be if this work is to be perfectly performed, as it is when everything below God is forgotten, as this work requires» — Cloud, capítulo 25: durante la obra no cabe atención especial a nadie, amigo o enemigo, pariente o extraño

«But I say that by means of this work he will be made so virtuous and so charitable that afterwards, when he descends to converse with or pray for his fellow Christians, his will shall be as specifically directed to his foe as to his friend, to a stranger as to his kin – yes, and sometimes more to his foe than to his friend» — el capítulo 25 declara el efecto posterior: al bajar a conversar o a orar por los demás, la voluntad se dirige al enemigo igual que al amigo, y a veces más al enemigo

«I do not mean that he descends from contemplation entirely, for that may not be without great sin, but from the height of contemplation, which it is beneficial and necessary to do on occasion, as charity requires» — el capítulo 25 acota ese descenso: no se abandona la contemplación entera, que sería gran pecado, sino la cima, y eso conviene a veces según pide la caridad

«I do not deny that at times, indeed very often, he will feel a more intimate affection for one, or two, or three, than for all others; that can legitimately happen for many reasons, as charity requires. Christ felt such an intimate affection for John, and for Mary,55 and for Peter, more than for many others» — el capítulo 25 consigna que el afecto desigual es legítimo fuera de la obra, y lo apoya en el trato de Cristo con Juan, con María y con Pedro

«But I say that during the work of contemplation all must be equally intimate to him, for he will be aware of no cause of love but God alone, so that all will be loved fully and nakedly for God’s sake, and as well as he loves himself» — el capítulo 25 vuelve a la regla: durante la obra todos han de ser igualmente íntimos, amados desnudamente por amor de Dios

«As all men were lost with Adam, and all men who bear witness in their works to their desire for salvation are and will be saved by sole virtue of Christ’s Passion» — el capítulo 25 sostiene la doctrina ortodoxa de la salvación por la sola virtud de la Pasión. Spearing la cita para mostrar que el autor no rompe con la devoción común

«a soul that is perfectly disposed to this work and thus united with God in spirit, as experience of this work reveals, does all that it can to make all men as perfect in this work as it is itself» — el capítulo 25 extiende la obra a los demás: el alma unida a Dios hace cuanto puede por que todos lleguen a ella

«For just as, if one part of our body feels pain, all the other parts are tormented and distressed by it, or if one part feels well, all the remainder are comforted by it, so it is spiritually with all the parts of Holy Church» — el capítulo 25 razona por el símil del cuerpo: lo que duele o alivia a un miembro alcanza a los demás, y así pasa espiritualmente en la Iglesia

«For Christ is our head and we are the limbs,56 if we are in charity; and anyone who wishes to be a perfect disciple of our Lord needs to stretch up his spirit in this work for the salvation of all his brothers and sisters in nature, as our Lord stretched out his body on the cross» — el capítulo 25 pide estirar el espíritu en la obra por la salvación de todos, como el Señor estiró su cuerpo en la cruz

«And how? Not for his friends and his kin and those he loves most intimately, but for all humanity in general, without special regard to one rather than another. For all who desire to give up sin and ask for mercy will be saved by virtue of Christ’s Passion» — el capítulo 25 declara universal ese alcance: no por los amigos ni los parientes sino por la humanidad entera, sin favor a uno sobre otro

«And therefore labour hard for a while, beating upon this high cloud of unknowing, and then rest. Anyone who habitually practises this work will unquestionably find it laborious, yes, very laborious indeed, unless he receives special grace, or else has been practising it for a long time» — Cloud, capítulo 26: trabajar un rato golpeando la nube y luego descansar, porque la obra resulta trabajosa sin gracia especial o larga práctica

«But I ask you, what is it that is laborious? Certainly not that devout stirring of love that is continually produced in his will, not by himself but by the hand of almighty God, who is always ready to bring about this work in every soul that inclines to it and that does all it can to prepare itself for it, and has been doing so for a long time» — el capítulo 26 separa lo que cuesta de lo que no: el impulso devoto de amor no lo produce el hombre sino la mano de Dios

«Why, the labour is all in treading down the thought of all beings that God ever created, and in keeping them beneath the cloud of forgetting mentioned earlier. This is all that is laborious, for this is the work that human beings must do, with the help of grace. And the other mentioned above – that is, the stirring of love – is the work of God alone» — el capítulo 26 reparte la obra: al hombre le toca pisar el pensamiento de todo lo creado y mantenerlo bajo la nube del olvido, y a Dios solo el impulso de amor

«Then perhaps he will at times send out a beam of spiritual light, piercing this cloud of unknowing that is between you and him, and show you some of his mysteries, of which human beings are not permitted or able to speak» — el capítulo 26 consigna el rayo de luz espiritual que atraviesa la nube y muestra misterios de los que no se puede hablar

«For of the work that belongs to God alone I dare not take it upon me to speak with my blabbering fleshly tongue; and, to put it briefly, even though I dared, I would not» — la fórmula que Spearing analiza por su materialidad: no se atreve a hablar con su lengua carnal balbuciente de la obra que solo es de Dios

«Press on hard then; let us see how you manage. Do you not see how he is standing and waiting for you? For shame! work hard only a little while, and the greatness and difficulty of this labour will soon be eased. For though it may be hard and rigorous at first, when you have no devotion, later, when you have devotion, what was very hard before will be made very restful and very easy for you, and you will feel either little effort or none at all» — el capítulo 26 del Cloud promete el alivio del esfuerzo con la devoción: lo que antes era durísimo se vuelve muy reposado y fácil

«For then God will sometimes do all the work himself; but not always, and never for long at a stretch, only when he pleases and as he pleases. And then you will find it pleasant to let him have his own way» — el capítulo 26 acota ese alivio: a veces Dios hace toda la obra, nunca por mucho rato de seguido, y solo cuando y como le place

«First and foremost, I want to tell you who should engage in this work of contemplation, and when, and by what means, and what moderation» — Cloud, capítulo 27: el autor anuncia el plan de los capítulos siguientes, quién, cuándo, con qué medios y con qué moderación; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota 57

«If you ask me who should work in this way, I answer: all who have sincerely forsaken the world, and who then commit themselves not to active life but to the way of life that is called contemplative. All these should engage in this work by grace, whoever they may be, whether or not they have been habitual sinners» — el capítulo 27 responde quién: todos los que han dejado el mundo de veras y se entregan a la vida contemplativa, hayan sido o no pecadores habituales

«Then if you ask me when they should engage in this work of contemplation, my answer is this. I say, not before they have cleansed their consciences of all the particular sinful deeds they have previously committed, according to the accepted requirements of Holy Church» — Cloud, capítulo 28: no antes de haber limpiado la conciencia de los pecados concretos según lo que pide la Iglesia

«For in contemplation a soul dries up within itself the whole root and ground of sin that will always remain in it after even the most thorough confession» — el capítulo 28 declara qué hace la contemplación que no hace la confesión: seca la raíz del pecado que siempre queda

«So anyone who wishes to undertake this work must first cleanse his conscience; and then, after he has done all he can according to the rules of penance, he should apply himself, boldly yet humbly, to contemplation. And he should think that he has been kept from it for too long, for this is the work at which a soul would toil all its lifetime if it had never committed deadly sin» — el capítulo 28 fija el orden: primero limpiar la conciencia y cumplir la penitencia, y luego aplicarse a la obra con audacia y humildad

«And while a soul is dwelling in this mortal flesh, it will always see and feel this burdensome cloud of unknowing between it and God. And not only that, but as the penalty of original sin one will always see and feel that some of the beings created by God, or some of their works, keep on pressing into consciousness between oneself and God» — el capítulo 28 declara insuperable la nube en esta vida, y añade que por pena del pecado original las criaturas se interponen siempre

«And this is the just judgement of God, for when man ruled over all other creatures as their sovereign lord he willingly made himself subservient to the impulses of his subjects,58 disregarding the command of God his maker; and so afterwards, when he wishes to obey God’s command, he sees and feels that all the creatures that should be below him are thrusting proudly above him, between him and his God» — el capítulo 28 explica esa interposición como justicia: quien se hizo siervo de los impulsos de sus súbditos ve ahora a esas criaturas empujar por encima de él

«And so anyone who longs to regain the purity that he lost through sin, and to win that well-being where all woe is absent, must labour patiently in this work, and endure the pain it brings, whoever he may be, whether he has been a habitual sinner or not. Everyone finds this work laborious, both sinners and innocents who have never sinned greatly; but those who have been sinners find it far more laborious than those who have not – and with good reason» — Cloud, capítulo 29: la obra cuesta a todos, pecadores e inocentes, y a los pecadores mucho más

«All the same, it frequently happens that some who have been hideous and habitual sinners arrive sooner at the perfection of this work than those who have not; and this is a merciful miracle of our Lord, who thus grants his special grace to arouse the whole world’s wonder» — el capítulo 29 consigna el caso contrario como milagro de misericordia: pecadores horrendos llegan antes a la perfección de esta obra

«I truly believe that on the Day of Judgement darkness will be dispelled: God and all his gifts will be seen clearly, and some who are now despised and unvalued as common sinners, and perhaps some who now are hideous sinners, will sit in glory with saints in God’s sight; while some of those who now seem very holy and are honoured by men as if they were angels, and indeed perhaps some of those who have never yet committed mortal sin, will sit in misery among the spawn of hell» — el capítulo 29 invierte las apariencias en el juicio: pecadores despreciados se sentarán en gloria y algunos tenidos por santos, entre la cría del infierno

«From this you can see that no one should be judged by others here in this life for the good or evil that they do. Actions may legitimately be judged as good or evil, but not our fellow-men» — el capítulo 29 saca la regla: se juzgan las acciones, no a los hombres

«But, I beg you, by whom shall men’s actions be judged? Surely by those who have authority and responsibility for their souls, whether granted publicly by the law and provision of Holy Church, or else privately in the spirit by the special prompting of the Holy Ghost in perfect charity» — Cloud, capítulo 30: las acciones las juzga quien tiene autoridad sobre las almas, por ley de la Iglesia o por moción del Espíritu Santo en caridad perfecta

«Let each man beware that he does not presume to undertake to criticize and rebuke the faults of others, unless he truly feels that he is inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost in what he does, for otherwise he may very easily err in his judgements. And so beware: judge yourself as you please, between yourself and God or your spiritual adviser, and let other men be» — el capítulo 30 pone el límite: nadie reprenda faltas ajenas sin moción interior del Espíritu, y júzguese a sí mismo ante Dios o ante su director

«And try to cover them with a thick cloud of forgetting, as if they had never been done by you or anyone else on earth. And if they often rise up, often push them down, and, in a word, push them down as often as they rise» — Cloud, capítulo 31: cubrir los pecados propios con una nube espesa de olvido, como si nunca los hubiera cometido nadie, y hundirlos tantas veces como suban

«And if the labour seems hard, you may seek tricks and wiles and secret stratagems of spiritual technique to push them away – stratagems that are better learned from God by experience than from any earthly man» — el capítulo 31 anuncia las estratagemas y declara su fuente: se aprenden mejor de Dios por experiencia que de hombre alguno

«All the same, I will tell you something of what I know of these stratagems. Try them yourself, and do better if you can» — Cloud, capítulo 32: el maestro ofrece sus recursos y deja abierto que el discípulo los mejore

«Do your best to pretend not to know that they are pressing so hard upon you, between you and your God, and try to look over their shoulders, as it were, searching for something else – and that something is God, enclosed in a cloud of unknowing» — la primera estratagema del capítulo 32: fingir que no se advierte el pensamiento y mirar por encima de su hombro buscando a Dios, encerrado en una nube del no saber

«I believe that, if well and truly understood, this technique is nothing but a longing desire for God, to feel and see him so far as may be here. Such a desire is charity, and it always merits relief» — el capítulo 32 explica por qué funciona esa estratagema: no es sino deseo anhelante de Dios, y ese deseo es caridad y siempre merece alivio

«There is another technique: try it if you please. When you feel that you are quite unable to push them down, cower down before them like a wretched coward overcome in battle, and think that it is foolish for you to strive against them any longer, and therefore, in the hands of your enemies, you surrender yourself to God» — la segunda estratagema del capítulo 32: acobardarse ante los pensamientos como un cobarde vencido en batalla y entregarse a Dios en manos de los enemigos

«And indeed, it seems to me that if this technique is intelligently understood, it is simply a true knowledge and feeling of yourself as you are, a wretch and a lump of dirt, far worse than nothing; and such knowledge and feeling is humility» — el capítulo 32 explica la segunda estratagema: es conocimiento verdadero de sí, un desdichado y un terrón de barro peor que nada, y eso es humildad

«And this humility deserves to have God himself descending in his might to avenge you on your enemies, and to take you up and tenderly dry the eyes of your spirit, as the father does with the child that is about to perish in the mouths of wild swine or frenzied biting bears» — el capítulo 32 promete el descenso de Dios en fuerza, que enjuga los ojos del espíritu como el padre al hijo a punto de perecer entre puercos salvajes u osos rabiosos

«I shall not tell you any more techniques at this time because, if you have grace to try out these, I believe that you will be better able to teach me than I you. For, even if what I have taught you is correct, I truly feel very far from being an expert; and so I beg you to help me, and to work on your behalf and on mine» — Cloud, capítulo 33: el maestro corta la lista y se declara lejos de experto, y pide al discípulo que trabaje también por él

«Press on then, and labour hard for a while, I beg you, and humbly endure the pain if you cannot learn these techniques quickly, for truly this is your purgatory» — el capítulo 33 nombra la obra purgatorio del que la hace

«And when your pain has gone, and the techniques have been granted by God and, by his grace, have become habits, then I have no doubt that you will be cleansed not only of sin but also of the punishment for sin – I mean of the punishment for the particular sins you have committed, not of the punishment for original sin; for that punishment will always remain with you until the day you die, however eagerly you work» — el capítulo 33 acota el alcance de la purificación: limpia del pecado y de la pena de los pecados propios, no de la pena del pecado original, que dura hasta la muerte

«For out of original sin will always spring new and fresh stirrings of sin, which you must always smite down, eagerly slashing them away with a sharp, double-edged and fearful sword of discernment. From this you may see and learn that there is no lasting security and no true rest in this life» — el capítulo 33 declara que del pecado original brotan siempre impulsos nuevos que hay que segar con una espada aguda de discernimiento, y que no hay descanso verdadero en esta vida

«If you ask me by what means you are to achieve this work of contemplation, I beseech almighty God of his great grace and his great courtesy to teach you himself. For I would have you know well that I cannot tell you» — Cloud, capítulo 34: a la pregunta por los medios, el maestro responde que no puede decirlos y remite a Dios mismo

«and that is no surprise, because it is the work of God alone, specially undertaken in whatever soul he chooses, without any desert on the part of that soul. For without God’s work, no saint or angel can think of desiring it» — el capítulo 34 da la razón: es obra solo de Dios en el alma que él escoge, sin mérito de ella, y sin esa obra ni un santo ni un ángel podría desearla

«And he will do this because he wants to be recognized as all-merciful and all-powerful, and because he wants to be seen to act as he pleases, where he pleases, and when he pleases» — el capítulo 34 explica la preferencia por los pecadores habituales: Dios quiere ser reconocido misericordioso y todopoderoso y obrar donde y cuando le plazca

«It is neither granted for innocence nor withheld for sin. Note well that I say withheld, and not withdrawn» — el capítulo 34 fija su término con precisión: la gracia no se da por inocencia ni se niega por pecado, y se dice negada, no retirada

«Beware of error here, I beg you, for the nearer we approach truth, the more careful we need to be of error. I intend well, but if you cannot understand this, lay it aside till God comes and teaches you; do that, and you will come to no harm» — el capítulo 34 advierte que cuanto más cerca de la verdad más cuidado hay que tener con el error, y manda dejar de lado lo que no se entienda hasta que Dios lo enseñe

«Guard against pride, for it blasphemes against God in what he gives, and emboldens sinners. If you were truly humble, you would feel the truth of what I say about the work of contemplation, that God gives it freely without any desert» — el capítulo 34 objeta a la soberbia, que blasfema del don y envalentona al pecador, y repite la gratuidad de la obra

«The nature of this work is such that its presence gives a soul the capacity to have it and feel it; and no soul can have that capacity without it. The capacity for this work is inseparable from the work itself, so that whoever experiences the work has the capacity for it, or else he would not experience it» — el capítulo 34 declara inseparables la obra y la capacidad de tenerla: quien la experimenta la tiene, y sin ella el alma está como muerta

«You have as much of it as you will and desire, neither more nor less, and yet it is not a will or a desire, but something, you do not know what» — el capítulo 34 mide la obra por el deseo y en seguida lo desdice: no es voluntad ni deseo, sino algo que no se sabe qué, que mueve a querer y desear no se sabe qué

«To put it more exactly, let that thing do with you whatever it pleases and lead you wherever it pleases. Let it do the working, and you be the material it works upon; just watch it, and let it be» — el capítulo 34 del Cloud manda dejar obrar a eso y ser uno la materia sobre la que obra

«You simply be the wood, and let it be the carpenter; you simply be the house, and let it be the master» — las imágenes de oficio del capítulo 34: ser la madera y dejar que ello sea el carpintero, ser la casa y dejar que ello sea el dueño. El verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 60

«Be blind for the time being, and cut away desire for knowledge, for it will hinder you more than help you. It is sufficient for you to feel yourself pleasingly stirred by a thing, you do not know what, so long as, in being stirred, you have no specific thoughts of anything below God, and your intention is nakedly directed towards God» — el capítulo 34 manda estar ciego por un tiempo y cortar el deseo de saber, que estorba más de lo que ayuda

«And do not be afraid of the Devil, for he may never come so near. He can never get to stir someone’s will, except occasionally by distant means, however cunning a devil he may be. For not even a good angel has power enough to stir your will directly, nor, in a word, does any being but God alone» — el capítulo 34 acota el poder del Diablo: no llega a mover la voluntad si no es por medios lejanos, y ni un ángel bueno puede moverla directamente

«Thus you can understand to some extent by these words, but much more clearly by experience, that in the work of contemplation no intermediaries are to be used, nor indeed can it be achieved by intermediaries. All intermediate activities depend on it, and it depends on no intermediaries, nor can any intermediary lead to it» — el capítulo 34 cierra con la inmediatez: en esta obra no se usan intermediarios ni se llega por ellos, y todas las actividades intermedias dependen de ella

«All the same, intermediate activities do exist in which an apprentice in contemplation ought to be occupied, and they are these: Lection, Meditation and Orison. For your better understanding these may be called Reading, Thinking and Praying» — Cloud, capítulo 35: las tres actividades intermedias del aprendiz, Lectio, Meditatio y Oratio, que el traductor vierte como leer, pensar y orar

«You will find that another book written by someone else62 discusses these three much better than I can tell you, and so there is no need to tell you about their properties here» — el capítulo 35 remite a otro libro de otro autor, sin nombrarlo. Spearing arriesga en su introducción que ese otro sea Hilton

«But I can tell you this: these three are so linked together that for those who are beginners and those who are making progress, but not for those who have gained such perfection as is possible in this life, thinking may not be fully achieved unless reading or listening comes first» — el capítulo 35 traba las tres: para principiantes y adelantados, no hay pensar sin leer o escuchar antes

«In a way, reading and listening are the same: scholars read books, and the uneducated ‘read’ scholars when they listen to them preaching the word of God» — el capítulo 35 iguala leer y escuchar: los doctos leen libros y los iletrados leen a los doctos al oírlos predicar

«God’s word, either written or spoken, can be compared to a mirror. Spiritually, the eye of your soul is your reason; your conscience is your face in spiritual terms» — el capítulo 35 da su símil del espejo: la palabra de Dios es el espejo, la razón es el ojo del alma y la conciencia es el rostro

«Without reading or hearing God’s word, it is impossible to human understanding for a soul that is blinded by sinful habits to see a spot of dirt in its conscience» — el capítulo 35 saca la consecuencia del símil: sin leer u oír la palabra, el alma cegada por el hábito del pecado no ve la mancha de su conciencia

«If the spot is some sin actually committed, then the well is Holy Church and the water is confession in every detail. If it is only a blind root and stirring of sin, then the well is merciful God and the water is prayer and all that accompanies it» — el capítulo 35 reparte los dos pozos: para el pecado cometido, la Iglesia y el agua de la confesión detallada; para la raíz ciega del pecado, Dios misericordioso y el agua de la oración

«It would not matter if at present you had no other meditations of your sinfulness or of the goodness of God (I mean if you feel yourself so moved by grace and by your advisers) than such as you may find in the word SIN and the word GOD, or in other such words as you please – not analysing or interpreting these words with intellectual ingenuity, seeking to grasp their properties as if by doing so you wanted to heighten your devotion» — el capítulo 36 reduce la meditación a dos palabras, PECADO y DIOS, sin analizarlas con ingenio para avivar la devoción

«But keep these words completely whole, and focus on sin as a lump, you do not know what, nothing other than yourself» — la fórmula del capítulo 36 que Spearing analiza por su crudeza concreta: mirar el pecado como un bulto, no se sabe qué, que no es otra cosa que uno mismo

«While you are engaged in this blind consideration of sin, thus coagulated into a lump, which is nothing other than yourself, it seems to me that there could be no madder creature, needing to be bound down, than yourself. And yet perhaps anyone who looked at you would think you quite soberly disposed in body, without any change of expression, and, whether you were sitting, or walking, or lying, or leaning, or standing, or kneeling, unchangingly restful» — el capítulo 36 contrapone la locura interior a la quietud exterior: por dentro no hay criatura más loca, y por fuera se ve sereno, sentado, andando, tendido o de rodillas

«Just as the meditations of those who, by God’s grace, work continually at contemplation rise up suddenly without any intermediary, so do their prayers. I am thinking of their individual prayers, not the prayers that are ordained by Holy Church» — Cloud, capítulo 37: también las oraciones propias suben sin intermediario, y el autor distingue las privadas de las ordenadas por la Iglesia

«For those who are true labourers in contemplation honour no prayers so greatly as the latter, and for this reason they perform them in the form and order laid down by the holy fathers before us» — el capítulo 37 acota la distinción: los verdaderos contemplativos honran las oraciones de la Iglesia por encima de toda otra y las rezan en la forma y el orden fijados

«If they are in words, as they are only rarely, then they are in very few words – yes, the fewer the better» — el capítulo 37 fija la medida de la oración propia: rara vez en palabras, y cuantas menos mejor

«You can see that this is true by an illustration taken from our natural instincts. If a man or woman is frightened by some sudden occurrence of fire, or of someone’s death, or whatever else it may be, then suddenly in the extremity of his spirit he is driven by haste and necessity to shout or beg for help» — el capítulo 37 argumenta por el instinto: quien se ve sorprendido por un incendio o por una muerte grita pidiendo auxilio

«And so he bursts out violently, in great emotion, and shouts just a short word of one syllable, such as the word FIRE! or the word out» — el capítulo 37 da las dos palabras del ejemplo, FUEGO y FUERA, con que el espíritu apremiado estalla

«Just as this short word FIRE! sooner arouses the ears of listeners, and pierces them more rapidly, so does a short word of one syllable when it is not just spoken or thought but secretly intended in the depth of spirit, which is also the height (for in spiritual things it is all the same, height and depth, length and breadth» — el capítulo 37 traslada el símil a la oración: la palabra breve intencionada en lo hondo del espíritu, que en lo espiritual es lo mismo que lo alto

«And it pierces the ears of almighty God sooner than any long psalm mindlessly mumbled in the mouth. That is why it is written that short prayers pierce heaven» — el capítulo 37 cierra con la sentencia escrita: las oraciones breves atraviesan el cielo, antes que un salmo largo musitado sin atención

«And why does it pierce heaven, this short little prayer of one little syllable? Surely because it is prayed with a full heart, in the height and the depth, the length and the breadth of the spirit of the person who prays» — Cloud, capítulo 38: la oración breve atraviesa el cielo porque se reza con el corazón lleno, en la altura, la hondura, la longitud y la anchura del espíritu

«It is in the height because it is prayed with all the power of the spirit. It is in the depth because in this little syllable is contained all the wisdom of the spirit. It is in the length because, if it could always feel as it is feeling now, it would always shout as it is shouting now. It is in the breadth because it desires the same for all others as it desires for itself» — el capítulo 38 despliega las cuatro dimensiones: altura por toda la fuerza del espíritu, hondura por la sabiduría contenida en la sílaba, longitud por la constancia y anchura por desear lo mismo para todos

«It is at this moment that a soul has comprehended with all the saints, as we read in St Paul, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of God,65 everlasting and all-loving, all-powerful and all-wise – not fully, but in part and in the way appropriate to the work of contemplation» — el capítulo 38 apoya el esquema en san Pablo, que habla de la anchura, la longitud, la hondura y la altura de Dios, y lo acota: no plenamente sino en parte. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«God’s everlastingness is his length, his love is his breadth, his power is his height, and his wisdom is his depth» — el capítulo 38 fija la correspondencia entre las cuatro dimensiones y los atributos: eternidad y longitud, amor y anchura, poder y altura, sabiduría y hondura

«Take an example. Suppose someone is your deadly enemy, and you hear him so terrified that he shouts out in the height of his spirit the little word FIRE! or the word OUT! Without regard to the fact that he is your enemy, but for sheer pity in your heart, stirred and aroused by the misery of this shout, you get up – yes, even if it were about midwinter’s night – and help him to put out his fire, or to calm and ease him in his distress» — el capítulo 38 argumenta con el ejemplo del enemigo que grita FUEGO: aun siendo enemigo, la piedad hace levantarse a media noche de invierno a apagarle el fuego

«Surely he will have far more mercy, beyond comparison, since the fact is that what is possessed by nature is more intimate to its possessor than what is possessed by grace» — el capítulo 38 saca la consecuencia a fortiori y da su razón: lo que se posee por naturaleza es más íntimo al poseedor que lo que se posee por gracia

«Prayer in itself, to put it exactly, is nothing but a devout intention directed towards God for the attainment of good things and the removal of evils» — Cloud, capítulo 39: la definición de oración, intención devota dirigida a Dios para alcanzar bienes y quitar males

«Then, since it is the case that all evils are comprehended in sin, either as their cause or in their being, let us, when we wish to pray earnestly for the removal of evils, say or think or intend nothing else, and no more words, than the little word SIN» — el capítulo 39 deriva de esa definición la palabra para pedir el quite de los males: PECADO

«And if we wish to pray earnestly for the attainment of good things, let us cry out, in word or thought or desire, nothing else, and no more words, than the word GOD. For in God are all good things, both as their cause and in their being» — el capítulo 39 deriva la palabra para pedir los bienes, DIOS, porque en él están todos los bienes como causa y como ser

«Do not be surprised that I set these words apart from all others; for if I knew any shorter words that comprehended in them all good things and all evils as fully as these two words do, or again if I had been taught by God to choose any other words, I would have chosen the others and given up these; and so I advise you to do» — el capítulo 39 declara provisionales sus dos palabras: si hubiera sabido otras más breves que las abarcaran, habría dejado estas

«Do not deliberate about words, for in that way you will never gain your purpose or achieve contemplation, for it is never attained by deliberation, but only by grace» — el capítulo 39 prohíbe deliberar sobre las palabras: la contemplación no se alcanza por deliberación sino por gracia

«Though brevity of prayer is highly recommended here, that does not mean that frequency of prayer is to be avoided. For, as was said earlier, prayer is made in the length of one’s spirit, and so it should never cease until the moment when it has fully obtained what it longed for» — el capítulo 39 acota su propia recomendación: la brevedad no excluye la frecuencia, porque la oración se hace en la longitud del espíritu y no cesa hasta obtener

«without the mediation of any previous reading or listening, and without any special consideration of anything below God. These sudden apprehensions and blind feelings are sooner learned from God than from human teaching» — Cloud, capítulo 36: en quien trabaja de continuo, las aprehensiones súbitas y los sentimientos ciegos llegan sin lectura ni escucha previas, y se aprenden antes de Dios que de maestro humano

«What need is there for contemplatives to care what or how great a sin it is? To them all sins seem equally great – I mean during this work of contemplation – when the smallest sin separates them from God and holds them back from spiritual peace» — el capítulo 40 iguala todos los pecados para el contemplativo: el menor lo separa de Dios y le quita la paz

«And feel sin as a lump, you do not know what, but nothing other than yourself. And then shout continuously in spirit, ‘Sin, sin, sin! out, out, out» — el capítulo 40 da el grito espiritual del contemplativo, sacado del símil del incendio

«This spiritual shout is better learned from God by experience than from any human being by word; for it is best when it is in the spirit alone, without specific thought or any utterance of words, except on some rare occasion when for abundance of spirit it bursts out into words, so that the body as well as the soul is filled with the sorrow and burden of sin» — el capítulo 40 acota ese grito: se aprende de Dios y es mejor en puro espíritu, y solo por abundancia estalla en palabras

«They find and experience all virtues in God, for in him are all things, both as their cause and in their being. For it seems to them that, if they had God, they would have all that is good, and therefore they covet nothing with particular concern, but only good God» — el capítulo 40 da la razón de no atender a las virtudes por separado: todas se hallan en Dios, y teniéndolo se tendría todo bien

«And so the whole time you are living in this wretched life, you must always be aware in some way of this foul, stinking lump of sin, as it were united and coagulated into the substance of your being, and for this reason you should focus alternately on these two words, SIN and GOD, with this general understanding, that if you had God you would be without sin, and if you could be without sin you would have God» — el capítulo 40 cierra alternando las dos palabras, y repite la imagen del bulto hediondo de pecado cuajado en la sustancia del propio ser

«In the same way, fill your spirit with the spiritual import of the word SIN, without specific regard to the type of sin, whether it is venial or mortal, pride, wrath, or envy, covetousness, sloth, gluttony, or lechery» — Cloud, capítulo 40: llenar el espíritu del sentido de la palabra PECADO sin reparar en la especie, venial o mortal, soberbia, ira, envidia, codicia, pereza, gula o lujuria

«You must do the same with the little word GOD. Fill your spirit with its spiritual import without any specific regard to any of God’s works, whether they are good, better or best of all, in body or in spirit, or to any virtue that may be shaped in the human soul by grace, regardless of whether it is humility or charity, patience or abstinence, hope, faith, or moderation, chastity or voluntary poverty» — el capítulo 40 aplica lo mismo a la palabra DIOS: sin atender a sus obras ni a virtud alguna, humildad, caridad, paciencia, abstinencia, esperanza, fe, templanza, castidad o pobreza voluntaria

«If you ask me now what moderation you must exercise in this work of contemplation, I answer you by saying, ‘None at all» — Cloud, capítulo 41: la excepción a la moderación, enunciada como respuesta tajante

«In all your other actions you must exercise moderation, as in eating and drinking, in sleeping, in protecting your body against extreme cold or heat, in how long you pray or read, or in conversing with your fellow Christians: in all these you must exercise moderation, so that they are neither too much or too little» — el capítulo 41 enumera dónde sí rige la moderación: comer, beber, dormir, protegerse del frío y del calor, orar, leer y conversar

«But in this work of contemplation you must not keep within limits, for I want you never to cease from this work while you are alive» — el capítulo 41 declara sin límite la obra: que no cese mientras se viva

«I do not say that you will always be able to continue in it with equal freshness, for that cannot be. Sometimes sickness and other unpredictable states of body and soul, with many other natural necessities, will hinder you greatly, and often make you descend from the height of contemplation. But I say that you must always be engaged in it, either in earnest or in game – that is to say, either in reality or in intention» — el capítulo 41 acota esa exigencia: la enfermedad y otros estados hacen descender de la cima, y basta estar en ella de veras o de intención

«And so, for the love of God, guard against sickness as much as you reasonably can, so that, as far as you may, you are not the cause of your own weakness. For I tell you truly that this work demands the greatest tranquillity, and a state of health and purity in body as much as in soul» — el capítulo 41 manda cuidar la salud: la obra pide la mayor tranquilidad y salud y pureza de cuerpo y de alma

«For I tell you truly that patience in sickness and in various other tribulations often pleases God far more than any delightful devotion that you may experience in good health» — el capítulo 41 invierte el valor de la devoción sensible: la paciencia en la enfermedad agrada más a Dios que la devoción deleitosa en buena salud

«But perhaps you ask me how you are to regulate yourself with moderation in food, in sleep, and in everything else. And to this I am inclined to answer very briefly, ‘Take what comes» — Cloud, capítulo 42: la respuesta escueta sobre cómo medirse en la comida y el sueño

«Always do the work of contemplation without cease and without moderation, and you will easily know how to begin and end all your other activities with excellent moderation» — el capítulo 42 invierte el orden habitual: de la desmesura en la obra interior se sigue la buena medida en todo lo exterior

«And so, if I could achieve a vigilant and eager concern for this inward spiritual work in my soul, I would then be heedless about eating and drinking, sleeping and speaking and all my outward activities» — el capítulo 42 lo dice en primera persona: con cuidado vigilante de la obra interior sería descuidado en comer, beber, dormir y hablar

«Let people say what they will, and let experience bear witness. So lift up your heart with a blind stirring of love, and focus now on sin and now on God. You want to have God, and you want to lack sin. God wants you, and sin you can be sure of. Now may good God help you, for now you have need» — el capítulo 42 remite la prueba a la experiencia y cierra con la fórmula de las dos palabras: quieres tener a Dios y quieres carecer de pecado, Dios te quiere y del pecado puedes estar seguro

«See that nothing is at work in your mind or your will but God alone, and try to overthrow all knowledge and feeling of anything below God, and trample it all down deep beneath the cloud of forgetting» — Cloud, capítulo 43: derribar todo conocimiento y sentimiento de lo inferior a Dios y pisarlo bajo la nube del olvido

«And you must understand that in this work of contemplation you are not only to forget all other created beings than yourself, and their actions or yours, but you are also to forget both yourself and your actions for God’s sake, as well as all other beings and their actions. For it is the nature of a perfect lover not only to love more than himself the thing he loves» — el capítulo 43 extiende el olvido al propio sujeto, y lo funda en lo que llama propio del amante perfecto: en cierto modo odiarse a sí mismo por la cosa amada

«This is how you must conduct yourself: you must loathe and find wearisome everything that is at work in your mind and your will except God alone. For certainly otherwise, whatever it may be, it is between you and your God» — el capítulo 43 manda aborrecer cuanto obra en la mente y en la voluntad fuera de Dios solo

«And no wonder if you loathe and detest thinking about yourself, when you must always feel sin as a foul, stinking lump, you do not know what, between you and your God – a lump which is nothing but yourself. For it must seem to you united and coagulated with the substance of your being, yes, as if there were no distinction between them» — el capítulo 43 vuelve a la imagen del bulto hediondo de pecado, unido y cuajado con la sustancia del propio ser, sin distinción entre ambos

«So break down all knowledge and feeling of every kind of created being, but most forcibly of yourself. For knowledge and feeling of all other created beings depends on knowledge and feeling of yourself, since, in comparison with yourself, all other created beings are easily forgotten» — el capítulo 43 ordena la demolición por su raíz: el conocimiento de las demás criaturas depende del de uno mismo

«If you are eager to set about testing this, you will find, when you have forgotten all other created beings and all that they do, yes, and also all that you yourself do, that there will still remain, between you and your God, a naked knowledge and feeling of your own existence; and that knowledge and feeling always need to be destroyed, before it comes about that you can truly experience perfect contemplation» — el capítulo 43 enuncia lo que queda al final y hay que destruir: un conocimiento y un sentimiento desnudos de la propia existencia

«Now you ask me, though, how you can destroy this naked knowledge and feeling of your own existence. For perhaps it seems that if it were destroyed all other hindrances would be destroyed; and if you think this, you are certainly right» — Cloud, capítulo 44: la pregunta del discípulo sobre cómo destruir ese conocimiento desnudo del propio existir, y el asentimiento del maestro a que destruido él caerían los demás estorbos

«But in answer to your question, I say that without special grace freely given by God, together with a corresponding capacity on your part to receive that grace, this naked knowledge and feeling of your own existence may in no way be destroyed» — el capítulo 44 responde que sin gracia especial y sin capacidad correspondiente para recibirla ese conocimiento no se destruye

«This capacity is nothing but a deep and powerful spiritual sorrow. But in this sorrow you need to exercise moderation in this way: you must be careful at the time of this sorrow not to strain your body or your spirit too harshly, but to sit quite still, as if slipping asleep,67 worn out with sobbing and sunk into sorrow» — el capítulo 44 nombra esa capacidad tristeza espiritual honda y poderosa, y le pone medida: no forzar cuerpo ni espíritu, sino estarse quieto como quien se adormece

«All human beings have reason for sorrow, but someone who knows and feels that he is feels most special reason for sorrow. Compared with this, all other sorrows are like game beside earnest» — el capítulo 44 jerarquiza las tristezas: la de quien sabe y siente que es, frente a la cual las demás son juego al lado de lo serio

«This sorrow, when experienced, cleanses the soul not only of sin but also of the pain that is its desert for sin; moreover, it makes a soul able to receive the joy that takes away all knowledge and feeling of one’s own existence» — el capítulo 44 declara lo que esa tristeza hace: limpia del pecado y de su pena, y dispone al gozo que quita todo conocimiento y sentimiento del propio existir

«This sorrow, if truly understood, is full of holy desire; otherwise no one living on earth could endure it or bear it» — el capítulo 44 acota la tristeza en la misma frase: está llena de deseo santo, y sin eso nadie podría soportarla

«The soul desires to have true knowledge and feeling of God in purity of spirit (so far as that may be on earth), but then feels that it cannot, for it always finds its knowledge and feeling as it were possessed and filled by a foul, stinking lump of itself, which must always be hated and despised and forsaken if the soul is to be God’s perfect disciple, taught by God himself on the mount of perfection» — el capítulo 44 describe el impedimento que el alma encuentra: su conocimiento le aparece siempre ocupado por el bulto hediondo de sí misma

«and every time it feels this, it almost goes mad for sorrow, weeping and wailing, struggling, cursing and swearing, and, to put it briefly, feels that it bears such a heavy burden of itself that it does not care what becomes of it, so long as God is pleased» — el capítulo 44 describe el estado que de ahí resulta: casi enloquecer de tristeza, llorar, luchar y maldecir, y no importarle qué sea de sí con tal que Dios quede complacido

«Yet in all this sorrow the soul does not desire not to exist, for that would be diabolical madness and contempt for God» — el capítulo 44 pone el límite que Spearing lee como respuesta a la herejía de Porete: no se desea no existir, y desearlo sería locura diabólica y desprecio de Dios

«but it is well pleased to exist, and offers heartfelt thanks to God for the excellent gift of existence, even though it desires unceasingly to lack knowledge and feeling of its existence» — el otro lado de ese límite: el alma se complace en existir y da gracias por el don del existir, aunque desee sin cesar carecer de conocimiento y sentimiento de él

«Every soul needs to experience and feel within itself this sorrow and this desire, whether in this way or another, as God deigns to teach his spiritual disciples, in accordance with his good pleasure and their corresponding capacity in body and in soul, in level of attainment and in temperament, until the time comes when they can be perfectly united to God in perfect charity – such perfection as can be attained on earth if God grants» — el capítulo 44 cierra abriendo la vía a cada alma según su capacidad y su temperamento, hasta la unión en caridad perfecta que se pueda alcanzar en la tierra

«I will tell you one thing, though: a young disciple who is not yet well practised and tested in spiritual activity can easily be deceived in this work of contemplation, and, unless he soon takes care and has grace to hold back and humbly accept guidance, his bodily powers may perhaps be destroyed and his spiritual senses give way to delusions. All this is the result of pride, sensuality and intellectual ingenuity» — Cloud, capítulo 45: el discípulo joven y no probado puede engañarse, arruinar sus fuerzas corporales y caer en delirios, por soberbia, sensualidad e ingenio intelectual

«The deception may happen in this way. A young man or woman, newly applied to learning devotion, hears this sorrow and desire read and spoken about – how one is to lift one’s heart up to God and unceasingly desire to feel God’s love. And applying their minds ingeniously, such people at once understand these words not spiritually, as they are intended, but carnally and physically, and they violently torment their physical hearts in their breasts» — el capítulo 45 describe el engaño: quien oye hablar de levantar el corazón lo entiende carnalmente y se atormenta el corazón físico en el pecho

«And what with lacking the grace to which they lay claim, and what with their own pride and ingenuity, they strain their veins and their bodily powers in such a bestial and violent way that within a short time one of two things happens. They may succumb to weariness and a kind of listless weakness of body and soul, which makes them turn outside themselves to seek some false and empty carnal and physical enjoyment, as if to refresh body and spirit» — el capítulo 45 describe el primer desenlace de ese engaño: cansancio y flojedad que empujan a buscar fuera algún disfrute carnal vacío

«Alternatively, if they do not succumb in this way, then – on account of their spiritual blindness and the bodily inflaming of their constitution during this feigned contemplative work (which is not spiritual, but bestial) – either they deservedly have their breasts inflamed with an unnatural physical heat, caused by misusing their bodies or by this feigned contemplation, or they experience an imaginary heat produced by the Devil, their spiritual enemy, caused by their pride, sensuality and intellectual ingenuity» — el capítulo 45 describe el segundo desenlace: un calor físico antinatural en el pecho, por maltratar el cuerpo o por esa contemplación fingida, o un calor imaginario producido por el Diablo

«And yet perhaps they believe it to be the fire of love,72 produced and kindled by the grace and goodness of the Holy Ghost. Truly, many evils spring from this deception and its offshoots: great hypocrisy, great heresy, and great error» — el capítulo 45 nombra lo que esos jóvenes creen tener: el fuego del amor encendido por el Espíritu Santo, y de esa confusión salen hipocresía, herejía y error. Spearing lo lee como ataque a la escuela de Rolle

«For in the Devil’s school such false feeling is immediately followed by false knowledge, just as in God’s school true feeling is followed by true knowledge. For I tell you truly that the Devil has his contemplatives, just as God has his» — la fórmula del capítulo 45 que Spearing cita en su introducción: en la escuela del Diablo al sentir falso sigue el saber falso, y el Diablo tiene sus contemplativos como Dios tiene los suyos

«For God’s love, therefore, take care in this work of contemplation not to strain your heart in your breast too roughly or immoderately, but work with skill rather than with brute force» — Cloud, capítulo 46: la regla de la destreza contra la fuerza bruta en la obra

«For the more skilfully, the more humbly and spiritually; and the more roughly, the more physically and like a beast» — el capítulo 46 opone las dos maneras: la diestra es humilde y espiritual, la ruda es corporal y bestial

«Stones are hard and dry in nature, and where they hit they hurt very painfully; and certainly such rough strainings are hard fixed in the fleshliness of bodily feelings, and are dry and barren of knowledge of grace;75 and they hurt the wretched soul painfully, and make it fester in delusions devised by devils» — el capítulo 46 explica su propia imagen de las piedras: los esfuerzos rudos son duros y secos, sin conocimiento de gracia, y enconan el alma en delirios de los demonios

«Be wary, then, of this beast-like roughness, and teach yourself to love skilfully, with a gentle and composed countenance in body and in soul. Courteously and humbly await the will of our Lord, and do not reach out overhastily like a greedy greyhound, however keen your hunger» — el capítulo 46 manda aprender a amar con destreza, con semblante sereno, y no abalanzarse como un galgo hambriento. Releído en el crudo: el volumen imprime *over-hastily* con el guion a fin de renglón, y la extracción por programa devuelve la forma unida *overhastily*, que no es la del impreso

«And, to put it playfully, I urge you to do your best to control the rough and immature stirrings of your spirit, just as if you did not at all want to let God know how glad you would be to see him and have him or feel him» — el capítulo 46 propone la estratagema del ocultamiento: obrar como si no se quisiera que Dios supiera cuánto se desea verlo y tenerlo

«Perhaps you think this is spoken childishly and in sport; but I believe that anyone who had grace to do and feel as I say would feel God playing merrily with him, like a father with his child,76 kissing and hugging, and would rejoice that it was so» — el capítulo 46 cierra con la imagen del juego: Dios jugando alegremente con el alma como un padre con su hijo, besándola y abrazándola

«Do not be surprised that I am speaking in this childlike way, and as it were foolishly and without natural discretion. I am doing so for certain reasons, as I believe that on many occasions I have been stirred to feel like this and to think and speak like this to some of my other intimate friends in God, just as I am now doing to you» — Cloud, capítulo 47: el autor se explica por hablar de modo infantil y sin discreción natural, y declara haber hablado así a otros amigos íntimos en Dios

«One reason why I urge you to hide from God the desire of your heart is this: because I expect that by such concealment it would come to his knowledge, to your benefit and the fulfilment of your desire, more clearly than it would by any other kind of expression that I think you could yet achieve» — el capítulo 47 da la primera razón del ocultamiento: así llega a conocimiento de Dios con más claridad que por cualquier otra expresión al alcance del discípulo

«Another reason is that I would like such concealed expression to lead you away from the roughness of bodily feeling into the purity and depth of spiritual feeling, and thus in due course help you at last to tie the spiritual knot of burning love between you and your God, in spiritual union and harmony of will» — la segunda razón: esa expresión encubierta aparta de la rudeza del sentir corporal y ayuda a atar el nudo espiritual de amor ardiente

«You know well that God is a spirit; and if someone is to be united with him it needs to be in truth and depth of spirit, very far from anything feigned and bodily» — el capítulo 47 funda todo en que Dios es espíritu, y por eso la unión ha de ser en verdad y hondura de espíritu

«It is true that everything is known to God, and nothing, either bodily or spiritual, can be hidden from his knowledge. But because it is the case that he is a spirit, something hidden in the depth of spirit is more openly made known and revealed to him than anything mingled with any kind of bodiliness; for in the nature of things, everything bodily is further from God than anything spiritual» — el capítulo 47 acota su propia paradoja: nada se le oculta a Dios, y aun así lo escondido en lo hondo del espíritu se le manifiesta más, porque lo corporal está más lejos de él

«And yet I am not urging you to hide it completely, for it would be a fool’s advice to urge you to do completely what cannot be done at all» — el capítulo 47 se desdice en parte: no manda ocultarlo del todo, que sería consejo de necio, sino hacer lo que se pueda

«And so I will tell you only of those that will befall you if you exert yourself in this work; and I do this so that you will be wary of them in your activity if you are assailed by them» — el capítulo 45 del Cloud acota su catálogo de engaños a los que amenazan al propio discípulo, para que esté sobre aviso

«Not that his sight can be clearer at any time or in any respect than another, because it is eternally unchanging; but your soul is more like him» — el capítulo 47 enmienda la impresión que él mismo acaba de dar: la vista de Dios no se aclara, porque es eternamente inmutable; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *when it is pure in spirit, because he is a spirit*

«There is another reason why I urge you to do what you can not to let him know. You and I, and many such as ourselves, are so liable to understand in a bodily sense something which is said spiritually that perhaps, if I had urged you to show the stirring of your heart to God, you would have shown it to him in a bodily way, in expression, or in voice, or in word, or by some other crude bodily exertion, as when you are to show something hidden in your heart to a bodily person; and to that extent your work would have been impure. For things must be shown in one way to human beings, and in another way to God» — la tercera razón del capítulo 47: por la propensión a entender en sentido corporal lo dicho espiritualmente, mostrar el corazón a Dios acabaría en gesto, voz o palabra, y las cosas se muestran de un modo a los hombres y de otro a Dios

«I do not say this because I want you to stop if at any time you are moved to pray orally, or, through abundance of devotion in your spirit, to burst out in speech to God as if to a human being, and utter some good phrase to which you feel stirred, such as ‘Good Jesus!’, ‘Fair Jesus!’, ‘Sweet Jesus!’, or anything similar» — Cloud, capítulo 48: el autor acota su enseñanza sobre el ocultamiento: no prohíbe la oración vocal ni el estallido devoto de Buen Jesús, Hermoso Jesús, Dulce Jesús

«And God forbid that I should separate what God has joined, the body and the spirit, for God wishes to be served with body and with soul, both together, as is proper, and to grant man his heavenly reward both in body and in soul» — el capítulo 48 rechaza separar cuerpo y espíritu: Dios quiere ser servido con los dos juntos y premiar en los dos

«And, as a foretaste of that reward, sometimes – not once or twice, but perhaps very often, whenever pleases him – he will set aflame the body of a devout servant of his, here in this life, with most wonderful sensations of sweetness and pleasure. Some of these do not come into the body from outside through the windows of our senses, but from inside, rising and springing from abundance of spiritual joy, and from true devotion in spirit» — el capítulo 48 admite sensaciones corporales de dulzura, y las distingue por su origen: las que no entran por las ventanas de los sentidos sino que suben de dentro, de la abundancia de gozo espiritual

«Such pleasure and sweetness should not be held suspect, and, in a word, I believe that anyone who experiences it cannot hold it suspect. But all other pleasures, sounds, and exultings, and sweetnesses, that come suddenly from outside yourself, you do not know from where, I beg you to hold suspect. For they may be either good or evil: produced by a good angel if they are good, and by an evil angel if they are evil» — el capítulo 48 reparte la sospecha: las de dentro no se sospechan, las que llegan de fuera sin saber de dónde sí, porque pueden venir de un ángel bueno o de uno malo

«And why is that? Truly, because what produces this pleasure is the devout stirring of love, that dwells in pure spirit. This is shaped by the hand of almighty God, without intermediary, and so it must always be remote from any delusion or false opinion that may come to us in earthly life» — el capítulo 48 da el criterio: lo que produce ese deleite es el impulso devoto de amor, moldeado sin intermediario por la mano de Dios, y por eso queda lejos del engaño

«As to the other pleasures, sounds and sweetnesses, and how you should know whether they are good or evil, I do not intend to tell you now, because it seems to me to be unnecessary; for you can find this in another place, written by someone else,77 a thousand times better than I can say or write» — el capítulo 48 remite otra vez a un libro de otro autor, sin nombrarlo, y le concede ventaja sobre el propio. Es el pasaje en que Spearing ve un elogio a Hilton

«I beg you, then, to rely gladly on this humble stirring of love in your heart, and follow it, for it will be your guide in this life and bring you to heaven in the other. It is the substance of every good life and without it no good work can be begun or finished» — Cloud, capítulo 49: el impulso humilde de amor es guía en esta vida y sustancia de toda vida buena

«It is nothing but a good will in harmony with God, and a kind of satisfaction and gladness that you feel in your will with all that he does» — el capítulo 49 define ese impulso: buena voluntad concorde con Dios y una especie de satisfacción y alegría en todo lo que él hace

«Such a good will is the substance of all perfection. All feelings of sweetness and pleasure, bodily or spiritual, are, as it were, merely its accidents,78 however holy they may be; they merely depend on this good will» — el capítulo 49 fija su distinción central: la buena voluntad es la sustancia de la perfección y las dulzuras son sus accidentes, por santas que sean

«I call them accidents, because they may be present or absent without affecting its nature. (I mean in this life; but it is not so in the bliss of heaven, for there they will be indivisibly united with the substance of perfection, as the body in which they operate will be united with the soul» — el capítulo 49 explica el término accidente y lo acota a esta vida: en la bienaventuranza esas dulzuras quedarán unidas indivisiblemente a la sustancia

«And I firmly believe that anyone who experiences this perfection of will (so far as it may be attained on earth) will be as willing and pleased to lack any sweet or pleasant sensation that can come to a person in this life, if that is what God wills, as he would be to feel it and possess it» — el capítulo 49 da la prueba de la perfección de la voluntad: quedar tan contento sin la dulzura como con ella, si eso es lo que Dios quiere

«Thus you can see that we should direct our whole concern towards this humble stirring of love in our will; and (if it is courteous and becoming to say so) we should have a kind of heedlessness about all other feelings of sweetness and pleasure, bodily or spiritual, however delightful or however holy they may be» — Cloud, capítulo 50: toda la atención al impulso humilde de amor, y una especie de descuido respecto de las demás dulzuras

«If they come, welcome them; but do not rely too much on them for fear of weakness, for it will take a great deal of your strength to sustain such feelings and weepings79 for any length of time» — el capítulo 50 acota el trato con esas dulzuras: acogerlas sin apoyarse en ellas, porque sostener esos sentimientos y llantos consume mucha fuerza. Spearing lee aquí una advertencia contra el llanto violento de las místicas continentales

«Perhaps, too, you may be moved to love God for their sake, something you will recognize by the fact that you are excessively discontent when they are missing. If so, your love is not yet either pure or perfect» — el capítulo 50 da la señal de amor impuro: el descontento excesivo cuando esas dulzuras faltan

«Practise continually this blind, devout and glad stirring of love that I am describing, and then I have no doubt that it will be well able to tell you about them. And if on the first occasion you are partly bewildered by them, because they are unfamiliar, still, this is what it will do for you: it will bind your heart so firmly that you will not give full credence to them until the time comes when you gain certainty about them, either wonderfully from within by the spirit of God, or else from without by the advice of some judicious spiritual father» — el capítulo 48 del Cloud da su prueba práctica: el impulso ciego de amor atará el corazón para no dar crédito a esas sensaciones hasta tener certeza, por el espíritu de Dios o por consejo de un padre espiritual juicioso

«Yet in some people it is uncommon for their love to be without such pleasures, while in others such sensations of sweetness and pleasure are present only rarely. All this is as God disposes and ordains, according to different people’s welfare and needs» — el capítulo 50 del Cloud reparte las dulzuras según lo que Dios dispone para el bien y la necesidad de cada quien

«Some people are so weak and tender of spirit that, if they did not receive some encouragement by experiencing such sweetness, they could never bear or endure the variety of temptations and tribulations that they suffer and are tormented with in this life at the hands of their bodily and spiritual enemies» — el capítulo 50 explica para quiénes son esas dulzuras: los flacos y tiernos de espíritu, que sin ese aliento no aguantarían las tentaciones y tribulaciones de esta vida

«Some too are so weak in body that they cannot perform severe penance to purify themselves, and our Lord will most graciously cleanse them in spirit with such sweet feelings and weepings» — el capítulo 50 da la segunda razón: a quien no puede hacer penitencia severa por flaqueza de cuerpo, el Señor lo limpia en espíritu con esos sentimientos dulces

«And then on the other hand there are people so strong in spirit that they are able to find sufficient pleasure inwardly in their souls, in offering up this reverent and humble stirring of love and harmony of will, so that they have no great need to be sustained with such sweet pleasure in their bodily feelings. Which of the two of these types is the holier or dearer to God, God knows and not I» — el capítulo 50 se abstiene de arbitrar entre los dos tipos, los que necesitan la dulzura y los que no: quién es más santo o más amado de Dios, lo sabe Dios y no él

«Rely humbly, therefore, on this blind stirring of love in your heart; I do not mean your bodily heart, but your spiritual heart, which is your will» — Cloud, capítulo 51: el corazón del que habla no es el corporal sino el espiritual, es decir, la voluntad

«And be very careful that you do not understand in a bodily sense what is said spiritually, for I tell you truly that the bodily and literal conceptions of those who have ingenious and fanciful minds are the cause of much error» — el capítulo 51 enuncia la regla de lectura del libro y la causa del error: las concepciones corporales y literales de las mentes ingeniosas y fantasiosas

«It is especially desirable to be careful with the words IN and UP, because I believe that among those who intend to be contemplatives great error and deception derive from the misunderstanding of these two words» — el capítulo 51 señala las dos palabras de las que vienen los mayores engaños: IN y UP

«This may go so far that, if his adviser will not agree that he should engage in this activity, he feels a kind of resentment against him, and thinks – yes, and perhaps says to others like himself – that he can find no one who really knows what he means» — el capítulo 51 describe la reacción ante el consejo contrario: resentimiento y la queja de que nadie lo entiende

«It is the nearest way to death of body and soul, for it is madness, not wisdom, and it leads to madness itself. Yet that is not what they believe, for in this work they imagine themselves to think of nothing but God» — el capítulo 51 cierra: es el camino más corto a la muerte del cuerpo y del alma, es locura y lleva a la locura, y ellos creen estar pensando solo en Dios

«The madness I am referring to is produced in this way. They read and hear it said that they should give up outward activity with their senses, and work inwardly; and because they do not know what inward working is they work wrongly. They turn their bodily senses inwards into their own bodies against the course of nature, and contort themselves as if to see inwards with their bodily eyes, and hear inwards with their ears, and similarly with all their senses, smelling, tasting and feeling inwards» — Cloud, capítulo 52: describe el mecanismo del error, volver los sentidos corporales hacia dentro del propio cuerpo contra el curso de la naturaleza

«And thus they turn themselves inside out, against the course of nature, and with their ingenuity torment their imaginations so excessively that at last their brains are turned in their heads» — el capítulo 52 describe el desenlace: de tanto atormentar la imaginación se les trastorna el cerebro

«Then immediately the Devil has power to feign certain false lights or sounds, sweet smells in their noses, wonderful tastes in their mouths, and many strange heats and burnings in their bodily breasts or bowels, in their backs and loins, and in their private parts» — el capítulo 52 enumera lo que el Diablo finge entonces: luces y sonidos falsos, olores dulces, sabores maravillosos y calores extraños en pecho, vientre, espalda, lomos y partes privadas

«Yet in this fantasy it seems to them that they are tranquilly thinking of God without any hindrance from distracting thoughts. And indeed that is true in a way, for they are so filled with falsehood that distraction cannot harm them» — el capítulo 52 consigna la paradoja del engaño: les parece pensar en Dios sin distracción, y en cierto modo es cierto, porque están tan llenos de falsedad que la distracción no los daña

«Because the very same devil who would minister distracting thoughts to them if they were on the right path is the leader of this exercise – and you can be sure he does not wish to hinder himself! He will not interfere with their thoughts of God for fear he should arouse suspicion» — la razón que el capítulo 52 da: el mismo demonio que les daría distracciones dirige el ejercicio, y no va a estorbarse a sí mismo ni a levantar sospecha

«A young disciple in God’s school, newly turned away from the world, may believe that the short period in which he has given himself to penance and prayer, on the advice received from his confessor, enables him to undertake the work of contemplation of which he has heard those about him speak or read, or perhaps has read himself» — el capítulo 51 del Cloud describe la presunción del discípulo joven: cree que un poco de penitencia y oración lo habilita para la contemplación de que ha oído hablar

«And so, when he reads of spiritual activity, or hears it discussed, and especially statements such as that one should draw one’s thoughts entirely within oneself or that one must climb above oneself, then at once, through spiritual blindness and the literalism and ingenuity of his natural intelligence, he misunderstands these statements, and believes that, because he finds in himself a natural longing for mystical matters, he is therefore called by grace to contemplation» — el capítulo 51 sigue: al leer que hay que recogerse dentro o subir sobre sí, la ceguera y el literalismo le hacen tomar su inclinación natural por llamada de gracia

«And so at once, out of the boldness and presumption of their ingenious minds, such people give up humble prayer and penance too soon, and apply themselves (so they believe) to highly spiritual inward work in their souls – work which, if truly understood, is neither bodily activity nor spiritual» — el capítulo 51 nombra lo que resulta de esa presunción: dejan pronto la oración humilde y la penitencia por una obra que no es corporal ni espiritual; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«activity, but, to put it bluntly, it is unnatural work, and the Devil is its leader» — la continuación en la plana siguiente: obra contranatural, dicho sin rodeos, y cuyo caudillo es el Diablo

«Many remarkable habits attend those who are deceived by this false contemplation, or any aspect of it, by contrast with the habits of those who are God’s true disciples. The latter are always becoming in all their behaviour, bodily or spiritual, but it is not so with the former» — Cloud, capítulo 53: los engañados por la falsa contemplación se reconocen por sus hábitos, frente al porte decoroso de los discípulos verdaderos

«Were anyone to watch or catch sight of them as they sit while thus engaged, if it happened that their eyelids were open, he would see them staring as if they were mad, and grinning as if they saw the Devil. They had better look out, to be sure, for the Devil is really not far off» — el capítulo 53 abre la sátira de los falsos contemplativos: los ojos abiertos como locos y la mueca de quien ve al Diablo

«Some have their eyes fixed in their heads as if they were staggering80 sheep knocked on the head and soon about to die» — la sátira del capítulo 53 sigue con los ojos clavados como los de una oveja aturdida a punto de morir

«Some hang their heads to the side, as if a worm were in their ears. Some pipe feebly when they have to speak, as if there were no energy in their bodies; and this is the true characteristic of a hypocrite» — el capítulo 53 adjudica el pipeo débil al hipócrita, y la cabeza ladeada al que tiene un gusano en la oreja

«Some are so greedy and hasty to say what they think, that they cry and whine in their throats; and this characterizes heretics,81 and those who, with presumption and intellectual ingenuity, insist on upholding error» — el capítulo 53 adjudica a los herejes el ansia de decir lo que piensan, con lloriqueo en la garganta. Es una de las referencias a herejes que Spearing lee como alusión a los lolardos

«There are some upholders of error, though, who are skilful enough to be able to control themselves in large part when they are in public; but if they could be seen in places where they are at home, I think their behaviour would not be concealed» — el capítulo 53 acota su propio retrato: algunos sostenedores del error se dominan en público y no en su casa

«Indeed, I think that if someone were to contradict their opinions directly, they would soon be seen to lose some of their control; and yet it seems to them that everything they do is for the love of God and to uphold the truth» — el capítulo 53 da la prueba: contradecirlos de frente les hace perder el dominio, y aun así creen obrar por amor de Dios y en defensa de la verdad

«I do not assert that the Devil has any servant on earth so perfect as to be deceived and infected with all the fantasies that I describe here, though indeed it could be that one of them is infected with them all, or even that many are. But I do say that he has no perfect hypocrite or heretic on earth who is not guilty of some of the fantasies I have mentioned, or perhaps shall mention, if God grants» — el capítulo 53 acota el alcance de su retrato: no dice que un solo siervo del Diablo reúna todas esas fantasías, y sí que ningún hipócrita ni hereje carece de alguna

«I do not say that all these inappropriate habits are in themselves major sins, nor that all those who indulge in them are themselves great sinners. But I say that if these inappropriate and disorderly habits take such control over the person who engages in them that he cannot give them up when he wishes, then they are signs of pride and intellectual ingenuity, and of unruly display and greed for knowledge. In particular they are reliable signs of instability of heart and restlessness of mind, and especially of the lack of true contemplation» — el capítulo 53 acota su sátira: esos hábitos no son en sí pecados graves, y son señales de soberbia, ingenio, inestabilidad de corazón y falta de contemplación verdadera cuando ya no se pueden dejar

«That is the only reason why I set out so many of these deceptions here in writing, so that a contemplative can test his own work against them» — el capítulo 53 declara para qué escribió la sátira: para que el contemplativo pruebe su propia obra contra ella

«The work of contemplation will have a favourable effect on the body as well as the soul of anyone who practises it, and make him agreeable to everyone, man or woman, who sees him; so that the appearance of the most ill-favoured man or woman living on earth, if they could by grace be enabled to engage in this work, would be suddenly transformed into graciousness» — Cloud, capítulo 54: la obra afecta también al cuerpo y vuelve agraciada la apariencia del más desfavorecido

«Thus all good people who saw them would be glad and joyful to have their company, and would find that in their presence they were very greatly comforted in spirit and helped by grace towards God» — el capítulo 54 describe el efecto sobre los demás: su compañía consuela el espíritu y ayuda por gracia hacia Dios

«So let this gift be gained by anyone permitted by grace to gain it, for anyone who truly possesses it will be well able to govern himself and all that belongs to him by virtue of it. When necessary he would be well able to judge people of all kinds and characters. He would be well able to adapt himself to all who conversed with him, whether or not they were habitual sinners, yet without sin on his own part, to the amazement of all who saw him, drawing others by the help of grace to the same spiritual work that he himself practises» — el capítulo 54 describe lo que ese don hace en el trato: sabe juzgar a todos y acomodarse a todos sin pecar, y atrae a otros a la misma obra

«His words and behaviour would be full of spiritual wisdom, ardent and fruitful, spoken seriously and sincerely, without affectation, very different from the deception and piping of hypocrites» — el capítulo 54 opone la palabra ardiente y sin afectación del contemplativo verdadero al pipeo engañoso de los hipócritas

«Many disorderly and unbecoming habits attend this error, if you were to recognize them all» — el capítulo 53 del Cloud anuncia el catálogo de hábitos desordenados que acompañan al error

«These people will care more and lament more for an ill-regulated look, or a disagreeable or unsuitable word spoken in public, than they will for a thousand empty thoughts and stinking stirrings of sin willingly indulged in or heedlessly spewed up in the sight of God and the saints and angels in heaven» — el capítulo 54 mide la desproporción: se duelen más de una mirada mal medida en público que de mil pensamientos vacíos y movimientos hediondos de pecado

«I willingly admit that it is suitable and becoming for those who are inwardly humble to show humble and becoming words and behaviour outwardly, in keeping with the humility that dwells within the heart» — el capítulo 54 concede lo que hay de justo en el porte humilde: a la humildad de dentro le corresponde palabra y conducta humildes fuera

«But I do not say that the words should be uttered in broken or feeble voices, contrary to the plain natural character of the speakers. If words are true, they will be spoken in veracity and in the integrity of the speaker’s voice and spirit» — el otro lado de esa concesión: la voz no se quiebra ni se debilita contra el carácter natural de quien habla, porque lo verdadero se dice con la voz íntegra

«What more shall I say about these poisonous deceptions? Unless these people have grace to give up such piping hypocrisy, I truly believe that, between the inward pride of their hearts and the outward humility of their words, their wretched souls will very soon sink into misery» — el cierre del capítulo 54, que Spearing cita en inglés medio por su aliteración: entre la soberbia de dentro y las palabras humildes de fuera, esas almas se hundirán pronto en la miseria

«The Devil chooses to deceive some people in the following way. He will marvellously inflame their brains with the desire to uphold God’s law and destroy sin in everyone else. He will never tempt them with anything that is manifestly evil» — Cloud, capítulo 55: el engaño por celo, inflamar el cerebro con el deseo de sostener la ley de Dios y destruir el pecado ajeno, sin tentar nunca con lo abiertamente malo

«He makes them like anxious prelates watching over the lives of Christian people of all ranks, as an abbot does over his monks. They will rebuke everyone for their faults, just as if they had their souls in their care; and it seems to them that they dare not do otherwise for God’s sake» — el capítulo 55 describe la figura que el engañado adopta: prelado ansioso que vigila a todos como un abad a sus monjes y reprende como si tuviera sus almas a cargo

«They tell them of the faults they see, claiming to be impelled to do so by the fire of charity and the love of God in their hearts; but in truth they are lying, for it is by the fire of hell surging in their brains and their imaginations» — el capítulo 55 adjudica el móvil verdadero: dicen obrar por el fuego de la caridad y mienten, porque es el fuego del infierno en el cerebro y en la imaginación

«The Devil is a spirit, and of his own nature he no more has a body than an angel has; but all the same, when he or an angel has God’s leave to take on a body so as to minister to anyone in this life, the nature of his body is to some degree in the likeness of the activity to which he will minister» — el capítulo 55 enuncia la regla de correspondencia que va a aplicar: el cuerpo que un espíritu toma se asemeja en algo a la obra que viene a hacer

«In the Old Testament and also the New, whenever an angel was sent down in bodily form, the spiritual nature of his business or message was always manifested either by his name or by some attribute or characteristic of his body» — el capítulo 55 funda esa regla en la Escritura: el sentido de la misión del ángel se manifestaba en su nombre o en algún rasgo de su cuerpo

«This can be illustrated by a single instance to stand for all others. I have understood from some students of necromancy who possess the knowledge to summon up wicked spirits, and from some to whom the Devil has appeared in bodily likeness, that in whatever bodily likeness the Devil appears, he always has only one nostril, and that a large, wide one» — el capítulo 55 declara de dónde toma el dato del único orificio nasal del Diablo: de estudiosos de nigromancia capaces de convocar espíritus malignos y de personas a quienes se les apareció

«And he will gladly raise it, so that a person can see through it up into his brain in his head. This brain is nothing other than the fire of hell, for that is the only brain the Devil can have; and if he is able to make someone look in at it, he desires nothing better, because that glance would make him lose his wits for ever» — el capítulo 55 sigue el detalle: ese cerebro no es sino el fuego del infierno, y mirarlo hace perder el juicio para siempre

«But an accomplished apprentice of necromancy knows this well enough, and can take precautions, so that he will not harm him» — el capítulo 55 consigna, sin condenarlo en esa línea, que el aprendiz avezado de nigromancia sabe tomar precauciones contra ese daño

«The division that exists in one’s nose bodily, separating one nostril from the other, symbolizes that one should have spiritual discrimination, and be able to distinguish good from bad, bad from worse, and good from better, before one gives a final judgement of anything that one has heard spoken or seen done around one» — el capítulo 55 interpreta el tabique nasal como símbolo del discernimiento: distinguir bueno de malo, malo de peor y bueno de mejor antes de juzgar

«And in a spiritual sense by the brain is understood imagination, because by nature it dwells and operates in the head» — el capítulo 55 cierra la alegoría identificando el cerebro con la imaginación, que por naturaleza reside y obra en la cabeza

«silly juggling jesters in search of attention. Appropriate behaviour would mean sober and reserved bodily conduct and a pleasant manner» — el capítulo 53 del Cloud cierra su sátira de los falsos contemplativos con el porte que sí convendría: conducta corporal sobria y reservada y trato agradable. Spearing reproduce el resto de la sátira palabra por palabra en su introducción, y esta cola es lo único del pasaje que solo existe aquí, en el cuerpo

«There are some who, when they speak, plan with all their inward and outward powers how they can make every provision to keep up their reputations, speaking humbly and feebly, with many outward signs of devotion» — el capítulo 54 describe a los que calculan cada palabra para conservar su fama, hablando con humildad y flojedad y con muchas muestras exteriores de devoción; el tramo cruza el cambio de plana

«more concerned to seem holy to human eyes than to be holy in the sight of God and his angels» — la continuación: más atentos a parecer santos a los ojos humanos que a serlo ante Dios y sus ángeles

«and if someone who has by nature a plain, open, rough voice speaks weakly and feebly – I mean, unless he is sick in body, or is speaking secretly with God or his confessor – that is a clear sign of hypocrisy» — el capítulo 54 da la señal clara de hipocresía, y la acota en la misma frase: salvo enfermedad del cuerpo o conversación secreta con Dios o con el confesor

«This is because, spiritually, they have only one nostril» — el capítulo 55 remata la alegoría: eso es tener espiritualmente un solo orificio nasal

«For he so inflames the imagination of his contemplatives with the fire of hell that suddenly, with no discrimination, they shoot out their strange fancies» — el capítulo 55 del Cloud aplica la figura: el Diablo inflama la imaginación de sus contemplativos con el fuego del infierno y les hace disparar sus fantasías sin discernir

«There are some people who, though not deceived by the error I have been describing, still, as a result of pride, ingenuity of natural intelligence, and scholarly skill, abandon the accepted teaching and advice of Holy Church; and these, with all their supporters, rely too much on their own knowledge» — Cloud, capítulo 56: otros, sin caer en ese error, abandonan por soberbia e ingenio la enseñanza recibida de la Iglesia y se apoyan demasiado en su propio saber

«They have never had a firm basis in humble, blind feeling and virtuous living, and therefore they have a well-deserved false feeling, devised and produced by the spiritual enemy; and the outcome is that eventually they burst out in blasphemy against all the saints, sacraments, statutes and ordinances of Holy Church» — el capítulo 56 traza la deriva: sin base en el sentir humilde y ciego y en la vida virtuosa, acaban blasfemando de los santos, los sacramentos y los estatutos de la Iglesia

«People dedicated to the world and the flesh, who think the statutes of Holy Church too hard to live up to, incline very quickly and readily towards these heretics and strongly support them, entirely because they appear to lead them by an easier path than that ordained by Holy Church» — el capítulo 56 adjudica el móvil de quienes apoyan a los herejes: les parece camino más fácil que el que ordena la Iglesia. Spearing lee aquí una alusión a los patronos de Wyclif

«Now I truly believe that anyone who declines to take the narrow path to heaven will take the easy path to hell: let everyone test it for himself» — el capítulo 56 enuncia la alternativa de los dos caminos y remite la prueba a cada quien

«For I believe that if all such heretics and all their supporters could be seen clearly as they will be on the last day, they would at once be seen to be secretly burdened with great and hideous sins of the world and their foul flesh, quite apart from their open presumption in upholding error. Thus they are quite properly called Antichrist’s disciples, for of them it is said that, for all their false outward conduct, they will be revealed as proud lechers inwardly» — el capítulo 56 llama a esos herejes discípulos del Anticristo y les adjudica pecados ocultos de mundo y de carne: por fuera compostura y por dentro lujuriosos soberbios

«No more about them for the moment; but let us proceed to see how these presumptuous young mystical disciples misunderstand another word, UP. If it happens that they read, or hear it read or said, that people should lift up their hearts to God, they immediately stare at the stars as if they wanted to be above the moon, and listen to see if they can hear angels singing from heaven» — Cloud, capítulo 57: el error sobre la palabra UP, que hace mirar a las estrellas como para subir sobre la luna y escuchar si cantan los ángeles

«At times these men will penetrate the planetary spheres with the ingenuity of their imaginations, and make a hole in the firmament so as to look in through it» — el capítulo 57 sigue la sátira: atraviesan con la imaginación las esferas planetarias y hacen un agujero en el firmamento para asomarse

«These men will fashion a God as they please, and clothe him in rich clothes, and place him on a throne, far more elaborately than he has ever been painted on earth» — el pasaje del capítulo 57 que Spearing cita para preguntarse si el autor no suena a lolardo: se fabrican un Dios a su gusto, lo visten de ropas ricas y lo entronizan

«These men will create angels in bodily likeness, and provide each of them with different kinds of musical instrument, far more elaborate than was ever seen or heard in this life» — el capítulo 57 completa la fábrica: ángeles con figura corporal y con instrumentos musicales más elaborados que ninguno visto ni oído

«The Devil will marvellously deceive some of these men. He will send a kind of dew – they suppose it to be angels’ food – as if it were coming out of the air, and falling softly and sweetly into their mouths; and so they make it a habit to sit gaping as if to catch flies» — el capítulo 57 describe el rocío que el Diablo les manda por alimento de ángeles y que los deja boquiabiertos como cazando moscas

«Now truly all this is mere deception, however holy it seems, for meanwhile their souls are completely empty of any real devotion. There is so much vanity and falsehood in their hearts, arising from their ingenious practices, that the Devil often fashions strange sounds in their ears, strange lights and shining in their eyes, and wonderful smells in their noses; and it is all counterfeit» — el capítulo 57 declara falso todo eso: el alma queda vacía de devoción verdadera y el Diablo les fabrica sonidos, luces y olores

«Yet they do not think so; for it seems to them that they have models for this looking and straining upward in St Martin, who in a revelation saw God dressed in his mantle among his angels, and in St Stephen, who saw our Lord standing in heaven, and in many others; and in Christ, who ascended bodily into heaven in the sight of his disciples» — el capítulo 57 consigna los modelos que ellos alegan: san Martín viendo a Dios con su manto entre los ángeles, san Esteban viendo al Señor en pie, y la ascensión corporal de Cristo

«And so they say we should turn our eyes upwards. I fully agree that in our bodily observances we should raise our eyes and our hands if we are stirred in spirit to do so» — el capítulo 57 concede la parte exterior: levantar ojos y manos es correcto cuando el espíritu mueve a ello

«But I say that the activity of our spirit must not be directed either upwards or downwards, or on one side or another, or forwards or backwards, as with something bodily, because our contemplative work should be spiritual, not bodily or performed in a bodily manner» — el otro lado de esa concesión: la obra del espíritu no va ni arriba ni abajo ni a un lado, porque es espiritual y no corporal

«What they say about St Martin and St Stephen, even if they saw such things with their bodily eyes, occurred as a miracle and an attestation of something spiritual» — Cloud, capítulo 58: aun si vieron con ojos corporales, lo suyo fue milagro y testimonio de algo espiritual

«For they know very well that St Martin’s mantle never came materially on to Christ’s own body because of any need he had of it to protect himself from the cold, but as a miracle and a parable for all of us who are able to be saved and are made one with Christ’s body in spirit» — el capítulo 58 lee el manto de san Martín como milagro y parábola, no como abrigo material para Cristo

«Anyone who for the love of God clothes a poor person or does any other good deed, bodily or spiritual, for anyone in need, can be certain that spiritually they do it to Christ, and will receive as real a reward for it as if they had done it to Christ’s own body» — el capítulo 58 saca la lección: lo hecho por amor de Dios a quien lo necesita se hace espiritualmente a Cristo y tiene igual premio

«He says this himself in the Gospel,84 but he thought it was not enough unless he affirmed it afterwards by miracle; and that was why he showed himself to St Martin in a revelation» — el capítulo 58 explica la función del milagro: repetir por revelación lo que ya estaba dicho en el Evangelio. El ancla conserva la llamada de nota 84, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«All the revelations ever seen by anyone in this life in bodily form have spiritual meanings; and I believe that if those to whom they were shown, or we for whose sake they were shown, had been spiritual enough, or could have understood their meanings spiritually, they would never have been shown in bodily form» — el capítulo 58 declara que toda revelación corporal tiene sentido espiritual, y arriesga que a gente bastante espiritual no se le habría mostrado en forma corporal

«So let us pick off the rough husk, and feed ourselves on the sweet kernel» — la fórmula del capítulo 58 para leer las revelaciones: quitar la cáscara áspera y comer el grano dulce

«But how? Not like the heretics,86 who are aptly compared to wild men whose custom it is, whenever they have drunk from a fine cup, to throw it against the wall and break it» — el capítulo 58 pone el límite con la imagen de los herejes que rompen la copa contra la pared tras beber. Spearing la analiza como el punto donde la alusión a los lolardos se vuelve ambigua

«We must not do this if we want to do well. For we are not to feed ourselves on the fruit in such a way that we despise the tree, or to drink in such a way that we break the cup when we have drunk» — el capítulo 58 aplica la imagen: no despreciar el árbol por comer el fruto, ni romper la copa por haber bebido

«By the tree and the cup I mean the visible miracle, and all suitable bodily practices that are in accordance with the work of the spirit and do not hinder it» — el capítulo 58 descifra su alegoría: el árbol y la copa son el milagro visible y las prácticas corporales que acompañan la obra del espíritu sin estorbarla

«By the fruit and the drink I mean the spiritual significance of visible miracles, and of suitable bodily practices such as lifting up our eyes and hands to heaven. If they are done at the prompting of the spirit, they are well done; otherwise they are hypocrisy, and then they are false. If they are true and contain spiritual fruit, why should they be despised? – for people will kiss the cup because there is wine in it» — la otra mitad de la alegoría, y el remate que Spearing subraya por evocar el beso al cáliz eucarístico: se besa la copa porque hay vino en ella

«And what though our Lord, when he ascended bodily into heaven, rose upwards into the clouds as his mother and his disciples watched with their bodily eyes? Does that mean that when contemplating we should always stare upwards with our bodily eyes, to look whether we can see him sitting or standing bodily in heaven, as St Stephen did» — el capítulo 58 del Cloud plantea la objeción de la ascensión vista con ojos corporales y la de san Esteban, para negar que impongan mirar hacia arriba al contemplar

«How his body is in heaven, standing, sitting, or lying, no man knows, and there is no need for it to be known, or to know anything more than that his body was raised up with his soul, without separation» — el capítulo 58 declara desconocida e irrelevante la postura del cuerpo de Cristo en el cielo: basta que fue elevado con su alma sin separación

«If he showed himself lying or standing or sitting to any person in this life, it was for some spiritual significance, and not because of any bodily posture that he has in heaven» — el capítulo 58 adjudica sentido espiritual a toda postura vista en revelación

«Let me give an illustration. By ‘standing’ is understood readiness to help; and for this reason one comrade commonly says to another when in bodily battle, ‘Keep going, friend, and fight hard, and don’t give up the battle too easily, because I’ll stand by you.’ He does not just mean standing in a bodily sense, for perhaps the battle is on horse and not on foot, and perhaps it is moving and not standing still; but when he says that he will stand by him he means that he will be ready to help him» — el ejemplo del capítulo 58 que Spearing analiza para mostrar que ni las preposiciones se aplican literalmente a Dios: estar al lado en la batalla significa estar presto a ayudar, no estar de pie

«Thus you can see that bodily revelations were given for spiritual purposes» — el capítulo 58 cierra con su regla: las revelaciones corporales se dieron con fines espirituales

«Concerning the ascension of our Lord, if you say that it occurred in bodily form, and with a bodily as well as a spiritual meaning, because he ascended both as true God and as true Man, I will answer that he had been dead, and was clothed in immortality, and so shall we be at the Day of Judgement» — Cloud, capítulo 59: la objeción por la ascensión en cuerpo y la respuesta, que Cristo había muerto y estaba revestido de inmortalidad, como lo estaremos en el juicio

«And then we shall be made so subtle in body and in soul together that we shall be wherever we wish in body as swiftly as we are now spiritually in our thoughts, whether it is up or down, on one side or the other, behind or in front. I expect that then all directions will be equally good, as scholars say» — el capítulo 59 describe el cuerpo glorioso: tan sutil que estará donde quiera tan rápido como ahora está el pensamiento, y entonces todas las direcciones serán igual de buenas

«Now, though, you cannot come to heaven in body, but only in spirit, and it must be so much in spirit that it will not be in any bodily manner, neither upwards nor downwards, on one side nor the other, behind nor in front» — el capítulo 59 acota el presente: al cielo no se va en cuerpo sino en espíritu, y tanto en espíritu que no será de modo corporal en ninguna dirección

«And though it may sometimes be called ‘rest’, all the same they must not think that it is rest of the kind that involves staying in a place without moving from it. For the perfection of this contemplative work is so pure and spiritual in nature that, if well and truly understood, it must be regarded as far removed from any stirring and from any place» — el capítulo 59 hace lo mismo con la palabra reposo: no es quedarse en un sitio sin moverse, porque la obra está lejos de todo movimiento y de todo lugar

«It might with good reason be called a sudden transformation rather than a stirring that involves place; for time, place, and body, these three should be forgotten in all spiritual work» — el capítulo 59 propone llamarla transformación súbita, y enuncia la regla que Spearing subraya: tiempo, lugar y cuerpo se olvidan en toda obra espiritual

«If indeed you were going to ascend bodily into heaven, as Christ did, then you could use it as a model; but no one can do that except God, as he himself witnesses when he says, ‘No man may ascend into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, and became man for the love of man» — el capítulo 59 cierra la objeción con la Escritura: nadie sube al cielo sino el que descendió de él y se hizo hombre por amor del hombre. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«Now perhaps you will say, ‘How must it be then?’; for it seems to you that you have true evidence that heaven is upwards, given that Christ ascended there upwards in body, and sent the Holy Ghost, as he promised, descending from above in a bodily sense, in the sight of all his disciples; and this is what we believe. So, since you have this true evidence, there seems to you no reason why you should not direct your mind upwards in a bodily sense when you are praying» — Cloud, capítulo 60: la objeción del discípulo, que la ascensión y la venida del Espíritu prueban que el cielo está arriba

«My response, weak though it may be, is this. Since it was the case that Christ was to ascend in body and afterwards send the Holy Ghost in body, it was more appropriate that it was upwards and from above than downwards and from below, behind or in front, on one side or the other; but if it were not for this appropriateness, he no more needed to have gone upwards than downwards, I mean so far as the shortness of the way was concerned» — la respuesta del capítulo 60: fue conveniente que subiera y bajara así, y salvo por esa conveniencia no le hacía más falta subir que bajar

«For spiritually heaven is as near down as up, and up as down, behind as in front, in front as behind, on one side as on the other, to such an extent that anyone who had a true desire to be in heaven would be there in spirit at that very moment» — el capítulo 60 niega toda dirección al cielo espiritual: quien de veras desea estar en él ya está ahí en espíritu en ese mismo instante

«By their life he meant their love and desire, which in spiritual terms are their life. And indeed a soul is as truly in the place where it loves as it is in the body that lives by it and to which it gives life» — el capítulo 60 saca la consecuencia: el alma está tan de veras donde ama como en el cuerpo al que da vida

«It was for this reason that our Lord showed himself in bodily form in heaven to St Stephen, when he was about to be martyred, and not to set us a pattern for looking up to heaven. It was as if he had said to St Stephen, as representative of all who suffer persecution for love of him, ‘See, Stephen, as truly as I open this bodily firmament, which is called heaven, and let you see me standing in body, trust steadfastly that I am standing just as truly beside you in spirit, by the power of my Godhead, and I am ready to help you» — el capítulo 58 del Cloud pone en boca del Señor la lección de la visión de san Esteban: verlo en pie en el cuerpo es señal de que está a su lado en espíritu y presto a ayudar

«So stand firmly in the faith, and boldly endure the blows of those sharp stones, for I will crown you in bliss for your reward – and not only you, but all who suffer persecution for my sake in any way» — el remate de esa lección en el capítulo 58: la corona prometida no solo a Esteban sino a todo el que padezca persecución por su causa

«Know well that those who apply themselves to the work of contemplation, and especially to the contemplative work described in this book, even if they read ‘lift up’ or ‘go in’, and even though the work may be described here as ‘stirring’, need to take very careful note that this ‘stirring’ does not involve reaching in a bodily sense either up or in, and is not any such stirring as from one place» — el capítulo 59 advierte sobre su propio vocabulario: subir, entrar y moverse no significan alcance corporal ni traslado de un lugar a otro. Spearing cita el pasaje en su introducción, con elisión; se ancla aquí

«For this reason St Paul says of himself and many others, though our bodies are at present here on earth, ‘yet none the less our life is in heaven» — el capítulo 60 apoya esa fórmula en san Pablo: aunque los cuerpos estén en la tierra, la vida está en el cielo. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«It is necessary, all the same, to raise our bodily eyes and hands, as if towards the material heaven up there in which the heavenly spheres are fixed. I mean, if we are moved to do so by the working of our spirit, not otherwise – for all bodily things are subject to spiritual things, and are ruled by them, and not the reverse» — Cloud, capítulo 61: se levantan ojos y manos cuando mueve a ello el espíritu, porque lo corporal está sujeto a lo espiritual y no al revés

«The ascension of our Lord provides an illustration. When the appointed time had come at which it pleased him to return corporeally in his Manhood to his Father (from whom he never was and never may be absent in his Godhead), then, through the power of God the Spirit, the Manhood in bodily form followed as one Person. And it was most suitable and appropriate that this should be seen as a movement upward» — el capítulo 61 lee la ascensión como caso de esa sujeción: la humanidad siguió en forma corporal por la fuerza del Espíritu, y convino que se viera como movimiento hacia arriba

«The subjection of the body to the spirit can be truly understood, in one way, through experience of the spiritual activity described in this book, by those who undertake such activity. For when a soul earnestly applies itself to this activity, all at once, unnoticed by the contemplative himself, the body, which before he began was perhaps inclining somewhat downwards to one side or the other for the sake of physical comfort, will straighten itself through the power of the spirit, following in bodily likeness the activity of the spirit on a spiritual level» — el capítulo 61 da la prueba por experiencia: el cuerpo inclinado por comodidad se endereza solo, sin que el contemplativo lo note, siguiendo en figura corporal la obra del espíritu

«It is on account of this suitability that human beings, the handsomest creatures in body that God ever made, are not made bent towards the earth, like all other animals, but upwards towards heaven, so that they should symbolize in bodily likeness the spiritual activity of the soul, which must be spiritually upright and not spiritually bent» — el capítulo 61 lee la postura erguida del hombre, único animal no inclinado a la tierra, como figura corporal de la rectitud espiritual del alma

«Notice that I say spiritually, not physically, upright. How could a soul, which by its nature has nothing physical about it, be turned upright in a bodily sense? No, it cannot be so» — el capítulo 61 se enmienda en el acto para que la figura no se lea literalmente: un alma, que nada tiene de físico, no puede enderezarse en sentido corporal

«To enable you to know better how to understand spiritually the words that are spoken in a bodily manner, I propose to explain the spiritual significance of some words that relate to spiritual activity; thus you will know clearly and without error when your spiritual activity is below you and outside you, when it is within you and level with you, and when it is above you and below God» — Cloud, capítulo 62: el autor anuncia el glosario de posiciones con que se sabrá si la obra espiritual está debajo, al nivel o por encima de uno

«Every kind of bodily thing is outside your soul and below it in nature. Yes, the sun and moon and all the stars, even though they are above your body, are nevertheless below your soul» — el capítulo 62 sitúa lo corporal: el sol, la luna y las estrellas están sobre el cuerpo y debajo del alma

«All angels and all souls, even though they are reformed by grace and adorned with virtues so that they are above you in purity, are nevertheless only level with your soul» — el capítulo 62 sitúa a ángeles y almas: por encima en pureza y solo al nivel del alma propia

«Within yourself by nature are the faculties of your soul, the three principal faculties being consciousness, reason and will,89 and the secondary faculties, imagination and sense-perception» — el capítulo 62 enumera las facultades: tres principales, consciencia, razón y voluntad, y dos secundarias, imaginación y sentido

«Above yourself in nature there is nothing but God» — el capítulo 62 cierra la escala: por encima de uno, en naturaleza, no hay sino Dios

«When you find ‘yourself’ mentioned in spiritual writings, it should always be understood as your soul and not your body. And the value and nature of the activity of your soul’s faculties must be judged according to that of the objects on which they work, whether below you, within you, or above you» — el capítulo 62 fija una regla de lectura: en los escritos espirituales uno mismo significa el alma y no el cuerpo, y las obras de sus facultades se juzgan por sus objetos

«as if you wished to climb above the moon; for that is not at all how it should be spiritually» — el capítulo 59 del Cloud prohíbe tomar la ascensión corporal por modelo para forzar la imaginación hacia arriba, como quien quisiera subir sobre la luna. Spearing reproduce la frase en su introducción, cortada con puntos suspensivos; se ancla aquí, en el cuerpo, donde sigue

«Consciousness in itself is a faculty of such a kind that, so to speak, it has no proper activity of its own. But reason and will are both active faculties, and so is imagination and also sense-perception» — Cloud, capítulo 63: la consciencia no tiene actividad propia, a diferencia de razón, voluntad, imaginación y sentido

«Consciousness contains and embraces within itself these four faculties and their activities, and it cannot be said to be active unless that containing is an activity» — el capítulo 63 define la consciencia por su función: contiene y abraza a las otras cuatro facultades y sus actos

«This is why I call some of the soul’s faculties principal and some secondary: not because the soul is divisible, which cannot be so, but because the objects on which its faculties work are divisible, some (spiritual things) being principal, and others (bodily things) being secondary» — el capítulo 63 acota su propia división: el alma no es divisible, lo divisible son los objetos sobre los que obran sus facultades

«The two principal active faculties, reason and will, work entirely by themselves in all spiritual things, without the help of the two secondary faculties. As with animals, imagination and sense-perception work through the bodily senses, and on all bodily things, whether these are physically present or absent; but by them alone, without the help of reason and will, the soul can never achieve knowledge of the virtue and characteristics of bodily creatures, or of the cause of their being and creation» — el capítulo 63 reparte el trabajo: razón y voluntad obran solas en lo espiritual, y sin ellas la imaginación y el sentido no llegan al ser ni a la causa de las criaturas corporales

«Consciousness is called a principal faculty because it contains within itself spiritually not only all the other powers but also all the objects on which they work. You can see this by experience» — el capítulo 63 da la razón de llamar principal a la consciencia: contiene espiritualmente las demás potencias y también sus objetos

«Reason is the faculty by which we separate bad from good, bad from worse, good from better, worse from worst, and better from best» — Cloud, capítulo 64: la definición de razón como facultad que separa lo malo de lo bueno y gradúa lo peor y lo mejor. El pasaje se repite en las notas de Spearing

«Previously, before humanity sinned, reason could have done all this work by nature, but now it is so blinded by original sin that it cannot carry out this work unless it is illuminated by grace» — el capítulo 64 fecha la avería: antes del pecado la razón hacía esa obra por naturaleza, y ahora está cegada y necesita la luz de la gracia

«Before humanity sinned, the will could not be deceived in its choice, its love, or any of its activities, because then it was able by nature to apprehend everything as it was, but now it cannot do so unless it is consecrated by grace. For frequently, through the infection of original sin, it apprehends as good something that is evil and has only the appearance of good» — el capítulo 64 describe la avería de la voluntad: antes aprehendía todo como era, y ahora, por infección del pecado original, toma por bueno lo que solo tiene apariencia de bien

«Imagination is the faculty by which we form images of all absent and present things; and both it and the matter on which it works are contained by consciousness» — Cloud, capítulo 65: la imaginación forma imágenes de lo ausente y de lo presente, y queda contenida en la consciencia

«Before humanity sinned, imagination was so obedient to reason (to which it is, as it were, a servant) that it never supplied it with any disordered image of a bodily object or any delusion of a spiritual object; but now it is not so» — el capítulo 65 describe la obediencia perdida: la imaginación servía a la razón sin darle imágenes desordenadas ni delirios

«Unless it is controlled by the light of grace in the reason, it will never cease, asleep or awake, to form alien and disordered images of bodily objects, or else some delusion or other, which is nothing but a bodily conception of something spiritual or a spiritual conception of something bodily. This is always deceptive and false, and associated with error» — el capítulo 65 define el delirio: concebir corporalmente lo espiritual o espiritualmente lo corporal, y eso es siempre engañoso y falso

«In those who are newly turned from the world to devotion, this disobedience of the imagination can be clearly recognized when they are praying. For until the time comes when the imagination is to a great extent controlled by the light of grace in the reason – as it is by continual meditation on spiritual matters, such as their own sinfulness, the Passion, the kindness of our Lord God, and many other similar topics – they are quite unable to set aside the strange and alien thoughts, delusions and images that are supplied and imprinted in their minds by the light and ingenuity of imagination» — el capítulo 65 localiza dónde se ve esa desobediencia: en la oración de los recién vueltos a la devoción, hasta que la meditación continua somete la imaginación a la luz de la gracia

«Sense-perception is a faculty of the soul which extends into and rules over the bodily senses, and by which we have bodily knowledge and sensation of all bodily objects, whether pleasing or displeasing» — Cloud, capítulo 66: el sentido es la facultad que se extiende a los sentidos corporales y da noticia de lo agradable y lo desagradable

«It has two parts, one by which it attends to the needs of the body, another by which it serves the appetites of the bodily senses» — el capítulo 66 divide el sentido en dos partes: la que atiende a la necesidad del cuerpo y la que sirve al apetito

«Before humanity sinned, sense-perception was so obedient to the will (to which it is, as it were, a servant) that it never supplied it with any disordered pleasure or displeasure in any bodily object, or any spiritual illusion of pleasure or displeasure created in the bodily senses by some spiritual enemy; but now it is not so» — el capítulo 66 repite el esquema de la caída en el sentido: servía a la voluntad sin placeres ni disgustos desordenados

«Unless it is ruled by grace in the will, to make it endure meekly and in moderation the punishment for original sin (which it feels in being deprived of the pleasure it needs and in the presence of the displeasure that profits it), and to control its appetite in the presence of the pleasure it needs and its lively delight in the absence of the displeasure that profits it, it will wallow so wretchedly and wantonly in the luxuries of this world and the foul flesh, like a swine in the mud, that our whole way of life will be bestial and fleshly rather than human and spiritual» — el capítulo 66 describe el desgobierno del sentido con su símil: revolcarse en los lujos del mundo y de la carne como un puerco en el lodo, y hacer bestial la vida entera

«Friend in the spirit, through sin we have fallen into the wretchedness you can see around you, so is it surprising if we are blindly and easily deceived in understanding spiritual words and spiritual activity? – especially those of us who do not yet know the faculties of our souls and the ways in which they work» — Cloud, capítulo 67: por el pecado es fácil engañarse al entender palabras y obras espirituales, sobre todo sin conocer las facultades del alma

«For whenever your consciousness is concerned with anything bodily, to however good an end, in this activity you are below yourself and outside your soul» — el capítulo 67 aplica el glosario de posiciones: ocuparse de lo corporal, por buen fin que sea, es estar debajo y fuera de sí

«And whenever you feel your consciousness to be concerned with subtle aspects of the faculties of your soul and their activities in spiritual matters, such as your own vices or virtues or those of any being that is spiritual and level with you in nature, to the end that you should learn by means of this activity to know yourself and thus get nearer to perfection, then you are within yourself and level with yourself» — el capítulo 67 sitúa el grado medio: ocuparse de los propios vicios y virtudes para conocerse es estar dentro y al nivel de sí

«But whenever you feel your consciousness focused on nothing bodily or spiritual, but only on God’s own substance, as it is and may be focused through practice in the activity described in this book, then you are above yourself and below God» — el capítulo 67 sitúa el grado alto: fijar la consciencia en la sustancia misma de Dios es estar por encima de sí y debajo de Dios

«You are above yourself, because you succeed by grace in achieving what you cannot achieve by nature, that is, to be united to God in spirit, in love, and in harmony of will» — el capítulo 67 explica el estar por encima de sí: lograr por gracia lo que la naturaleza no da, la unión con Dios en espíritu, amor y concordia de voluntad

«You are below God, because, although it may be said in a way that at such moments God and you are not two but one in spirit – to such an extent that you or anyone else who experiences the perfection of this activity, may truly, as Scripture witnesses,90 be called a God on account of this union – nevertheless you are still below him» — el capítulo 67 enuncia la deificación con su acotación en la misma frase: se puede decir que Dios y el alma son uno en espíritu y hasta llamarla dios por esa unión, y aun así queda debajo

«He is by nature God without beginning; and you were at one time nothing in substance, and moreover, when by his power and love you were made something, you voluntarily made yourself worse than nothing by sin» — el capítulo 67 funda esa diferencia: él es Dios por naturaleza y sin principio, y el alma fue nada, y hecha algo se hizo peor que nada por el pecado

«By his mercy alone, without any desert of yours, you are made a God in grace, united indivisibly with him in spirit, both here on earth and eternally in heavenly bliss. Hence, though you are indeed one with him in grace, you are still very far below him in nature» — el capítulo 67 cierra la distinción: dios por gracia y unido indivisiblemente en espíritu, y a la vez muy por debajo en naturaleza

«And so you can see something of the reason why I dared not openly tell you to show your desire to God, but urged you to do what you can, like a child, to hide and conceal it. And I do this for fear you should interpret in a bodily sense what is meant spiritually» — el capítulo 67 vuelve sobre su propia estrategia del ocultamiento y da su razón: el miedo a que lo espiritual se entienda corporalmente

«Similarly, someone else91 would tell you to gather your faculties and your senses wholly within yourself, and worship God there; and, even though he spoke well and truly (yes, no man more truly, if he were rightly understood), yet, for fear that you might be misled and understand his words in a bodily sense» — Cloud, capítulo 68: el autor reconoce a otro maestro sin nombrarlo, dice que nadie habla con más verdad, y aun así no repite su consejo por miedo al malentendido corporal. Spearing lee aquí una reserva sobre Hilton

«Instead, this is what I will tell you. Make sure that you are in no way within yourself; and, to be brief, I do not want you to be outside yourself, or above, or behind, or on one side or the other» — el capítulo 68 da su contrapropuesta: no estar dentro de sí, ni fuera, ni arriba, ni detrás, ni a un lado ni a otro

«Where shall I be, then?’ you ask. ‘Nowhere, by what you tell me!’ Now truly, you are right: that is where I would have you, because nowhere in the body is everywhere in the spirit» — la fórmula del capítulo 68: en ninguna parte para el cuerpo es en todas partes para el espíritu

«Take great care, then, that your spiritual work is nowhere in the body; and then, wherever the object on which you are focusing your mind’s activity may be in substance, there you will certainly be in spirit, as truly as your body is in the place where you are physically present» — el capítulo 68 saca la consecuencia: se está en espíritu donde está el objeto en que se fija la mente, tan de veras como el cuerpo está donde está

«And though your bodily senses are unable to find anything there to gratify them, because it seems to them that what you are doing is nothing, work away at this nothing, so long as you do it for the love of God» — el capítulo 68 manda trabajar en esa nada, que a los sentidos les parece nada, con tal de hacerlo por amor de Dios

«for I tell you truly that I had rather be nowhere in body, struggling with that invisible nothing, than be such a great lord that I could when I wished be everywhere in body, enjoying myself happily with this something like a lord with his possessions» — el capítulo 68 lo dice en primera persona: prefiere no estar en ninguna parte, luchando con esa nada invisible, a ser un gran señor que estuviera donde quisiera con sus posesiones

«Give up this everywhere and this something, in favour of this nowhere and this nothing. Do not worry if your senses have no knowledge of this nothing: truly, I love it all the better for that. They have no knowledge of it because it is something so noble in itself» — el capítulo 68 formula el cambio pedido y da la razón de que los sentidos no sepan de esa nada: es algo tan noble en sí

«This nothing can be better felt than seen, for it is quite obscure and quite dark to those who have only been looking at it for a short time; yet, to put it more accurately, in experiencing it a soul is blinded by abundance of spiritual light more than by darkness or lack of bodily light» — el capítulo 68 enmienda la impresión de oscuridad: el alma queda cegada por abundancia de luz espiritual más que por tiniebla

«Who is it that calls it nothing? It is our outer man, to be sure, not our inner. Our inner man calls it Everything; for from it he learns well to have knowledge of all things, bodily or spiritual, without specific regard to any one thing by itself» — el capítulo 68 reparte los nombres: el hombre exterior la llama nada y el interior la llama Todo, porque de ella aprende a conocer todas las cosas sin atender a ninguna en particular

«In this torment it seems to him at times that to look at it is like looking into hell, for he feels that he despairs of getting out of that pain to arrive at perfection of spiritual rest. Many get that far in; but for the intensity of the pain they feel and for lack of comfort they turn back to attend to worldly matters, seeking external fleshly comfort in place of the spiritual comfort they have not yet deserved, as they would have done if they had endured» — el capítulo 69 describe la desesperación de ese tormento y la deserción de muchos, que buscan consuelo carnal por no aguantar

«For anyone who endures feels some comfort at times, and has some hope of perfection, for he feels and sees that many of the specific sins he has committed are, by the help of grace, largely rubbed away. He does not cease to feel pain from time to time, but he thinks it will have an end, because it is always growing less and less; and so he calls it not hell but purgatory» — el capítulo 69 describe el cambio de nombre según la experiencia: quien aguanta ve borrarse los pecados y llama purgatorio a lo que antes era infierno

«Sometimes he can find no specific sin inscribed upon it, yet it seems to be sin as a lump, he does not know what, nothing but himself; and then it can be called the stump and the pain of original sin» — el capítulo 69 sigue la serie de nombres: sin pecado concreto, la nada aparece como bulto que no es sino uno mismo, el muñón y la pena del pecado original

«Sometimes it seems to be paradise or heaven, because of the many wonderful sweetnesses and comforts, joys and blessed virtues, that he finds in it. Sometimes it seems to be God, because of the peace and rest that he finds in it» — el capítulo 69 cierra la serie: a veces paraíso o cielo por las dulzuras, y a veces Dios mismo por la paz y el reposo

«Well, let him think what he wants, for he will always find it a cloud of unknowing that is between him and his God» — el capítulo 69 remata sin arbitrar entre esos nombres: piense lo que quiera, siempre lo hallará como nube del no saber entre él y su Dios

«So labour hard in this nothing and this nowhere, and leave behind your outward bodily senses and all that they work on, because I tell you truly that this work of contemplation may not be understood by them. With your eyes you cannot conceive of anything except by its length or breadth, its smallness or largeness, its roundness or squareness, its distance or nearness, and its colour; with your ears, only by its noise or some kind of sound; with your nose, only by perfume or stench; with your taste, only by sour or sweet, salt or fresh, bitter or pleasing; and with your touch, only by hot or cold, hard or soft, rounded or sharp» — Cloud, capítulo 70: el inventario de lo que cada sentido puede aprehender, que Spearing cita entero como caso de evocación que se manda desechar

«All those who aim to work at contemplation inwardly, and suppose that they will hear, smell, see, taste or touch spiritual things, either within or outside themselves, are certainly deceived and are working wrongly, against the course of nature» — el capítulo 70 declara engañado a quien espera oír, oler, ver, gustar o tocar cosas espirituales

«For by nature the senses are fashioned so that by them we should have knowledge of all outward bodily things, and not at all so that we should come to know spiritual things. I mean that by their activities we cannot gain such knowledge. By their failings we can do so: for example, when we read of certain things, or hear them discussed, and recognize that our outward senses cannot tell us what they are by any of their qualities, then we can be truly assured that they are spiritual and not bodily things» — el capítulo 70 invierte la función de los sentidos: no por lo que aprehenden sino por su falla se reconoce lo espiritual

«On a spiritual level, it happens inwardly in the same way with our spiritual senses, when we struggle to gain knowledge of God himself. However much spiritual understanding a person may have in knowing about all created spiritual beings, still by the work of his understanding he can never gain knowledge of an uncreated spiritual being – which is God alone. By the failure of understanding he can do so, because the one thing in which it fails is nothing but God alone» — el capítulo 70 aplica la misma inversión al entendimiento: por su falla se llega al ser espiritual increado, porque aquello en que falla no es sino Dios

«It was for this reason that St Denis said, ‘The godliest knowledge of God is that which is known through ignorance» — el capítulo 70 pone la sentencia en boca de San Denis, y es la que el prólogo de la Mystical Theology invoca. Voz nombrada dentro del texto

«Indeed, anyone who will look into the books of St Denis will find that his words clearly confirm all that I have said or will say, from the beginning of this treatise to the end» — el capítulo 70 declara la conformidad de todo el tratado con los libros de San Denis. Es el pasaje que el prólogo de la Mystical Theology cita como razón de traducirla

«So far as I am concerned, I do not wish to cite him for any other reason, nor to cite any other authority at this time» — el capítulo 70 acota su propio uso de la autoridad: no cita a San Denis por otra razón ni cita a nadie más

«At one time, people thought it humility to say nothing in their own words, unless it was confirmed by the words of Scripture or of authoritative teachers, but now this practice has turned into» — el capítulo 70 hace historia de la cita de autoridad: lo que fue humildad se volvió ingenio y alarde; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«And however much he turns it round, they will always appear before his eyes, until the time comes when, with much hard work, many sad sighs, and many bitter tears, he has rubbed most of them away» — la continuación del capítulo 69: por más que la gire, los pecados siguen ante sus ojos hasta que a fuerza de trabajo, suspiros y lágrimas los borra en gran parte

«And truly neither God nor spiritual things possess any of these qualities or quantities. So leave behind your outward senses, and do not work with them, either within or without. All those who aim to work at contemplation inwardly, and suppose that they will hear, smell, see, taste or touch spiritual things, either within or outside themselves, are certainly deceived» — el capítulo 70 saca la consecuencia de su inventario de los sentidos: ni Dios ni lo espiritual tienen esas cualidades. Spearing reproduce el pasaje en su introducción; el verbatim se alargó hasta la frase siguiente para que el tramo fuera único

«For you it is unnecessary, and so I am not doing it. For ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear’,94 and he who is stirred to believe, let him believe – for otherwise they will not hear or believe» — el capítulo 70 cierra su juicio sobre la cita de autoridad y se apoya en el Evangelio: quien tenga oídos, que oiga, y quien sea movido a creer, que crea

«There are some who cannot achieve it without great and long spiritual exercise, and even then it will be only seldom, and when specially summoned by our Lord, that they will experience the perfection of this activity: this summoning is called ecstasy» — el capítulo 71 describe el primer tipo: los que solo alcanzan la perfección de la obra rara vez y por llamado especial, lo que se llama éxtasis

«And there are some who are so refined in grace and in spirit, and so intimate with God in this grace of contemplation, that they can have it when they wish in the ordinary state of the human soul, sitting, walking, standing, or kneeling. Yet at the same time they have full and deliberate employment of all their senses, bodily or spiritual, and can use them if they wish – not without some hindrance, but without great hindrance» — el capítulo 71 describe el segundo tipo: los que la tienen cuando quieren, en el estado ordinario del alma, sentados, andando, de pie o de rodillas, y con pleno uso de sus sentidos

«Moses provides an example of the first, and Aaron, the priest of the temple, of the second» — el capítulo 71 reparte los dos tipos entre Moisés y Aarón

«Before Moses could get to see the ark and know how it was to be made, he climbed to the top of the mount with great and lengthy effort, and remained there and worked in the cloud for six days, staying until on the seventh day our Lord would deign to show him the way in which the ark was to be made» — el capítulo 71 detalla la figura de Moisés: seis días trabajando en la nube en la cima del monte antes de que al séptimo se le mostrara el modelo

«But what Moses could get to see only seldom, and not without great and lengthy effort, Aaron had it in his power, because of his priestly office, to see in the temple within the veil as often as he chose to enter» — el capítulo 71 opone a Aarón, que por su oficio sacerdotal veía el arca tras el velo cuantas veces quería entrar

«From this you can see that someone who cannot get to see and feel the perfection of this activity of contemplation except with great effort, and then only seldom, can easily be deceived if, in speaking and thinking of others, he judges them according to his own experience, assuming that they too can achieve it only seldom, and then not without great effort» — Cloud, capítulo 72: quien solo alcanza la obra con esfuerzo se engaña si juzga a los demás por su propia experiencia

«And someone who can have it when he wishes may be deceived in the same way if he judges all others accordingly, saying that they too can have it when they wish. Give this up: truly, it should not be thought of like this» — el capítulo 72 aplica el mismo aviso al caso contrario: tampoco quien la tiene cuando quiere ha de juzgar a los demás por sí

«Perhaps, when it pleases God, those who can at first have it only seldom, and then not without great effort, will afterwards have it when they wish, as often as they please» — el capítulo 72 deja abierto el paso de un estado al otro, cuando a Dios le plazca

«There were three men who were predominantly concerned with the ark of the Old Testament: Moses, Beseleel, and Aaron. Moses learned from our Lord on the mount how it should be made; Beseleel shaped and made it in the valley, according to the pattern that was revealed on the mount; and Aaron had it under his guardianship in the temple, to touch and see it as often as he pleased» — Cloud, capítulo 73: el reparto de los tres, Moisés que aprendió el modelo en el monte, Beseleel que la hizo en el valle y Aarón que la guardó en el templo

«Similarly to these three, we benefit by the grace of contemplation in three ways. Sometimes we benefit only by grace, and then we are comparable to Moses, who, for all the climbing and the effort that were his on the mount, could get to see it only seldom; and the sight was granted only through the revelation of our Lord when it pleased him to reveal it, and not because he had earned it by his effort» — el capítulo 73 aplica la figura: a veces se recibe la gracia sola, como Moisés, por revelación y no por mérito del esfuerzo

«Sometimes we benefit from this grace through our own spiritual skill, aided by grace, and then we are comparable to Beseleel, who could not see the ark until he had made it by his own effort, aided by the pattern that was revealed to Moses on the mount» — el capítulo 73 da el segundo modo: por destreza espiritual propia ayudada de gracia, como Beseleel, que no vio el arca hasta hacerla según el modelo

«And sometimes we benefit from this grace through the teaching of others, and then we are comparable to Aaron, who had it in his guardianship, and was accustomed when he pleased to see and touch the ark, which Beseleel had previously shaped and made ready to his hands» — el capítulo 73 da el tercer modo: por enseñanza de otros, como Aarón, que recibió el arca ya hecha en guarda

«Friend in the spirit, in this work of contemplation, though it is childishly and ignorantly described, and though I am a wretch unworthy to teach anyone, I bear the office of Beseleel, as if making this ark for your use and explaining what it is like» — el capítulo 73 se coloca a sí mismo en la figura: el autor se atribuye el oficio de Beseleel, hacer el arca para uso del discípulo y explicar cómo es. Es el pasaje que Spearing lee como indicio de experiencia propia

«But you can work far better and more worthily than I if you will be Aaron – that is to say, if you will work continually at contemplation for yourself and for me. Then do so, I beg you, for the love of God almighty; and since we are both called by God to the activity of contemplation, I beseech you for the love of God to fulfil on your part what is lacking on mine» — el capítulo 73 le adjudica al discípulo el papel de Aarón y le pide suplir por su parte lo que al maestro le falta

«If it seems to you that this kind of activity does not agree with your inclination in body and soul, you may give it up and safely undertake another way without blame, under the guidance of a reliable spiritual adviser» — Cloud, capítulo 74: el autor deja libre al discípulo de dejar esta vía y tomar otra con la guía de un director fiable

«So read it through twice or three times – the more often the better, and the more of it you will understand, so that perhaps some item that you found very hard at the first or second reading will afterwards seem quite easy to you» — el capítulo 74 pide releer el libro dos o tres veces, porque lo que resulta durísimo en la primera lectura se aclara después

«Your feelings will vary extraordinarily as the spiritual experience of this nothing is undergone nowhere. The first time a soul looks at it, he will find pictured upon it all the specific sinful deeds, however secret» — Cloud, capítulo 69: los sentimientos varían extraordinariamente al experimentar esa nada, y lo primero que el alma ve pintado en ella son sus pecados; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«Some think this matter so hard and terrifying that they say it cannot be achieved except after great and laborious effort, and can be grasped only seldom, and then at the moment of ecstasy» — Cloud, capítulo 71: la objeción de quienes tienen la obra por reservada al momento del éxtasis; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 95, pegada a la palabra

«To these people I will answer, feebly though it may be, with the statement that it is all as God provides and disposes, according to the capacity of the souls of those to whom this grace of contemplation and spiritual activity is given» — la respuesta del capítulo 71: todo va según Dios dispone y según la capacidad del alma a la que se da esa gracia

«For the grace of contemplation is symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Law, and those who work in this grace are symbolized by those who were most concerned with this ark, as Scriptural history witnesses» — el capítulo 71 declara al Arca de la Alianza símbolo de la gracia de contemplación; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 97

«The grace and work of contemplation are well compared to this ark, for just as all the jewels and relics of the temple were contained in the ark, so all the virtues of the human soul, which is the spiritual temple of God, are contained in this little thrust of love» — el capítulo 71 explica la correspondencia: como el arca guardaba las joyas y reliquias del templo, el empuje pequeño de amor contiene todas las virtudes del alma, que es el templo espiritual de Dios

«Indeed, to my understanding it seems impossible that a soul inclined to this activity should read it or speak of it, or hear it read or discussed, without feeling while doing so a true accord with the purpose of this work» — Cloud, capítulo 74: el autor sostiene que un alma inclinada a esta obra no puede leer ni oír el libro sin sentir acuerdo con su propósito

«And if it seems to you that there is any material in it that you would like to have more fully expounded, let me know what it is and your ideas about it, and I will improve it if I can, to my humble ability» — el capítulo 74 promete ampliar lo que el discípulo pida, con fórmula de modestia. Es la promesa que, según Spearing, cumple el Book of Privy Counselling

«Not all who read this book, or hear its subject matter read or discussed, and find what they read or hear good and pleasant, are called by God to undertake this activity, just because of the pleasurable stirring that they experience while reading; for this stirring perhaps comes more from natural inquisitiveness than from any summons by grace» — Cloud, capítulo 75: el gusto al leer no prueba la llamada, porque puede venir de curiosidad natural y no de gracia

«First let them examine whether they have done their best in advance, preparing themselves for it by cleansing their consciences according to the judgement of Holy Church and with the agreement of their advisers» — la primera prueba del capítulo 75: haber limpiado la conciencia según el juicio de la Iglesia y con acuerdo del director

«But if they wish to know more exactly, let them examine whether it is always pressing into their minds, more habitually than any other kind of spiritual exercise. And if it seems that there is nothing they do, in body or in spirit, that is done well enough to satisfy their consciences unless this secret little thrust of love is, as it were, the spiritual crown of all their work – if this is what they feel, then it is a sign that they are called by God to this work; and certainly not otherwise» — la segunda prueba del capítulo 75: que el empuje secreto de amor sea la corona de todo lo demás y que sin él nada baste a la conciencia

«I do not say that it will always last and remain continually in the minds of all those who are called to undertake this activity. No, it is not like that» — el capítulo 75 acota la señal: el sentimiento no dura de continuo en los llamados

«sometimes so that he shall not assume too great a familiarity with it and suppose that it is largely in his own power to have when he pleases and as he pleases. Such a belief would be pride; and when the feeling of grace is withdrawn, pride is invariably the cause – not always pride that exists, but pride that would develop if the feeling of grace were not withdrawn. Thus some young fools frequently suppose that God is their enemy, when he is completely their friend» — el capítulo 75 da la primera razón del retiro del sentimiento: evitar la soberbia de creerlo a disposición propia, y advierte que algunos jóvenes toman entonces a Dios por enemigo

«Sometimes it is withdrawn because of their carelessness, and when this happens they soon afterwards feel a most bitter pain that scourges them very hard» — la segunda razón del capítulo 75: el descuido, seguido de un dolor amarguísimo

«Sometimes our Lord will delay it in accordance with a plan, because by the delay he wishes to make it grow and be held in greater esteem, when what had long been lost is newly found and felt once more» — la tercera razón del capítulo 75: la demora deliberada, para que lo recobrado se estime más

«For God with his merciful eye regards not what you are, or what you have been, but what you want to be» — la fórmula del capítulo 75: Dios no mira lo que eres ni lo que has sido, sino lo que quieres ser

«St Gregory bears witness that ‘all holy desires grow by delay; and if they shrink by delay, they were never holy desires» — el capítulo 75 apoya esa señal en san Gregorio: los deseos santos crecen con la demora, y los que menguan nunca fueron santos. Voz nombrada dentro del texto

«Concerning holy desire, St Augustine says that ‘the whole life of a good Christian is nothing but holy desire» — el capítulo 75 cierra con san Agustín: la vida entera de un buen cristiano no es sino deseo santo. Voz nombrada dentro del texto

«Farewell, friend in the spirit, in God’s blessing and mine» — la bendición paternal que cierra el Cloud, y de la que Spearing deduce en su introducción que el autor era sacerdote; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 103

«And I beseech almighty God that true peace, sound advice, and spiritual comfort in God with abundance of grace, may evermore be with you and all God’s lovers on earth. Amen. HERE ENDS THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING» — el remate del Cloud: paz verdadera, consejo sano y consuelo espiritual con abundancia de gracia para el discípulo y para todos los que aman a Dios en la tierra

«Spiritual friend in God, with regard to the inner calling to which I believe you to be inclined, on this occasion I am speaking to you in particular, and not to all those in general who may encounter this writing. If I were to write for everyone, I would have to write what would be generally relevant to everyone; but since at the moment I intend to write to you in particular, I shall write nothing but what seems to me most beneficial and relevant to your own inclination» — Privy Counselling, Prólogo: el autor declara que escribe para este discípulo en particular y no para todos en general

«If there is anyone else inclined as you are, whom this writing may benefit as much as you, so much the better; that pleases me well. At the moment, though, your own inward inclination, as I understand it to be, is the sole purpose and object of my concern. To you, then, as representative of all others like you, I say what follows» — el Prólogo de Privy Counselling deja abierta la lectura ajena y a la vez fija su destinatario: este discípulo como representante de los que están inclinados como él

«When you come to be by yourself, do not think in advance what you are going to do next, but put aside good thoughts as much as evil thoughts» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 1: a solas, no premeditar lo que se va a hacer, y dejar de lado los buenos pensamientos igual que los malos

«and do not pray aloud unless you particularly wish to do so; and then, if you do say anything, do not consider how much or how little it may be, and do not worry what it is or what it signifies, whether it is a prayer, or whether it is a psalm, a hymn or an antiphon,2 or any other kind of prayer, with a general or special intention, be it inward mental prayer composed in thought or outward vocal prayer uttered in words» — el capítulo 1 desactiva el cálculo sobre la oración: ni cuánta, ni cuál, ni qué significa, sea salmo, himno, antífona, mental o vocal

«And see that nothing remains in your active consciousness but a naked purpose reaching out to God, not cloaked in any specific thought of God in himself, what he is in his own nature or in any of his works, but only that he is as he is» — el capítulo 1 fija el contenido único de la consciencia: un propósito desnudo hacia Dios, sin pensamiento de lo que él es en su naturaleza ni en sus obras, sino solo que es como es

«Let him be so, I pray you, and do not make him anything else; pry no further into him with intellectual cleverness. Let that belief be your foundation» — el capítulo 1 prohíbe hurgar en Dios con ingenio intelectual y pone la creencia por cimiento

«Let this humble darkness be the mirror in which you see yourself and your whole consciousness. Think no further of yourself than I am telling you to do of your God, so that in this way you may be one with him in spirit, without division or dissipation of consciousness» — el capítulo 1 hace de esa tiniebla humilde el espejo en que el alma se ve, y manda pensar de sí lo mismo que de Dios

«For he is your being, and you are what you are in him, not only as your cause and your being, but because he dwells in you as your cause and being» — el capítulo 1 funda esa igualdad de trato: él es el ser del alma, y no solo como causa sino habitando en ella

«always excepting this difference between you and him, that he is your being and you are not his» — el capítulo 1 pone la diferencia que no se borra, en la misma frase que enuncia la unión

«For though it is true that all things are in him as their cause and being, and that he is in all things as their cause and being, yet he alone is his own cause and his own being. For as nothing may exist without him, so he may not exist without himself» — el capítulo 1 acota la inmanencia: todo está en él y él en todo, y solo él es causa y ser de sí mismo

«He is being both to himself and to all things. And that alone separates him from all things, that he is being both to himself and to all things; and the fact that all things have their beings in him and that he is being to all things means that he is one in all things and all things are in him» — el capítulo 1 enuncia lo que separa a Dios de todo: ser el ser de sí y de todas las cosas, de modo que es uno en todas y todas están en él

«This is one of the most supreme and reliable signs by which a soul may know whether or not he is called to undertake this work. If after such a delay and such lengthy absence of this activity he feels, when it comes suddenly, as it does, without the help of any intermediary, that he then has a more burning desire and a greater love-longing to undertake this activity than he ever had before – so much so that I believe he often has greater joy in finding it than he» — el capítulo 75 del Cloud da la señal más segura: que tras la ausencia larga el deseo vuelva más ardiente que antes y haya más gozo en hallarlo que pena hubo en perderlo; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«You must think and feel this naked purpose, freely fixed and rooted in sure belief, to be nothing but a naked thought and a blind awareness of your own existence» — el capítulo 1 de Privy Counselling define el propósito desnudo como pensamiento desnudo y conciencia ciega del propio existir; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 4

«Look up lightly, then, and say to your Lord, either in words or in the purpose of your heart: ‘The fact that I exist, Lord, I offer to you, for it is yourself.’ And think nakedly, plainly and simply that you are as you are, without any kind of ingenuity» — el capítulo 1 da la fórmula de la ofrenda del propio existir, y manda pensarla desnuda, llana y simple, sin ingenio

«It takes no great skill to think this, it seems to me, even if it were asked of the most ignorant man or woman living in this world on the most ordinary level of natural intelligence» — el capítulo 1 declara que pensar eso no pide destreza, ni siquiera al más ignorante

«And so at times I quietly marvel, smiling ruefully, when I hear it said by some people – not simple, uneducated men and women, I mean, but scholars and those of great learning – that what I write to you and others is so difficult and so profound, so abstruse and so ingenious, that it can scarcely be understood by the subtlest scholar or man or woman of intellect alive» — el pasaje del capítulo 1 en que Spearing lee resentimiento contra los doctos que declaran el libro demasiado difícil y profundo

«Lord, I offer to you, with no concern for any attribute of your being except simply that you are as you are – nothing beyond that» — la continuación de esa fórmula, que Spearing contrapone a la negación de la existencia en la Mystical Theology: sin atender a atributo alguno del ser de Dios salvo que es como es

«are so blinded by the ingenious cleverness of their learning and natural gifts that they can no more attain a genuine understanding in truth of spirit of this easy work of contemplation, by which the soul of the simplest uneducated man or woman is united to God in loving humility and perfect charity, than a young child learning his alphabet» — el capítulo 1 compara a los doctos cegados por su propia agudeza con un niño que aprende el alfabeto frente al mayor erudito de la universidad

«And on account of this blindness they mistakenly call such simple teaching ingenuity of wit, when, if rightly regarded, it will just be found a simple and easy lesson for a person with no education» — el capítulo 1 invierte el juicio de los doctos: llaman ingenio lo que bien mirado es lección simple y fácil para quien no tiene estudios

«Much more then is it given to human beings, who are uniquely endowed with reason above all other beasts, to think and feel their own existence» — el remate de ese argumento: al hombre, dotado de razón por encima de las bestias, le toca con mayor razón pensar y sentir su propio existir

«And so descend to the lowest level of your understanding (which some, on the basis of actual experience, hold to be the highest), and think in the most ignorant way (but to some it is the wisest way) not what you yourself are but that you yourself are» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 2: descender al grado más bajo del entendimiento, que algunos por experiencia tienen por el más alto, y pensar no qué se es sino que se es

«For it takes great skill in learning and cleverness on your part, and much intricate searching in your natural intelligence, to think what you are in all your attributes; and with the help of grace you have been doing this now for many days, so that now you know in part, and to the extent that I believe benefits you for the time being, what you are: a man by nature and a filthy stinking wretch by sin» — el capítulo 2 declara qué ha averiguado ya el discípulo sobre qué es: hombre por naturaleza y desdichado hediondo por el pecado

«But to think that you exist is something you can achieve in your own ignorance and simplicity without any great cleverness of learning or natural gifts» — el capítulo 2 opone la facilidad de lo otro: pensar que se existe se logra en la propia ignorancia y simplicidad

«I beg you, therefore, to do no more now in this matter than think bluntly that you are as you are, however filthy a wretch you may be; so long as you have already been properly absolved (as I suppose you have) of all your sins, in general and in particular, in accordance with the true precepts of Holy Church; for otherwise, so far as I am concerned, neither you nor anyone else may be so bold as to undertake this work of contemplation» — el capítulo 2 pone la condición previa: haber sido absuelto de todos los pecados según los preceptos de la Iglesia

«Take good gracious God as he is, and apply him as straightforwardly as a plaster to your sick self as you are» — la imagen del capítulo 2: aplicar a Dios tal como es, como un emplasto, sobre el propio yo enfermo tal como está

«for to touch him is eternal health, as is witnessed by the woman in the Gospel who said: Si tetigero vel fimbriam vestimenti eius, salua ero, ‘If I touch only the hem of his garment, I shall be healed» — el capítulo 2 apoya esa imagen en la mujer del Evangelio que toca la orla del manto, y cita el latín de la Vulgata antes de traducirlo. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«Step up stoutly then, and try that remedy; lift up your sick self as you are to gracious God as he is, without any prying or particular concern for any of the many attributes that belong to your own being or to God’s, whether they are pure or wretched, divine or human, or come from grace or from nature» — el capítulo 2 manda alzar el yo enfermo hacia Dios sin hurgar en atributo alguno, ni puro ni desdichado, ni divino ni humano, ni de gracia ni de naturaleza

«as if you said inwardly to God in your mind, ‘The fact that I exist» — el capítulo 1 de Privy Counselling abre la fórmula de la ofrenda del propio existir; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 4, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«to be linked and united in grace and in spirit to the precious being of God just as he is in himself – nothing more than that» — el término de esa subida, en la plana siguiente: quedar unida en gracia y en espíritu al ser precioso de Dios tal como es en sí mismo, y nada más

«And although your unruly prying thoughts can find no food for themselves in this kind of activity, so that they will keep on urging you resentfully to give up this work and do something that appeals to their curiosity (for it seems to them that what you are doing is of no value, and that is entirely because they know nothing about it» — el capítulo 2 consigna la resistencia de los pensamientos curiosos, que tienen la obra por inútil solo porque no la conocen

«And why should I not love it the better, especially when there is no work that I can do, none that can be done by any of my senses, bodily or spiritual, in their curiosity, that could bring me so near to God and so far from the world as this bare little awareness and offering up of my blind being» — el capítulo 2 declara en primera persona el valor de esa nimiedad: nada de lo que puedan hacer sus sentidos lo acerca tanto a Dios y lo aleja tanto del mundo

«So, although your thoughts can find no food for themselves in this work of contemplation, and therefore would shift you from it, see that you do not give up on their account, but be their master» — el capítulo 2 manda ser amo de los propios pensamientos y no volver atrás a alimentarlos

«You turn back to feed your thoughts when you allow them to range through the variety of ingenious meditations on the attributes of your being – meditations which, very good and beneficial though they may be, are yet very dispersed in comparison with this blind awareness and offering up of your being, and distract you from the perfect oneness that ought to be between God and your soul» — el capítulo 2 define el volver atrás: dejar que los pensamientos anden por meditaciones ingeniosas sobre los atributos del propio ser, buenas pero dispersas frente a la unidad con Dios

«And so press forward on the most profound level of your spirit, which is your being, and do not turn back for anything of any kind, however good or holy the thing may seem that your thoughts would lead you to» — el capítulo 2 cierra mandando avanzar por el nivel más hondo del espíritu, que es el propio ser, sin volver por nada por bueno o santo que parezca

«Nothing in you matters now except that your blind perception of your naked being shall be carried gladly upwards» — el capítulo 2 de Privy Counselling reduce todo a una sola cosa: que la percepción ciega del propio ser desnudo suba con gozo; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *in eagerness of love*

«Follow the counsel and teaching of Solomon, who said to his son: Honora Dominum de tua substancia et de primiciis frugum tuarum da pauperibus: et inplebuntur horrea tua saturitate et vino torcularia redundabunt. ‘Honour the Lord with your substance, and feed the poor with your first fruits: and your barns shall be filled with abundance, and your presses shall run over with wine» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 3: el texto cita a Salomón en latín y luego lo traduce. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto, y el latín se conserva dentro de las comillas tal como lo imprime el volumen

«This is the literal text of what Solomon told his son, but it is as if he meant you to understand it spiritually in the terms I shall address to you on his behalf» — el capítulo 3 declara su procedimiento: distingue el texto literal de Salomón de lo que el autor dirá en su nombre en sentido espiritual

«Spiritual friend in God, see to it that, abandoning all ingenious inquiry with your natural senses, you honour your Lord God completely with your substance,8 simply and wholly offering your own self up to him, all that you are and such as you are; but do this in general and not specific terms – that is, without specific regard to what you are – so that your sight will not be distracted or your feeling defiled, which would make you less one with God in purity of spirit» — la lectura espiritual del capítulo 3: honrar al Señor con la propia sustancia significa ofrecerse entero, en general y no en particular, para que la vista no se disperse

«All the gifts of nature and of grace given you by God are what I call your fruits, and with them in this life you are bound to foster and nourish your brothers and sisters in nature and in grace, both materially and spiritually, as much as your own self» — el capítulo 3 define los frutos como los dones de naturaleza y de gracia, con que hay que nutrir a los hermanos tanto como a uno mismo

«The first gift of every creature is simply that creature’s being. For though it is true that the attributes of your being are so closely identified with your being itself that they cannot be separated from it, still, because they are all dependent on it, it may truly be called what it is, the first of your gifts» — el capítulo 3 identifica el primer fruto: el ser mismo de la criatura, del que dependen todos sus atributos

«If you were to unravel your heart’s ingenious concern with one or all of the subtle attributes and admirable characteristics that pertain to humanity’s being (and humanity is the noblest of all created things), you would always find that the basic object and goal of your concern, whatever its nature, is your mere being» — el capítulo 3 sostiene que toda indagación sobre los atributos del ser humano acaba teniendo por objeto el mero existir

«It is as if in every one of your acts of contemplation, by means of which you prompt yourself to love and praise your Lord God (who not only granted you being but granted you to exist in the nobility to which the attributes of your being bear witness in your contemplation), you were to say to yourself: ‘I exist and I see and feel that I exist; and not only do I exist, but I exist in such and such and such ways’, reckoning up in your contemplation all the specific attributes of your existence» — el capítulo 3 pone en boca del discípulo la enumeración: existo, y veo y siento que existo, y existo de tales y tales modos

«That this is true is shown by the testimony of Scripture, by the example of Christ, and by human reason. All human beings were lost with Adam when he fell from the love that united him with God; and all who by the works appropriate to their vocation testify to their desire to be saved are and shall be saved by sole virtue of the Passion of Christ» — el capítulo 4 apoya esa tesis en la Escritura, en el ejemplo de Cristo y en la razón, y repite la salvación por la sola virtud de la Pasión

«As the truest sacrifice he offered up himself – all that he was, in general and undivided9 – without regard for any particular living person, but generally and for all in common» — el capítulo 4 lee el sacrificio de Cristo como ofrenda de todo lo que era, en general y sin dividir, y no por persona alguna en particular

«No man can show greater charity than thus to sacrifice himself for all his brothers and sisters in grace and in nature» — el capítulo 4 declara que no hay caridad mayor que sacrificarse así por todos los hermanos en gracia y en naturaleza

«For as the soul is nobler than the body, so the uniting of the soul to God, its life, by the heavenly food of charity is better than the uniting of the body to the soul, its life, by any earthly food in this life. The latter is good to do in itself, but it is never well done without the former. The latter combined with the former is better; but the former by itself is the best. For the latter alone never merits salvation; but the former alone, where abundance of the latter falls short, not only merits salvation but leads to the greatest perfection» — el capítulo 4 jerarquiza el alimento del cuerpo y el del alma: el corporal solo nunca merece salvación, y el espiritual solo, faltando el otro, lleva a la mayor perfección

«is as if you were to wrap all this up in a more general statement, saying: ‘What I am and how I am, in nature and by grace, I have it all from you, Lord, and it is you. And I offer it all to you, above all for your praise, and for the help of all my fellow Christians and myself.’ Thus you can see that the origin and object of your contemplation has its essential basis in the bare sight and blind awareness of your own being. And thus it is simply your being that is the first of your fruits» — el capítulo 3 de Privy Counselling envuelve la enumeración del propio ser en una fórmula general: lo que soy y cómo soy lo tengo todo de ti, Señor, y eres tú, y todo te lo ofrezco

«But although it is the very first of your fruits, and although the other fruits are all dependent on it, it is of no benefit in the present situation to wrap or enfold your contemplation of it in one or all of its intricate attributes, which I call your fruits and with which you have been preoccupied up to now. It is enough now for you to do complete honour to God with your substance and to offer up the first of your fruits, your naked being, as a continual sacrifice in praise of God» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 4: basta ofrecer el ser desnudo como sacrificio continuo en alabanza de Dios, sin envolverlo en los atributos que hasta ahora ocupaban al discípulo

«For such a blind general regard is of greater service to the needs, the well-being, and the perfecting in purity of spirit of yourself and all others than any more specific contemplation that anyone could have, however holy it might seem» — el capítulo 4 declara esa mirada ciega y general más provechosa que cualquier contemplación particular por santa que parezca

«You must clearly understand that in this work of contemplation you should have no more regard to the attributes of God’s being than to the attributes of your own being. For there is no name, feeling or perception more fitting, or even equally fitting, to the eternal, which is God, than what may be gained, seen and felt in blind and loving contemplation of the word IS» — el pasaje de Privy Counselling que Spearing pone como contradicción con la Mystical Theology: ningún nombre conviene mejor a lo eterno que la contemplación ciega y amorosa de la palabra ES

«For if you say ‘Good’ or ‘Fair’, ‘Lord’ or ‘Sweet’, ‘Merciful’ or ‘Righteous’, ‘Wise’ or ‘Omniscient’, ‘Mighty’ or ‘Omnipotent’, ‘Knowledge’ or ‘Wisdom’, ‘Power’ or ‘Strength’, ‘Love’ or ‘Charity’, or anything else that may be said of God, it is all hidden and stored up in this little word IS. For him, to be all these is the same as simply to be» — el capítulo 4 recoge los nombres divinos y los da por guardados en esa palabra: ser todos ellos es para él lo mismo que simplemente ser

«If you add a hundred thousand sweet words such as these – good, fair, and all the rest – you do not depart from this word IS; and if you say them all, you do not add to it; and if you say none of them, you take nothing away from it» — el capítulo 4 mide el alcance de esos nombres: ni añaden ni quitan nada a la palabra ES

«Abandoning and thrusting far aside all curiosity, honour your God with your substance, offering all that you are as you are wholly to him who is as he is, him who alone is of himself his own blessed being and yours» — el capítulo 4 cierra con la fórmula que Spearing contrapone al capítulo 5 de la Mystical Theology: ofrecerse entero a quien es como es y es de sí mismo su propio ser bendito y el del alma

«In this way, united with him in a marvellous manner, you will honour God with himself; for what you are you have from him, and it is he. And although you who were once nothing had a beginning in your creation as an individual, your being has always existed in him without beginning and will always exist without ending, like himself» — el capítulo 4 enuncia la preexistencia del ser del alma en Dios: creada tuvo principio como individuo, y su ser existió siempre en él sin principio y existirá sin fin

«That is, your spiritual feelings will be filled with abundance of love and of virtuous living in God, your foundation and your purity of spirit» — el capítulo 4 descifra los graneros de Salomón como los sentimientos espirituales llenos de amor y de vida virtuosa en Dios

«All this will be done suddenly, joyfully and graciously, without any anxiety or labour on your part, solely by the ministration of angels, through the power of this loving blind work of contemplation. For all angels, knowing of this, do special service to it, like a maidservant to her lady» — el capítulo 4 atribuye ese cumplimiento al ministerio de los ángeles, que sirven a esta obra como una criada a su señora

«In warm commendation of this joyful, prudent work, which in itself is the high wisdom of God graciously descending into the human soul, joining and uniting it to himself in spiritual wisdom and prudence, the wise man Solomon exclaims in these words» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 5: define la obra como la alta sabiduría de Dios que desciende al alma y la une a sí, y presenta el pasaje de Salomón que va a citar

«Beatus homo qui inuenit sapienciam et qui affluit prudencia. Melior est adquisicio eius negociacione auri et argenti. Primi et purissimi fructus eius. Custodi, fili mi, legem atque consilium; et erit vita anime tue et gracia faucibus tuis. Tunc ambulabis fiducialiter in via tua, et pes tuus non inpinget. Si dormieris, non timebis; quiesces et suauis erit sompnus tuus. Ne paueas repentino terrore, et irruentes tibi potencias impiorum, quia Dominus erit in latere tuo et custodiet pedem tuum ne capiaris» — el capítulo 5 imprime entero el pasaje latino de Salomón antes de glosarlo. El latín va dentro de las comillas tal como lo imprime el volumen, que lo traduce enseguida

«You are to understand these words as follows. Blessed is the man who can find the wisdom that unifies and who in his spiritual activity can abound with loving wisdom and prudence of spirit, offering up his own blind awareness of his own being, with all ingenious learning and natural knowledge thrust far aside» — la glosa del capítulo 5: bienaventurado quien halla la sabiduría que unifica y ofrece la conciencia ciega de su propio ser, con el saber ingenioso apartado

«The gold and silver signify morally13 all other knowledge, bodily or spiritual, acquired by ingenious seeking and working with our natural faculties, beneath us, within us or on a level with us, when considering any of the attributes that pertain to God’s being or that of any created thing» — el capítulo 5 descifra el oro y la plata de Salomón como todo el saber adquirido por indagación de las facultades naturales

«And no wonder, because the fruit of this activity is high spiritual wisdom, suddenly and freely belched up14 from within the human spirit itself, uncreated, far distant from delusion, beyond all control or subjection to the activity of the natural faculties» — el capítulo 5 describe el fruto de la obra: sabiduría espiritual alta, eructada de súbito y de balde desde el espíritu, increada y fuera del control de las facultades naturales

«Compared with this, these faculties, however subtle or holy, may be called feigned folly formed in illusion, as far from genuine truth in the light of the spiritual sun as the darkness of moonlight in mist on midwinter night from the brightness of the sun’s rays at the clearest moment of midsummer day» — el capítulo 5 mide la distancia con un símil: esas facultades son como la tiniebla de la luna entre nieblas de invierno frente al sol del mediodía de verano

«And the only reason this kind of activity is called a law is that it contains within it every one of the branches and fruits of the law. For, rightly regarded, the foundation and force of this activity will be seen as nothing but the glorious gift of love, in which, as the apostle teaches, the whole law is fulfilled» — el capítulo 5 explica por qué llama ley a esta obra: contiene todas las ramas y frutos de la ley, y su fuerza es el don del amor en que, según el apóstol, la ley se cumple

«and in Holy Scripture the true mystical significance of this wine is spiritual wisdom in true contemplation and profound tasting of the Godhead» — el capítulo 4 de Privy Counselling descifra el vino de Salomón: en la Escritura significa místicamente la sabiduría espiritual de la contemplación verdadera y el gusto hondo de la divinidad

«If you keep this law of love and this living counsel, as Solomon says, it ‘shall be life to your soul’ inwardly, in tenderness of love to your God, ‘and grace to your mouth’ outwardly, in the truest teaching and seemliest ordering of your bodily conduct towards your fellow Christians in your outward form of living» — el capítulo 5 reparte los dos efectos: vida para el alma por dentro, en ternura de amor, y gracia para la boca por fuera, en la enseñanza y el trato con los demás

«On these two, one within and the other without, according to Christ’s teaching, ‘depends the whole law and the prophets’: In hiis enim duobus tota lex pendet et prophete: scilicet dileccio dei et proximi» — el capítulo 5 apoya ese reparto en el mandamiento doble, con el latín impreso a continuación del inglés. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«In this way, therefore, when you have been made perfect in your work both within and without, you will walk confidently, grounded in grace (which is the guide of your spiritual way), lovingly lifting up your naked blind being to the blessed being of God, with which you are one in grace although the two of you are different in nature» — el capítulo 5 vuelve a acotar la unión en la misma frase: uno en gracia y distintos en naturaleza

«That is, once you have tested your steadfastness of spirit in your spiritual work, you will not be so easily hindered and pulled back by the ingenious questionings of your subtle intelligence as you are now as a beginner» — el capítulo 5 descifra el pie que no tropieza: el principiante se deja frenar por las preguntas ingeniosas de su propia agudeza

«For, if any kind of specific thought of anything except your naked blind being (which is your God and your goal) should enter your mind, then you are turned aside and held back to labour in the trickery and ingenuity of thought, which distracts and divides you and your mind both from yourself and from your God» — el capítulo 5 describe el efecto de cualquier pensamiento particular: distrae y divide al alma de sí misma y de Dios

«For in this blind consideration of your naked being, united to God as I am telling you, you must do everything you do – eat and drink, sleep and wake, walk and sit, speak and be silent, lie down and get up, stand and kneel, run and ride, labour and rest» — el capítulo 5 extiende la obra a la vida entera: comer y beber, dormir y velar, andar y sentarse, hablar y callar, acostarse y levantarse, estar de pie y de rodillas, correr y cabalgar, trabajar y descansar

«Each day you must offer this up to God as the most precious offering you can make; and in everything you do it will be the chief of your doings, whether they are active or contemplative» — el capítulo 5 declara esa ofrenda la principal de todas las obras, activas o contemplativas

«But that does not matter, for ‘you shall rest’ graciously in this loving union of God and your soul; ‘and your sleep shall be very sweet’, for it will be spiritual nourishment and inward strength to your body as well as your soul» — el capítulo 5 descifra el sueño dulce de Salomón: reposo en la unión amorosa y alimento y fuerza interior para el cuerpo y para el alma

«And fittingly so, for since all sickness and corruption entered the flesh when the soul fell away from this work, all health will return to the flesh when the soul, by the grace of Jesus, the leading worker, rises back to this work» — el capítulo 5 explica la salud prometida a la carne: la enfermedad entró cuando el alma cayó de esta obra, y volverá cuando el alma vuelva a ella por la gracia de Jesús

«For in this work the fiend is utterly bewildered and blinded in painful ignorance and crazy curiosity about» — el capítulo 5 de Privy Counselling describe al enemigo desconcertado y cegado en ignorancia dolorosa y curiosidad loca; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«Understand very well that that is how it will be, whatever kind of person you may be who apply yourself to work truly at contemplation: you will certainly see and feel, or else smell, taste or hear some cause for confusion made by the fiend in one or more of your five bodily senses» — el capítulo 5 anuncia la confusión que el enemigo provoca en uno o más de los cinco sentidos corporales de todo el que trabaje de veras en la contemplación. Spearing cita el pasaje en su introducción

«It is all done so as to drag you down from the height of this precious work; and so guard your heart well when this torment comes, and rely with eager confidence on the love of our Lord» — el capítulo 5 declara el fin de esa confusión y su remedio: guardar el corazón y confiar en el amor del Señor

«See, friend, thus our Lord, who is our love, will with power, wisdom and goodness help, preserve and defend all those who, in the loving trust they feel towards him, are willing to abandon utterly their selfpreservation» — el capítulo 5 cierra prometiendo el amparo a quien abandona del todo el cuidado de sí; la capa de texto imprime *selfpreservation* sin guion

«But where shall such a soul be found, so willingly fixed and founded in the faith, so utterly humbled in self-annihilation, and so lovingly led and sustained by the love of our Lord, fully knowing and feeling his universal power, his hidden wisdom and his glorious goodness? – how he is one in all things and all things are in him, so that, without fully yielding up to him all that is from him, by him and in him, a loving soul can never be truly humbled in utter self-annihilation» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 6: la pregunta por el alma humillada hasta la aniquilación de sí, que conoce cómo Dios es uno en todo y todo está en él

«Such a soul, deeply drenched in God’s love, in utter and final abandonment of itself as nothing (or less, if less could be), deserves, by this noble making nothing of self and this high making all of God in perfect charity, to have God with his power, wisdom and goodness helping and preserving and defending it from all adversities, bodily and spiritual, without anxiety or labour, reward or consideration on its own part» — el capítulo 6 enuncia la fórmula que recorre el tratado: hacerse nada a sí y hacerlo todo de Dios, y por eso merecer su amparo sin afán propio

«You souls who are only partly humbled, give up your human objections, and do not say, enquiring rationally into it, that such a humble and total abandonment of self-preservation, when a person feels himself touched in this way by grace, is tempting God, because you sense in your reason that you dare not do so yourselves» — el capítulo 6 objeta a quienes llaman tentar a Dios a ese abandono, y les adjudica el motivo: que ellos no se atreven

«No, be satisfied with your part, for it is sufficient to save your souls on the level of active life, and leave alone other contemplative souls who dare do this. And do not be astonished or wonder at their words and deeds, even though they seem to you to exceed the scope and ordinary judgement of your reason» — el capítulo 6 les asigna su parte: basta para salvarse en la vida activa, y manda dejar en paz a los contemplativos que sí se atreven

«It seems that either you are blind and cannot see and believe what you read or hear, or you are touched with some kind of secret envy, unable to credit that such great good may fall to your fellows because you lack it yourself» — el capítulo 6 adjudica dos motivos a esa incredulidad: ceguera o una envidia secreta de que a otros les toque lo que a uno le falta

«You need to be careful, because your enemy is subtle and plans to make you give greater credit to your own understanding than to the sound teaching of ancient Fathers or the working of grace and the will of our Lord» — el capítulo 6 nombra la astucia del enemigo: hacer que se dé más crédito al propio entendimiento que a la enseñanza de los Padres antiguos

«How often have you read and heard, and from how many holy, wise and true teachers, that as soon as Benjamin was born his mother Rachel died?20 We understand by Benjamin contemplation and by Rachel reason» — el capítulo 6 toma la figura de Benjamín y Raquel: Benjamín es la contemplación y Raquel la razón

«As soon as a soul is touched with true contemplation, as it is in this noble making nothing of self and this high making all of God, it is true and certain that straight away the human reason» — el capítulo 6 aplica la figura: tocada el alma por la contemplación verdadera, la razón humana muere en el acto; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«See to it, then, that you are not like those wretched earthly women who kill their own children when they are newly born» — el capítulo 6 avisa a los razonadores con una imagen cruda: no matar al recién nacido, que es la contemplación

«At the earliest beginnings of Holy Church, in the age of persecution, many and varied souls were so marvellously touched by the sudden coming of grace that, without being prepared by any previous religious exercises, handicraftsmen suddenly threw down their tools and school children their wax tablets,22 and ran without rational questioning to be martyred with saints; so why should we not believe that now, in the age of peace, God may, can and will, and, yes, does touch various souls equally suddenly with the grace of contemplation» — el capítulo 6 argumenta desde los mártires: si artesanos y escolares dejaron de golpe herramientas y tablillas para ir al martirio sin preparación, también hoy puede la gracia tocar de súbito

«If anyone dares not do this, and speaks against it, either the Devil is in his breast robbing him of the loving trust he should have in his God and the goodwill he should have towards his fellow Christians; or he is not yet as perfectly humbled as he needs to be, I mean if he aims at the truly contemplative life» — el capítulo 6 adjudica dos causas a quien no se atreve y además lo objeta: el Diablo en el pecho o una humildad todavía imperfecta

«By Benjamin are understood all those who in ecstasy of love are rapt above intellect, as the prophet says: Ibi Beniamyn adolescentulus in mentis excessu» — el capítulo 6 de Privy Counselling apoya la figura de Benjamín en el salmo, con el latín impreso antes de la traducción; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 21

«just so in this spiritual sleep the unruly questionings of the untamed spiritual senses, speculations arising from mental images, are firmly bound and completely deprived of their force, so that the blessed soul can sleep softly and rest in loving perception of God as he is, fully sustaining and strengthening its spiritual powers» — la otra mitad del símil: la obra ata las preguntas de los sentidos espirituales y deja al alma reposar en la percepción amorosa de Dios tal como es

«So bind down your thoughts when you offer up this naked blind awareness of your own being, and always ensure, as I have often said, that it is naked, and not cloaked in any attribute of your being. For if you cloak it with any attribute, such as the nobility of your being or any other individual quality that pertains to human existence as opposed to that of any other creature, then you immediately give food to your thoughts, by which they have occasion and power to draw you to many things, thus distracting you, without your knowing how. Be wary of this deception, I beg you» — el capítulo 6 repite la exigencia de desnudez: revestir esa conciencia con cualquier atributo da de comer a los pensamientos y los deja arrastrar al alma sin que lo note

«Perhaps now, though, following the subtle judgement of your prying thoughts, which know nothing about it, you are marvelling somewhat at this work of contemplation, and are suspicious of it. That is not surprising, because up to now your thoughts have been too clever to know anything about any such activity. And perhaps you are asking in your heart how you can know whether this work is pleasing to God or not; or, if it is pleasing, how it can be as pleasing as I say it is» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 7: el discípulo sospecha de la obra y pregunta cómo saber que agrada a Dios

«My answer is that this question is provoked by intellectual curiosity, which will never let you consent to this work until it is satisfied by some convincing argument. And I shall offer no resistance, but shall make myself partly like you, gratifying your proud intellect, so that afterwards you will be like me, following my advice without setting limits to your humility» — el capítulo 7 adjudica la pregunta a la curiosidad intelectual y anuncia que la va a complacer para después ser obedecido

«For, as St Bernard testifies, ‘Perfect humility sets no limits» — el capítulo 7 apoya esa exigencia en san Bernardo. Voz nombrada dentro del texto

«I believe that love prompts me to this more than any capacity I feel in myself in the way of great knowledge or contemplative activity or the level of my life. May God put right what is wrong, for he knows fully, and I only in part» — el capítulo 7 acota su propio reclamo de autoridad: lo mueve el amor más que su saber o su nivel de vida, y solo Dios sabe del todo

«But now, to gratify your proud intellect, I tell you truly in commendation of this contemplative work that if a soul engaged in it had tongue and language to say what it feels, all the scholars of Christendom would wonder at its wisdom. Yes, and by comparison, all their great learning would seem manifest foolishness» — el capítulo 7 declara que si el alma que trabaja en esta obra pudiera decir lo que siente, todos los doctos de la cristiandad verían necedad en su propio saber

«And God forbid that the work itself should be defiled by being distorted by the wagging of a fleshly tongue! No, it may not be, and certainly it will not be, and God forbid that I should desire it» — el capítulo 7 rechaza que la obra pueda decirse con lengua carnal

«For everything that is spoken about contemplation is not the thing itself but is only about it. But now, since we cannot speak it, let us speak about it» — la distinción del capítulo 7 entre decir la cosa y hablar de ella, y la decisión de hablar de ella para confundir la soberbia intelectual

«I ask you first, what is perfection of the human soul, and what are the properties belonging to this perfection? Answering on your behalf, I say that perfection of the human soul is nothing other than a union brought about between it and God in perfect charity» — el capítulo 7 define la perfección del alma como unión con Dios en caridad perfecta

«The properties belonging to perfection, which every perfect soul needs to possess, are virtues. Now, if you will closely examine this work in your soul, and the property and characteristics of each separate virtue, you will find that all virtues are clearly and completely contained within it, without any deflection or corruption of intention» — el capítulo 7 identifica esas propiedades con las virtudes, y las declara contenidas todas en esta obra sin torcerse la intención

«This work of contemplation is rightly compared to a sleep. For as in sleep the use of your bodily senses is suspended, so that the body can» — el capítulo 6 de Privy Counselling abre el símil del sueño: como el sueño suspende los sentidos corporales; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«This perfection is so high and pure in its nature, beyond human understanding, that it cannot be known or perceived in itself; but where the properties» — el capítulo 7 acota su definición de perfección: no se conoce ni se percibe en sí misma; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *belonging to it can be truly seen and perceived*

«For the work in question, rightly understood, is the reverent affection and the fruit separated from the tree that I refer to in your little Epistle on Prayer. This is The Cloud of Unknowing; this is that secret thrust of love in purity of spirit; this is the Ark of the Testament» — el capítulo 7 de Privy Counselling reúne los nombres que el autor ha dado a la misma obra en sus otros escritos, incluida la Epistle on Prayer y el propio Cloud

«This is Dionysius’s Theology, his wisdom and his treasure, his bright darkness and his ignorant knowledge» — el capítulo 7 identifica su obra con la Teología de Dionisio y con sus fórmulas: la tiniebla brillante y el conocimiento ignorante

«For Christ went ahead by nature, and we come after by grace. His nature is more excellent than grace, and grace is more excellent than our nature. And by this he lets us know clearly that the only way we can follow him to the height of perfection, as comes about in the practice of this work of contemplation, is if we are guided and led by grace» — el capítulo 8 distingue el ir delante de Cristo por naturaleza y el venir detrás por gracia, y de ahí que solo la gracia lleve a la perfección

«I feel sure, without doubt or error, that almighty God in his grace must always be the principal mover and worker, either with or without intermediary, and that you or anyone like you must only consent and submit» — el capítulo 8 acota su propia exhortación: Dios es siempre el motor y el obrero principal, y al discípulo le toca consentir y someterse

«And since it is the case that God of his goodness moves and touches various souls in various ways, some with and some without intermediary,30 who dares to say that God will not move you through this writing, you or anyone like you who may either read or hear it, with myself as a mere intermediary» — el capítulo 8 se coloca a sí mismo como mero intermediario por el que Dios puede mover al lector

«Then you are your own cross; and this is true contemplation and the way to our Lord, as he says himself: first ‘Let him bear his cross’, in the pain he feels in himself, and then ‘follow me’ into blessedness or into the height of perfection, tasting the tenderness of my love in the divine experience of myself» — el capítulo 8 remata con la figura de la cruz propia: llevar el peso de uno mismo es la cruz, y seguirlo es entrar en la perfección

«You can see, then, that you need to desire sorrowfully to escape from the feeling of yourself, and painfully bear the burden of yourself as a cross, before you can be made one with God in spiritual feeling of himself, which is perfect charity» — el capítulo 8 ordena la secuencia: desear escapar del sentimiento de sí y llevar el propio peso como cruz antes de la unión en caridad perfecta

«But, I beg you, how could you achieve this contemplative work by the use of your intellectual faculties? Never, surely; not even by good means, by your subtle and ingenious imaginings and meditations, no, not even if they concern your sinful way of life, the Passion of Christ, the joys of our Lady,32 or all the saints and angels in heaven, or again any attribute, fine quality or characteristic that belongs to your existence or God’s» — el capítulo 8 niega que las facultades intelectuales alcancen la obra, ni con las mejores meditaciones sobre el pecado, la Pasión o los gozos de la Virgen

«It would be better to have my heart dissolved in tears for want of the feeling of God and for the painful burden of myself, and to have my loving desire kindled for the feeling of God, than all the subtle and ingenious imaginings or meditations that can be told or found written in books, however holy they might be and however beautiful they might seem to the subtle eye of your ingenious intellect» — el capítulo 8 declara su preferencia en primera persona: el llanto por falta del sentimiento de Dios antes que todas las meditaciones ingeniosas escritas en los libros

«This is what makes you silent in thought as well as in speech. This makes your prayer very short» — el capítulo 7 de Privy Counselling declara los efectos de la obra: silencio en el pensamiento y en el habla, y oración brevísima; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 27

«By this you are taught to forsake and despise the world» — el tercer efecto que el capítulo 7 declara: dejar y despreciar el mundo

«What is more, by this you are taught to forsake and despise yourself, according to Christ’s teaching in the gospel, where he says» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 8: la obra enseña además a dejarse y despreciarse a sí mismo, según la enseñanza del Evangelio; el verbatim se corta antes del latín y de la llamada de nota 28

«Whoever will come after me, let him forsake himself, let him bear his cross and follow me» — la traducción que el capítulo 8 da del mandato evangélico. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«Know for certain that, although I urge you to forget everything but the blind awareness of your naked being, what I want (and this has been my intention from the beginning» — el capítulo 8 declara la intención que tuvo desde el principio; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *that you should forget even the awareness of your own being*

«forget even the awareness of your own being in favour of awareness of God’s being. That was the reason why I showed you at the beginning that God is your being» — la continuación en la plana siguiente: olvidar hasta la conciencia del propio ser en favor de la del ser de Dios, porque desde el principio se dijo que Dios es el ser del alma

«But it seemed to me that, on account of your inexperience in spiritual awareness, you were not yet capable of being lifted up at a stroke to spiritual awareness of God’s being; and so, to enable you to climb up to it step by step, I told you first to gnaw away at the naked blind awareness of your own being, until the time when, by spiritual perseverance in this secret work, you would become capable of the high awareness of God» — el capítulo 8 explica su método por grados: primero roer la conciencia desnuda del propio ser, y solo después la conciencia alta de Dios

«So although at the beginning, because of your simplicity and spiritual immaturity, I tell you to cloak and enfold awareness of God in awareness of yourself, afterwards, when perseverance has made you wiser in purity of spirit, you must strip, despoil and completely unclothe yourself of every kind of awareness of yourself, so that you can be clothed in the gracious awareness of God’s self» — el capítulo 8 enuncia el paso de una a otra con imágenes de vestir y desvestir: desnudarse de toda conciencia de sí para quedar vestido de la de Dios

«This is the true nature of a perfect lover, simply and completely to strip himself of himself for the sake of the thing he loves, and not to permit or allow himself to be clothed in anything but the thing he loves; and that not only for a time, but to be enveloped in it unendingly, in utter and final forgetfulness of himself» — el capítulo 8 define al amante perfecto por ese despojo: no dejarse vestir de nada que no sea lo amado, y sin término

«This is the teaching of our Lord when he says, ‘Whoever will love me, let him forsake himself’, as if to say, ‘Let him strip himself of himself if he wishes to be truly clothed in me, who am the ample garment of love that will last for ever and never end» — el capítulo 8 pone en boca del Señor la imagen que Spearing contrapone a la de Julian: Dios como vestidura amplia de amor para el alma desnuda

«Therefore, whenever you consider your contemplative activity and see and feel that it is yourself you are feeling and not God, you must be earnestly sorrowful, and long wholeheartedly to feel God, always desiring without cease to escape from the miserable knowledge and foul feeling of your blind being; and aim to flee from yourself as from poison. And then you will forsake yourself and fiercely despise yourself, as our Lord commands» — el capítulo 8 manda huir de sí como de un veneno cuando lo que se siente es a uno mismo y no a Dios

«When you long so singlemindedly, not to cease to exist – for that would be madness and would show contempt for God31 – but to escape from the knowledge and feeling of your existence (which must always happen, if God’s love is to be felt as perfectly as it may be in this life» — el capítulo 8 repite el límite que Spearing lee como respuesta a Porete: no desear dejar de existir, que sería locura y desprecio de Dios, sino escapar del conocimiento y del sentimiento del propio existir

«However careful you may be, a naked awareness of your mere existence will always follow you and accompany your doings, unless rarely, for some brief moment, God will permit you to feel himself in abundance of love» — el capítulo 8 declara inevitable en esta vida la conciencia desnuda del propio existir, salvo algún instante raro por abundancia de amor

«Many people call their deeds themselves, but it is not so; for I who do them am one thing, and my deeds that are done are another» — el capítulo 8 distingue al agente de sus obras; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 33

«The same is true of God: he is one thing in himself, and his works are another» — el capítulo 8 aplica esa distinción a Dios

«All the same, these beautiful meditations are the truest way for a sinful beginner to attain spiritual feeling of himself and of God. And, though God can do what he will, to me it would seem impossible in human terms for a sinner to attain tranquillity in spiritual feeling of himself and of God unless he first saw and felt by imagining and meditation the bodily actions of himself and God, and then sorrowed for the actions that required sorrow, and rejoiced for those that required rejoicing» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 9: las meditaciones bellas son el camino más verdadero para el principiante pecador, que ha de ver y sentir primero por imaginación las obras corporales suyas y de Dios

«And there are some that find the door soon, and enter sooner than others; and that is entirely on account of the doorkeeper, not of any worth or desert of their own» — el capítulo 9 adjudica la entrada temprana al portero y no al mérito propio

«The household of the spirit is marvellous, because its Master is not only the doorkeeper himself, he is also the door. He is the doorkeeper through his Godhead, and the door by his Manhood» — el capítulo 9 reparte la figura: Cristo es portero por su divinidad y puerta por su humanidad

«yet, because I wish there to be a plain public way and an entrance open to all who wish to come in, so that no one may have the excuse of not knowing the way, I have clothed myself in ordinary human nature, and made myself so accessible that by my Manhood I am the door, and anyone who enters by me will be saved» — el pasaje del capítulo 9 que Spearing cita como muestra del giro de Privy Counselling hacia la humanidad de Cristo: se hizo puerta vistiéndose de naturaleza humana ordinaria

«Those who enter by the door are those who, when meditating on the Passion of Christ, lament their wicked deeds which cause that Passion, bitterly reproving themselves because they deserved to suffer and did not, and feeling pity and compassion for that good Lord who suffered so shamefully and did not deserve to suffer at all; and then they lift up their hearts to the love and goodness of his Godhead, in which he deigned to humble himself so low in our mortal manhood. All these enter by the door, and they shall be saved» — el capítulo 9 describe a los que entran por la puerta: lamentan sus obras, se reprochan merecer lo que no padecieron, se compadecen del que padeció sin merecerlo y suben al amor de su divinidad

«And anyone, whoever he may be, who does not enter by this door, but climbs up another way to perfection by the subtle prying and ingenious deluded activity of his wild unruly intellect, abandoning the plain public entrance mentioned above and the sound advice of spiritual directors, is not just a thief by night but a pilferer by day» — el capítulo 9 califica al que sube por otra vía con su intelecto indómito: ladrón de noche y ratero de día

«He is a thief by night, because he walks in the darkness of sin, presumptuously relying on the independence of his own intellect and will more than on any sound advice or on the plain public way just mentioned» — el capítulo 9 descifra el ladrón de noche: anda en la tiniebla del pecado, fiado de su propio intelecto antes que del consejo

«He is a pilferer by day, because, under pretext of leading a pure spiritual life, he plucks the outward signs and words of contemplation without having its fruit» — el capítulo 9 descifra el ratero de día: arranca las señales y las palabras de la contemplación sin tener su fruto

«And so, because he feels within him at times a pleasant longing, however slight, to come nearer to God, he is blinded by this pretext and supposes that everything he does is good enough, when it is the most dangerous purpose possible – for a young man, ungoverned by advice, to follow the fierceness of his desire; especially when his desire is set on climbing independently to high things, not only above himself but above the plain public way of Christians just mentioned, which I call, in accordance with Christ’s teaching, the door of devotion and the truest entrance to contemplation possible in this life» — el capítulo 9 nombra el peligro mayor: que un joven sin guía siga la fiereza de su deseo por encima del camino común de los cristianos, que es la puerta de la devoción

«Now let us proceed with the topic in this book that especially concerns you and all others who resemble you simply in being disposed towards contemplation. If this is the door, what follows? Is someone who has found it to keep on standing at it, or in the doorway, without coming further inside» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 10: la pregunta por si hay que quedarse en la puerta o pasar adentro

«Answering on your behalf, I say that it is good for him to continue to do so, until his conscience and his director bear witness that the thick rust of his crude bodiliness has been largely rubbed away; and especially until he is called further inside by the secret teaching of the Holy Spirit, for this teaching is the clearest and surest testimony available in this life that a soul is called and drawn further inside to experience the more intimate work of grace» — el capítulo 10 responde con dos condiciones: que la conciencia y el director den por raída la herrumbre de la corporalidad, y que el Espíritu llame adentro

«A person can have evidence of being touched in this way if, as he continues in his religious exercises, he feels a kind of quiet growing desire to get nearer to God in this life, for example by a special feeling in his spirit when he hears contemplation discussed or finds it written about in books. For if a person is not stirred by a growing desire to get nearer to God when he hears and reads about spiritual work, and especially in his daily exercises, let him continue to stand at the door, as one called to salvation but not yet to perfection» — el capítulo 10 da la señal del llamado: un deseo creciente y sereno de acercarse a Dios al oír o leer sobre contemplación; quien no lo sienta, que siga en la puerta

«Let me warn you of one thing. Whoever you may be who read or hear what I have written, especially in this place where I distinguish between those who are called to salvation and those who are called to perfection, whichever group you feel your vocation belongs to, see that you neither judge nor debate what God does or what human beings do, beyond what concerns yourself alone – not whom he stirs and calls or does not call to perfection, nor, as to length of time, why he calls one person sooner than another. If you wish to avoid error, do not judge, but simply hear and understand» — el capítulo 10 prohíbe juzgar a quién llama Dios y a quién no, y con qué demora

«If you are called, give praise to God, and pray that you do not fall; and if you are not yet called, pray humbly to God that he will call you when he wishes. Do not teach him what he must do; let him alone. He has power, wisdom and will enough to do the best for you and all who love him» — el capítulo 10 reparte lo que toca a cada quien y manda no enseñarle a Dios lo que ha de hacer

«Be at peace with your lot. Whichever falls to you, there is no need to complain, for they are both precious. The first is good, and wholly necessary. The second is better, whoever can seize it; or, to speak more truly, whoever by grace is seized and called to it by our Lord» — el capítulo 10 declara preciosas las dos suertes y enmienda en la misma frase el verbo: más que asirla, se es asido por el Señor

«We may press forward in our pride and stumble at the goal; but truly without him what we do is nothing, for he says himself: Sine me nichil potestis facere» — el capítulo 10 cita el Evangelio en latín para fundar la primacía de Dios en la obra. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«I say all this to confound the mistaken presumption of those who, in the ingenuity of their learning or natural intelligence, always want to be the chief workers themselves, with God just submitting or only consenting, when in reality the opposite is true in contemplative matters. In these matters alone are all the ingenious arguments of learning or natural intelligence pushed far aside, so that God can be the principal worker» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 11: objeta a quienes quieren ser ellos los obreros principales con Dios consintiendo, cuando en la contemplación es al revés

«In legitimate matters belonging to the active life, however, human learning and natural intelligence can work side by side with God, though only with his consent in spirit, as established by these three witnesses – Scripture, spiritual direction, and accepted custom in matters of nature and rank, age and temperament» — el capítulo 11 reparte el terreno de la vida activa: ahí el saber humano trabaja junto a Dios, probado por tres testigos, la Escritura, la dirección espiritual y la costumbre

«In truth it is very reasonable that a man should be more than his deeds. It is on this account that, according to the statutes and ordinances of Holy Church, no man can be admitted to prelacy, which is the highest stage of active life, unless the duties of that office are shown by the testimony of true judgement to come within his ability» — el capítulo 11 apoya ese reparto en la disciplina eclesiástica: nadie sube a prelacía sin que su capacidad alcance el oficio

«Thus in matters of the active life human learning and natural ability must chiefly predominate, along with God’s gracious consent as tested by these three witnesses – and rightly so, for all active matters are subordinate and subject to human wisdom. But in contemplative matters the highest wisdom that humanity as such can achieve is pushed far down, so that God may be the chief worker, and man do nothing but consent and submit» — el capítulo 11 fija los dos regímenes: en lo activo manda el saber humano con el consentimiento de Dios, y en lo contemplativo Dios es el obrero principal

«Well, I have used many words to convey a simple meaning. But all this was said to let you know in which things you must set your intellectual faculties to work and in which you must not; and how God is with you in one activity and how in another. Again, perhaps, by knowing this you may avoid deceptions into which you might have fallen if it had not been explained. So, since it has been said, let it be, even though it may not be very relevant to our subject; and now let us proceed» — el capítulo 11 cierra reconociendo su propia extensión y la relativa impertinencia de la digresión

«Anyone who does not come in by this way does not come by the right way; and so he must wait outside» — el capítulo 9 de Privy Counselling declara obligado el paso por la puerta: quien no entra por ahí no entra por el camino recto y ha de esperar fuera

«For many believe that they are inside the spiritual door, and yet they are standing outside, and must do so until they humbly seek for the door» — el capítulo 9 describe el engaño: muchos se creen dentro de la puerta espiritual y están fuera, y ahí seguirán hasta que la busquen con humildad

«He is with us in sin only by permitting it and not by consenting to it, to our final damnation unless we humbly repent. In actions that are active and legitimate, he is with us both by permitting them and by consenting to them, to our reproof if we backslide and our great reward if we advance» — el capítulo 11 gradúa la presencia de Dios: permite el pecado sin consentirlo, y en lo activo permite y consiente, con reproche si se recae y premio si se avanza

«You may ask me this question: ‘By what sign or signs, if you please, can I soonest know unmistakably whether this growing desire that I feel in my everyday spiritual work, and this pleasant stirring that I experience in reading and hearing about contemplation, is really a summons from God to a more special activity of grace, as described in this book; or whether it is to nourish and sustain my spirit, encouraging it to remain still and to continue working in ordinary grace – what you call the door and public entrance for all Christians» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 12: la pregunta del discípulo por las señales que distinguen el llamado a la obra especial del aliento a seguir en la gracia común

«The best answer I can manage is this. You can well see that in this book I have listed two kinds of witness you should use to test whether God is calling you in spirit to this work of contemplation, one internal, the other external. In this case it seems to me that neither of the two can be fully sufficient without the other; but where both are found together and in agreement, that is adequate evidence, with nothing more needed» — el capítulo 12 da los dos testigos, uno interno y otro externo, y declara que ninguno basta sin el otro y que juntos bastan

«The first of the two witnesses, which is internal, is the growing desire that you feel in everyday spiritual work. What you must know about this is that although it is an activity of the soul that is blind39 in itself – for desire is to the soul just as touching and walking are to the body, and you know well that touching and walking are both blind bodily activities» — el capítulo 12 define el testigo interno: el deseo creciente, actividad ciega del alma como el tacto y el andar lo son del cuerpo

«yet, however blind it may be, it is accompanied and followed by a kind of spiritual sight, which partly causes it and is partly a means of promoting it» — el capítulo 12 acota esa ceguera: al deseo lo acompaña una vista espiritual que en parte lo causa y en parte lo promueve

«So pay careful attention to the intrinsic nature of your everyday spiritual exercise. If it is recollection of your sinfulness, the Passion of Christ, or any such matter belonging to the public entrance for Christians mentioned previously; and if the spiritual insight that accompanies and follows your blind desire arises from these common meditations, then to me that is certainly a sign that the growth of your desire is only nourishing and sustaining your spirit to remain still and go on working in common grace, and is not a calling or stirring by God to any more special grace» — el capítulo 12 da el criterio: si la vista que acompaña al deseo nace de las meditaciones comunes, el deseo solo sostiene al espíritu en la gracia común

«Now the other, second, external witness is a pleasant stirring that you feel when reading or hearing about this matter of contemplation. I call this external, because it comes from without, through the windows of your bodily senses, as by hearing and seeing while you are reading» — el capítulo 12 define el testigo externo: el movimiento placentero al leer u oír sobre la contemplación, que entra por las ventanas de los sentidos

«In actions that are contemplative he is with us as chief instigator and worker, while we» — el capítulo 11 de Privy Counselling sitúa el tercer grado: en lo contemplativo Dios instiga y obra; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *only submit and consent*

«It can happen, though, that the pleasant stirring you feel in reading and hearing about this matter is so plentiful that it goes with you to bed, rises with you in the morning, follows you about all day in everything you do, tears you away from your accustomed daily exercise and gets between it and you, accompanies and follows your desire so closely that it all seems to be one desire or you cannot tell the difference, changes your gestures and makes your behaviour becoming» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 12: la otra señal, cuando ese movimiento placentero acompaña al que lo siente en la cama, al despertar y todo el día, y le cambia los gestos

«While it lasts, everything comforts you and nothing can trouble you. You would run a thousand miles to talk in person with someone you knew to have truly experienced it; and yet when you get there, let him speak who will, you can say nothing, for it is all you wish to speak of» — el capítulo 12 describe el estado: se correrían mil millas por hablar con quien lo haya experimentado, y llegado allí no se sabe decir nada

«Your words are few, but full of fruit and fire. A brief word that you speak contains a whole world of wisdom, yet it seems mere foolishness to those who remain in their senses» — el capítulo 12 describe el habla de ese estado: pocas palabras con un mundo de sabiduría dentro, que a los que siguen en sus sentidos les suena a necedad

«Your silence is sweet, your speech most profitable, your prayers are secret, your pride most guiltless, your behaviour is humble, your cheerfulness mild, your delight is pleasure in playing with a child» — la serie de rasgos del capítulo 12, rematada con una imagen inesperada: el deleite es el de jugar con un niño

«You love to be solitary and sit by yourself; people would hinder you, you feel, unless they were contemplating with you. It does not please you to read or hear any book except about contemplation, so that your internal and external witnesses are both in harmony and joined as one» — el capítulo 12 cierra la señal: gusto por la soledad, desinterés por todo libro que no trate de contemplación, y los dos testigos en concordia

«Yes, and if both these witnesses with all the supporting indications just listed cease for a time after you have had one or all them, and you are left seemingly destitute of this new fervour and equally of your old accustomed meditations, so that you seem to fall between two stools, possessing neither and lacking both; do not be too depressed by this, but put up with it humbly and patiently await our Lord’s will. For now, to use an analogy, you are on the spiritual sea, crossing over from bodiliness to spirituality» — el capítulo 12 anticipa el vacío entre las dos: quedarse sin el fervor nuevo y sin las meditaciones viejas es estar en el mar espiritual, cruzando de la corporalidad a la espiritualidad

«For suddenly, before ever you know it, it has all gone, and you are left abandoned in the boat, blown adrift, now this way, now that, you do not know where or whither» — el capítulo 12 describe la alternancia: de pronto todo se va y el alma queda abandonada en la barca, a la deriva

«Yes, and if he goes again, he will come back again; and each time, if you behave with humble submission, he will come more gloriously and joyfully than the last. And he does all this because he wants you to become as pliant41 to his will spiritually as a kid glove is to your hand bodily» — el capítulo 12 da la razón de esa alternancia con su símil: volver al alma tan flexible a la voluntad de Dios como un guante de cabritilla a la mano

«For you must understand that, though God may on occasion withdraw these sensations of sweetness, these fervent feelings and burning desires, that does not mean that he withdraws his grace from those he has chosen. For I certainly cannot believe that his special grace can ever be withdrawn from his chosen ones who have once been touched by it, unless deadly sin were the reason» — el capítulo 12 distingue la gracia de sus señales: retirar la dulzura no es retirar la gracia, que no se quita a los elegidos salvo por pecado mortal

«But the sensations of sweetness, the fervent feelings and burning desires, which in themselves are not grace but signs of grace, these are often withdrawn to test our patience, and often to benefit us spiritually in many other ways, more than we suppose» — el capítulo 12 declara que esas sensaciones no son la gracia sino señales suyas, y que se retiran para probar la paciencia y para otros provechos

«Grace is so exalted in its nature, so pure and so spiritual, that it cannot be experienced by our senses. The signs of it may be, but not grace itself» — el capítulo 12 da la razón: la gracia es demasiado pura y espiritual para ser experimentada por los sentidos, y solo sus señales lo son

«Many great storms and temptations, perhaps, will rise up at this point, and you will not know where to run for assistance. Everything is missing from your feelings, both common and special grace» — el capítulo 12 de Privy Counselling describe la travesía: tormentas y tentaciones, sin saber adónde acudir, y falta de toda gracia sentida, común y especial

«Do not be too afraid, though you seem to have reason enough; but have a loving trust in our Lord, however little you can achieve for the» — la instrucción para esa travesía: confiar con amor en el Señor por poco que se pueda; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«Thus in both ways, by your patience in the absence of these sensations, the signs of grace, and by his life-giving nourishment and loving sustenance of your spirit when they are present, he will make you so joyfully submissive and so pleasingly pliant to perfection and to spiritual union with his will, a union which is perfect charity» — el capítulo 12 declara el resultado de esa doble prueba: hacerse gozosamente sumiso y flexible a la unión con la voluntad de Dios, que es caridad perfecta

«that you will be as willing and glad to forgo such sensations if he wills it as to possess and experience them» — el remate de esa prueba: quedar tan dispuesto a carecer de esas sensaciones como a tenerlas; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *continuously throughout your life*

«Now your love is both pure and perfect. Now it is that you see your God and your love, and nakedly feel him too, by spiritual union with his love at the highest level of your spirit, as he is in himself (though blindly, in the way possible here), totally stripped of yourself and nakedly clothed in himself as he is, unclothed and not cloaked in any of the physical sensations, however sweet or holy they may be, that can occur in this life» — el capítulo 12 describe la unión: ver y sentir a Dios ciegamente, despojado de sí mismo y desnudamente vestido de él, sin las sensaciones corporales por dulces o santas que sean

«To your understanding as you feel or see in this way, this sight and feeling of God as he is in himself can no more be distinguished from God in himself than God himself can be distinguished from his own being, with which he is one in both essence and nature. So that as God cannot exist apart from his own being because of their oneness in nature, so the soul that sees and feels in this way cannot exist apart from the thing that it sees and feels because of their oneness in grace» — el capítulo 12 lleva la unión hasta el límite: como Dios no se distingue de su propio ser, el alma que así ve y siente no se distingue de lo que ve y siente, por su unidad en gracia

«See then that in this way and by these signs you can somewhat feel and partly test the manner and quality of your calling and of the stirring of grace in your inward spiritual activity and your outward reading or hearing of this matter» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 13: por esas señales se prueba en parte la calidad del propio llamado

«There are very few who are at once so specially touched and marked by this grace that they can soon or suddenly have experience, truly felt, of all these signs. It is enough, though, to have some one or two of them, even without having them all immediately» — el capítulo 13 acota la exigencia: pocos tienen de golpe todas las señales, y basta con una o dos

«and as soon as you, or anyone like you in spirit, feel that you have had real experience of some or all of them, confirmed by true judgement of Scripture and of your director and your conscience, it will be beneficial for you to cease from the elaborate meditations and subtle imaginings of the attributes of your being and God’s, and of your works and God’s, by which your intellect has been fed and you have been led from worldly and bodily concerns to your present capacity for grace; and to learn how you should be engaged spiritually with feelings of yourself and of God, about whom you have previously learned so well by the activities of thought and imagination» — el capítulo 13 da la condición para dejar las meditaciones elaboradas: el juicio de la Escritura, del director y de la conciencia, y reconoce que fueron ellas las que llevaron al discípulo hasta aquí

«Christ illustrated this in his earthly life; for if had been the case that there was no higher perfection in this life than loving meditation on his Manhood, I believe he would not have ascended into heaven before the end of the world, or withdrawn his bodily presence from his intimate lovers on earth» — el capítulo 13 argumenta desde la Ascensión: si no hubiera perfección más alta que meditar en su humanidad, Cristo no habría retirado su presencia corporal. El troceo imprime *if had been the case*, sin el *it*

«But because there was a higher perfection open to human beings in this life, namely a pure spiritual experience of love of his Godhead, he said to his disciples, who were reluctant to forgo his bodily presence (as you are, in part and in a way, to forgo your ingenious meditations and elaborate subtle thoughts), that it was for their benefit that he departed from them in body: Expedit vobis ut ego vadam;42 that is, ‘It is beneficial to you that I go bodily from you» — el capítulo 13 nombra esa perfección más alta, la experiencia espiritual pura del amor de su divinidad, y cita el Evangelio en latín antes de traducirlo

«On this text the Doctor comments that ‘unless the shape of his Manhood is withdrawn from our bodily eyes, the love of his Godhead cannot be fixed in our spiritual eyes» — el capítulo 13 cita a un doctor sin nombrarlo: mientras la figura de su humanidad no se retire de los ojos corporales, el amor de su divinidad no se fija en los espirituales. Voz citada, no la del autor

«And so I say to you that it is beneficial at times to cease from the ingenious activity of your intellect and to learn to taste something of the love of your God in your spiritual feeling» — el capítulo 13 aplica la lección: conviene a veces dejar el trabajo ingenioso del intelecto para gustar algo del amor de Dios en el sentimiento espiritual

«With the aid of grace that comes in advance, you will arrive at this feeling in the way I am explaining; that is, by always relying without cease on the naked feeling of yourself, always offering your being to God as the most precious offering you can make» — Privy Counselling, capítulo 14: se llega a ese sentimiento apoyándose sin cesar en el sentimiento desnudo de sí y ofreciendo el propio ser a Dios

«If the feeling is naked, then at first it will be very painful for you to remain in it for any length of time; and, as I have said before, that is because your intellectual faculties find no food in it. But no matter for that, for that makes me love it the better» — el capítulo 14 consigna el precio: al principio duele permanecer en ese sentimiento porque las facultades intelectuales no hallan ahí alimento

«Let them fast for a while, I beg you, from their natural delight in knowledge; for, as is well said, man naturally desires to know;44 but he certainly cannot taste spiritual feeling of God except by grace alone, however much knowledge he has by learning or by nature» — el capítulo 14 manda ayunar al intelecto, y acota con el dicho de que el hombre desea saber por naturaleza y aun así solo por gracia gusta el sentimiento de Dios

«But now you may say: what is this rest of which you are speaking? – for it seems to me that it is labour and distress, and not rest. When I apply myself to doing what you say, I find in it distress and struggle on all sides. On the one hand, my intellect wants me to stop, and I will not; and on the other hand I want to feel God and be without feeling of myself, and I cannot. So struggle and pain are all around; and it seems a strange rest of which you are speaking» — el capítulo 14 pone la objeción en boca del discípulo: eso que llamas reposo es trabajo y angustia por todos lados

«My answer is that you are not used to this work, and for that reason it is more painful to you» — la respuesta del capítulo 14: la pena viene de la falta de costumbre

«So I beg you to seek feeling rather than knowledge; for knowledge often deceives with pride, but humble loving feeling cannot delude» — la fórmula del capítulo 14 de Privy Counselling: el saber engaña a menudo con soberbia y el sentimiento humilde y amoroso no engaña; el verbatim se corta antes del latín de san Pablo y de la llamada de nota 45

«Yet it is a great pain, and a labour too. But I call it rest in that the soul is not in doubt as to what it must do, and also because it is granted certainty that, while engaged in this activity, it will not go far astray» — la frase que cierra Privy Counselling: se llama reposo porque el alma no duda de lo que ha de hacer y tiene la certeza de que en esa obra no se extravía

«Spiritual friend in God, with regard to your question to me how you should govern your heart at times when you are praying, my answer, for what little it is worth, is this. It seems to me that at the very beginning of your prayer (whatever prayer it may be, long or short) it would be very beneficial for you to tell your heart clearly and without concealment that you are going to die at the end of your prayer, and, unless you complete it quickly, before you reach its end» — An Epistle on Prayer: el consejo de abrir toda oración diciéndose que se va a morir al acabarla o antes de acabarla

«Understand that what I am telling you is no pretence, and this is why: because truly, there is no one living on earth who dares venture to say the opposite (that is, that you are going to live longer than your prayer lasts); and so you may safely think this» — la Epistle on Prayer defiende ese consejo: nadie se atreve a afirmar lo contrario, es decir, que se vivirá más de lo que dure la oración

«And you will feel it inescapably at work in your heart, unless it should happen (which God forbid) that you flatter and beguile your false, blind, unregenerate heart with lies and false, deceptive promises of longer life» — la Epistle on Prayer nombra lo único que impide ese temor: halagar al propio corazón con promesas falsas de vida larga

«For though it may in fact be true that you are going to live longer, it is always a false lie for you to think so beforehand and to promise it to your heart. For the truth of this matter lies in God alone, and for you there is nothing but to a wait his will blindly, without certainty of a single instant2 (which is as brief as the twinkling of an eye, or even briefer» — la Epistle on Prayer distingue el hecho de la promesa: puede ser cierto que se viva más y es mentira prometérselo de antemano, porque nadie tiene seguro un solo instante

«And so, if you wish to pray wisely, as the prophet tells you when he says in the psalm, Psallite sapienter,3 see that from the beginning you really feel this fear at work within you; for, as the same prophet says in another psalm, Inicium sapiencie est timor Domini, that is, ‘The beginning of wisdom is fear of our Lord God» — la Epistle on Prayer funda el consejo en los salmos, con el latín impreso antes de la traducción. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«But because there is no sure standing on fear alone, for fear of sinking into excessive despondency, you must bind to your first thought the following second thought» — la Epistle on Prayer acota el temor en la misma frase: sobre el temor solo no se sostiene nada, y por eso hace falta un segundo pensamiento

«You must think steadfastly that if by the grace of God you can distinctly utter the words of your prayer and get through it to the end, or if you die before you get to the end, so long as you do the best you can, it will be acceptable to God as full amends for all your heedlessness from the beginning of your life up to that moment – I mean, given that, guided by your knowledge and your conscience, you have previously been duly absolved of your sins in confession according to the established rules of Holy Church» — el segundo pensamiento de la Epistle on Prayer: esa oración breve valdrá como enmienda plena de todo el descuido de una vida, dada la confesión previa según la Iglesia

«And since all reform consists of two things, avoiding evil and doing good, there is no readier means of achieving these two than the effect on the spirit of the two thoughts just mentioned. For what more readily takes the love of sin away from us than the real effect of the fear of death? And what more fervently moves us to doing good than a sure hope of the mercy and goodness of God, which is brought about by the second thought» — la Epistle on Prayer reparte los dos pensamientos entre las dos partes de la enmienda: el temor de la muerte quita el amor del pecado y la esperanza mueve al bien

«For to be touched in spirit by this second thought, when it is firmly linked in this way to the first, will be a sure staff of hope to support you in all your good actions» — la Epistle on Prayer llama a esa esperanza báculo, y así lo usará en el resto del escrito

«The spiritual experience which is the outcome of this exercise simply consists of a reverent affection felt towards God while praying, brought about by fear as the basis of the exercise and by this stirring of love that arises from the spiritual steps taken with the staff of hope just mentioned» — la Epistle on Prayer nombra el fruto del ejercicio: un afecto reverente hacia Dios en la oración, nacido del temor como base y del amor que sube por el báculo de la esperanza

«For reverence is nothing but fear and love mingled together, with a staff of certain hope» — la definición de reverencia de la Epistle on Prayer: temor y amor mezclados, con un báculo de esperanza cierta

«The result of this exercise, in my view, is devotion; for devotion, as St Thomas the Doctor says, is nothing but a readiness of the human will to do the things that belong to the service of God» — la Epistle on Prayer define la devoción citando a santo Tomás: prontitud de la voluntad humana para lo que toca al servicio de Dios. Voz nombrada dentro del texto

«But if you were accustomed to it, and knew from experience what benefit was in it, you would not willingly leave» — el capítulo 14 de Privy Counselling declara lo que da la costumbre; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *it for all the bodily joy and rest in the world*

«Such is the goodness of God, who, as the prophet says, forsakes none who truly trust in him with the will to reform» — la Epistle on Prayer apoya esa promesa en el profeta: Dios no abandona a quien confía en él con voluntad de enmienda

«St Bernard seems to me to agree with this when he says that everything should be done swiftly and gladly» — la Epistle on Prayer cita a san Bernardo; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 7

«See why: swiftly out of fear, and gladly out of hope and loving trust in his mercy» — la Epistle on Prayer reparte la fórmula de san Bernardo entre sus dos pensamientos: de prisa por el temor y de buena gana por la esperanza

«What is more, I would certainly rather have the reward of someone who perseveres in prayer of this kind, even though he should never do bodily penance on this earth beyond what Holy Church prescribes for him, than that of all those who have done penance on this earth, from the beginning of the world until this day, without prayer of this kind» — la Epistle on Prayer pone esa oración por encima de toda penitencia corporal hecha desde el principio del mundo

«And this alone by itself, without any other kind of exercise – such as fasting, waking, wearing hair shirts, and all such practices – this alone is pleasing to almighty God and merits his reward, and it would be impossible for any soul to have God’s reward without it» — la Epistle on Prayer declara ese afecto lo único que agrada a Dios y merece premio, sin ayunos, vigilias ni cilicios

«And the amount of the reward will exactly correspond to the amount of this affection: whoever has much of it will have a great reward, and whoever has less will have a lesser reward» — la Epistle on Prayer hace proporcional el premio a la cantidad de ese afecto

«And all the other practices, such as fasting, waking, wearing hair shirts, and so on, are meritorious just as far as they are helpful in achieving this affection; so that without it they are worthless, and the affection without them is on occasion completely sufficient by itself, and very many people frequently reach it and achieve it with real desert without any of the other practices» — la Epistle on Prayer subordina las prácticas corporales: valen en cuanto ayudan a ese afecto, y sin él nada valen

«I say all this because I want you, by knowing it, to value and praise each thing according to what it is, more if it is worth more and less if less. For ignorance is frequently the cause of great error» — la Epistle on Prayer declara su propósito al fijar esa escala y adjudica a la ignorancia el error de valorar más las prácticas corporales

«The whole exercise of reverent affection referred to above, when preceded and brought about by the two considerations of fear and of hope, could well be compared to a tree full of fruit» — la Epistle on Prayer da su alegoría del árbol para todo el ejercicio

«Fear is the part of the tree enclosed in the earth, that is the root, and hope is the part above the earth, that is the trunk and branches. In so far as hope is certain and stable, it is the trunk; in so far as it stirs people to deeds of love, it is the branches» — la Epistle on Prayer reparte la alegoría: el temor es la raíz bajo tierra, y la esperanza el tronco por su firmeza y las ramas por lo que mueve a obrar

«But the fruit is always this reverent affection; and for as long as the fruit is fastened to the tree, it retains some of the tree’s green smell; but when it has been separated from the tree for a certain time and is completely ripe, it loses all taste of the tree,8 and what was previously food only for servants is now food for the king» — la Epistle on Prayer completa la alegoría: el fruto es el afecto reverente, que mientras cuelga guarda el olor verde del árbol y maduro deja de saber a él y pasa de comida de siervos a comida del rey

«So set yourself to separate the fruit from the tree and to offer it up by itself to the high king of heaven. And then you will be called God’s own child, loving him with a pure love for himself and not for his good gifts» — la Epistle on Prayer saca la consecuencia práctica de su alegoría: separar el fruto del árbol y ofrecerlo solo, y entonces se ama a Dios por él mismo y no por sus dones

«The numberless good deeds that almighty God in his gracious goodness has performed for each soul in this life are fully and more than fully sufficient reasons for each soul to love him with all its thought, with all its understanding, and with all its will» — la Epistle on Prayer concede la fuerza de las razones ordinarias para amar a Dios: sus innumerables beneficios en esta vida

«Oh what a wonderful thing and how high a thing to speak of is God’s love! – a thing of which no one can speak in such a way that its smallest part can be thoroughly understood, except by impossible examples that exceed human understanding» — la Epistle on Prayer declara indecible el amor de Dios, salvo por ejemplos imposibles que rebasan el entendimiento

«It is not as if I said (though I could well say this), ‘much for his good gifts but incomparably more for himself» — la Epistle on Prayer acota su propia fórmula: no dice mucho por sus dones y más por él mismo, sino solo por él mismo

«I say that a soul, touched in its feelings by the sensible presence of God as he is in himself and as he is in a perfect soul, and illuminated in its reason by the clear beam of everlasting light which is God, so as to see and feel the loveliness of God in himself, such a soul has for that time and that moment9 lost all recollection of any good deed or other kindness that ever God did to him in this life; so that at that time he neither feels nor sees any reason for loving God other than God» — la Epistle on Prayer describe el extremo de ese amor: el alma iluminada pierde por un momento todo recuerdo de los beneficios recibidos y no ve más razón para amar a Dios que Dios

«It may be said, when speaking of ordinary perfection, that the great goodness and great kindness that God has shown us in this life are high and noble reasons for loving God; yet, with regard to the target and bull’s-eye of perfection (to which my intention is to draw you in the purpose and manner of this writing), a perfect lover of God, for fear of missing his perfection, now, at the height of perfection, seeks no other reason for loving God but God himself» — la Epistle on Prayer distingue la perfección ordinaria de la diana de la perfección: el amante perfecto no busca otra razón para amar a Dios que Dios mismo

«I do not say that the thought of these two considerations is so very meritorious in itself; but the reverent affection which these two» — la Epistle on Prayer acota su propia afirmación: lo meritorio no son los dos pensamientos en sí; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *thoughts are supreme means of gaining*

«still, such a soul, seeing God’s intrinsic loveliness in all its abundance, would be ravished beyond resistance to love God till its heart burst, so lovely and so delectable, so good and so glorious, is he in himself» — el remate de ese caso imposible: aun así quedaría arrebatada sin resistencia a amar a Dios hasta reventarle el corazón, de tan hermoso y glorioso como es en sí

«For always, as long as you offer him fruit that is green and hanging on the tree, you can well be compared to a woman who is not pure, because she loves a man more for his possessions than for himself» — la Epistle on Prayer aplica su alegoría con un símil duro: ofrecer el fruto verde es amar como quien ama a un hombre por sus bienes

«See why I draw this comparison: because it appears that fear of your death and the shortness of time remaining to you, along with hope of being forgiven for all your heedlessness, are what make you as reverent as you are in God’s service. And if it is so, then your fruit has a green smell of the tree. And although this partly pleases God, all the same it does not please him perfectly, and that is because your love is not pure» — la Epistle on Prayer explica el símil: si lo que hace reverente es el temor de la muerte y la esperanza del perdón, el fruto huele todavía al árbol y eso no agrada del todo

«And then it brings as great a reward as I say. For to all those who have experience in the science of theology and of the love of God it is known clearly and without doubt that whenever someone’s affection is stirred towards God with no intermediary, that is without any specific thought as precursor to cause that stirring, it merits everlasting life» — la Epistle on Prayer declara lo que merece el afecto movido hacia Dios sin intermediario ni pensamiento previo: la vida eterna

«A soul that is disposed in this way (that is to say, that offers the fruit when it is ripe and separates it from the tree) can be raised up to God numberless times in an hour, suddenly and without intermediary; and for this reason it merits more greatly than I can say to be raised up to joy through the grace of God, who chiefly brings this about» — la Epistle on Prayer mide la frecuencia posible: el alma así dispuesta puede ser alzada a Dios innumerables veces en una hora, de súbito y sin intermediario

«For all this, the fruit on the tree, offered continually so far as human frailty permits, merits salvation. But the ripe fruit, separated from the tree and suddenly offered to God without intermediary – that is perfection» — la Epistle on Prayer distingue los dos grados con su alegoría: el fruto en el árbol merece salvación y el fruto maduro y separado es la perfección

«You may see from this that the tree is good, even though I urge you to separate the fruit from it so as to gain greater perfection. Thus I am setting it in your garden, because I want you to gather the fruit from it and keep it for your Lord; and also because I want you to know what kind of exercise joins a human soul to God and makes it one with him in love and harmony of will» — la Epistle on Prayer acota su propia alegoría: el árbol es bueno aunque se pida separar el fruto, y por eso lo planta en el huerto del discípulo

«This accords with the words of St Paul: Qui adheret Deo, unus spiritus est cum illo, that is, ‘Whoever draws near to God’, as happens through a reverent affection of the kind I have been discussing, ‘he is one spirit with God» — la Epistle on Prayer apoya la unión en san Pablo, con el latín impreso antes de la traducción. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«That is, even though God and he are two and are distinct in nature, they are so linked together in grace that they are only one spirit; and this is on account of their oneness in love and harmony of will» — la Epistle on Prayer acota esa unión en la misma frase: Dios y el alma son dos y distintos en naturaleza, y quedan un solo espíritu por unidad de amor y concordia de voluntad

«In this oneness is made the marriage between God and the soul11 which will never be broken except by deadly sin, even though the heat and fervour of this exercise may cease for a time» — la Epistle on Prayer llama matrimonio a esa unidad y declara que solo el pecado mortal la rompe, aunque cese por un tiempo el fervor

«Feeling this oneness in spirit, a loving soul may, if it pleases, both say and sing these holy words written in the Bible in the Song of Songs: Dilectus meus mihi et ego illi, that is, ‘My beloved to me and I to him» — la Epistle on Prayer pone en boca del alma el verso del Cantar de los Cantares, con el latín impreso antes de la traducción. Voz de la Escritura citada por el texto

«Therefore climb up this tree, as I said at the beginning, until you get to the fruit, that is to the reverent affection (which will always be in you if you first think earnestly of the other two considerations and, as I said, do not deceive yourself with any lie); and then you must pay careful heed to the activity that is brought about in your soul at that time, setting yourself, as far as you can through grace, to humble yourself beneath God in his majesty, so as to become accustomed to that activity, achieving it at other times by itself, without climbing up to it by any thought» — la Epistle on Prayer da la instrucción final de su alegoría: subir por el árbol hasta el fruto y acostumbrarse a esa actividad hasta alcanzarla sin subir por pensamiento alguno

«And the longer it is kept from the tree (that is to say, from any thought), and the more often this is done spontaneously, eagerly, and lovingly, without intermediary, the sweeter it smells, and the better it pleases the high king of heaven; and whenever you feel sweetness and comfort in what you are doing, it is because he is breaking the fruit and giving you a share of your own present» — la Epistle on Prayer cierra la alegoría con una imagen doméstica: el rey parte el fruto y da al oferente parte de su propio regalo

«The fact that at first you feel this exercise to be so hard, straining your heart so harshly and comfortlessly, means that the greenness of the fruit hanging on the tree, or else newly plucked, is setting your teeth on edge» — la Epistle on Prayer explica la dureza inicial del ejercicio por lo verde del fruto, que da dentera

«It is beneficial to you all the same, for it is not reasonable that you should eat the sweet kernel without first cracking the hard shell and biting off the bitter bark» — la Epistle on Prayer justifica esa dureza: no se come el grano dulce sin quebrar antes la cáscara dura y morder la corteza amarga

«But if it happens that your teeth, meaning your spiritual powers, are weak, then my advice is that you should look for stratagems, for ‘Skill is better than brute force» — la Epistle on Prayer ofrece la salida para los dientes flojos con un refrán: más vale destreza que fuerza bruta

«For though it may be the case that God can do whatever he wishes, yet in my view it is impossible for anyone to attain the perfection of this activity unless these two intermediaries, or some other two that are analogous to them, come first. And yet the perfection of this activity is itself spontaneous and without intermediaries» — la Epistle on Prayer acota su propia doctrina: la perfección de la obra es espontánea y sin intermediarios, y a la vez nadie llega a ella sin dos intermediarios previos

«For you must know that every thought that stirs you to good, whether it comes from within by your angelic messenger14 or from without by some human messenger, is just an instrument of grace, given, sent, and chosen by God himself to act within your soul» — la Epistle on Prayer declara instrumento de gracia todo pensamiento que mueva al bien, venga del ángel por dentro o de un hombre por fuera

«It is pure love when you ask God neither for release from punishment nor for increase of reward, nor even for the sweetness of his love in this life» — la Epistle on Prayer define el amor puro: no pedir alivio de pena, ni aumento de premio, ni la dulzura de su amor en esta vida; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«you desire the sweetness at a particular time, to refresh your spiritual powers so that they do not fail on the way – but when you ask God for nothing but himself. And you have neither care nor concern whether you will be in pain or in bliss, so long as you have him whom you love. This is pure love. This is perfect love» — el remate de esa definición en la plana siguiente, con su excepción declarada: pedir la dulzura para que las fuerzas no fallen en el camino, y por lo demás no pedir sino a Dios mismo

«No more for now, but receive God’s blessing and mine» — la bendición paternal que cierra la Epistle on Prayer, la segunda de las dos de las que Spearing deduce que el autor era sacerdote; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 15

«Read this often; do not forget it; put it vigilantly into practice; and avoid all hindrance and occasions of hindrance, in the name of Jesus» — la última instrucción de la Epistle on Prayer: leerlo a menudo, no olvidarlo, practicarlo con vigilancia y evitar todo estorbo

«That is the reason why I advise you to take these two before all others. For as a human being is a thing composed of two substances, one bodily and the other spiritual, it needs to have two different means by which to gain perfection. Since both these substances are to be united in immortality at the resurrection on the last day, each substance must be raised to perfection in this life by an appropriate means» — la Epistle on Prayer funda su elección de temor y esperanza en la composición del hombre: dos sustancias, una corporal y otra espiritual, que piden dos medios distintos

«These are fear for the bodily substance and hope for the spiritual, and it seems to me most fitting and suitable for this to be so» — la Epistle on Prayer reparte los dos medios: el temor para lo corporal y la esperanza para lo espiritual

«For as there is nothing that will so readily snatch the body from all affection for earthly things as will a palpable fear of death, so there is nothing that will so readily and fervently raise the affection of a sinful soul to the love of God as will a sure hope of being forgiven for all its heedlessness» — la Epistle on Prayer da la razón de ese reparto: nada arranca al cuerpo del apego a lo terreno como el temor palpable de la muerte, ni levanta al alma como la esperanza cierta del perdón

«But if it happens that you are taught by your good angel within your spiritual understanding, or else by another man, of two others that are more suited to your disposition than you find these two to be, you may safely adopt them and give up these, without any blame» — la Epistle on Prayer deja libre al discípulo de cambiar esos dos medios por otros más ajustados a su índole. Es el pasaje que Spearing cita como ejemplo de la cautela del maestro contra la arrogancia

«And so, if you find that they do you good, thank God heartily; and for the love of God, pray for me. Do this, because I am a sinner, and you do not know how things are with me» — el cierre de la Epistle on Prayer, que Spearing cita en su introducción como muestra de la modestia del maestro: pide oraciones por ser pecador y porque el discípulo no sabe cómo está él

«of all other virtues, for they are all subtly contained within this little thrust of love that was mentioned previously» — el final del capítulo 25 del Cloud, que ocupa solo esa plana: todas las virtudes quedan contenidas sutilmente en ese pequeño empuje de amor

«not how it must be» — la frase que cierra el capítulo 59 del Cloud y única línea de esa plana, que el troceo trae con diecinueve caracteres de cuerpo: no es así como ha de ser. El verificador se abstiene de verbatims tan cortos

«this work their own as often as they please» — el final del capítulo 71 del Cloud, única línea de esa plana: los que por destreza espiritual hacen suya esta obra cuantas veces quieren

«nothing that is perfectly pleasing to me’, in the way that the work described in this book should be» — el final del capítulo 10 de Privy Counselling, única línea de esa plana: sin Cristo como instigador y motor primero nada se hace que le agrade perfectamente

«The author of The Cloud of Unknowing and the group of writings associated with it chose to remain anonymous, but we can deduce that he was an English priest, and probably a Carthusian monk, who lived in the second half of the fourteenth century. In prose of poetic originality he taught ways to achieve union through love with a God whom he saw as totally transcendent, beyond the reach of human understanding and human language» — la solapa del volumen presenta la obra: el autor guardó el anonimato y de él solo se deduce que fue sacerdote inglés, probablemente cartujo, de la segunda mitad del siglo XIV, y que enseñó la unión con Dios por el amor a un Dios enteramente trascendente. Voz del editor en solapa, no del autor ni de Spearing

«A. C. SPEARING is William R. Kenan Professor of English at the University of Virginia and a Fellow of Queens’ College, Cambridge. He has published numerous books and articles on medieval literature, including books on dream-poetry, on the Gawain-poet, and The Medieval Poet as Voyeur. He wrote the introduction and notes for Elizabeth Spearing’s Penguin Classics translation of Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love» — la misma solapa da la ficha biográfica del traductor: cátedra en Virginia, fellow de Queens' College, estudios sobre literatura medieval y el aparato de la traducción de Elizabeth Spearing de Julian of Norwich. Solapa editorial

«PENGUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5TZ, England» — el pie editorial del volumen: Penguin Books Ltd, del Penguin Group, con sede en Londres. Voz del sello, no del traductor

«The moral right of the translator has been asserted Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser» — la página de derechos declara el derecho moral del traductor y la condición de venta del ejemplar fuera de los Estados Unidos

«EISBN: 978–0–141–90759–8» — el volumen se identifica por EISBN: el ejemplar del corpus es la edición electrónica del mismo texto

«CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION FURTHER READING NOTE ON THE TEXT» — el índice separa el aparato de Spearing —agradecimientos, introducción, lecturas y nota sobre el texto— de los cuatro textos traducidos, que lo siguen

«In translating and annotating the texts, I have benefited greatly by consulting Phyllis Hodgson’s notes to her 1982 edition of The Cloud of Unknowing and Related Treatises on Contemplative Prayer (Exeter: Catholic Records Press), together with The Cloud of Unknowing, trans. James Walsh (Mahwah, New Jersey, 1981), The Pursuit of Wisdom and Other Works by the Author of the Cloud of Unknowing, trans. James Walsh (Mahwah, New Jersey, 1988), and John P. H. Clark, The Cloud of Unknowing: An Introduction, 3 vols. (Salzburg, 1995–6)» — Spearing declara de qué aparato ajeno se sirvió al traducir y anotar: las notas de Hodgson de 1982, las dos traducciones de James Walsh y la introducción en tres tomos de John P. H. Clark

«Parts of the introduction derive from papers given at the 34th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in 1999 and the 35th Congress in 2000, and from a lecture given to the English Department of the University of Copenhagen in 1999» — Spearing fecha y sitúa el origen de partes de su introducción: dos congresos de estudios medievales en Western Michigan y una conferencia en Copenhague

«Finally, it gives me pleasure to record that Phyllis Hodgson was the teacher of Elizabeth Salter, who was my teacher and who turned me into a medievalist and first introduced me to the writings translated here» — Spearing traza su propia línea de transmisión: Hodgson enseñó a Elizabeth Salter, y Salter lo hizo medievalista y le dio a leer estos textos

«The Cloud of Unknowing, with its evocative title, is the best known of a group of seven religious writings in English prose that date from the last quarter of the fourteenth century» — Spearing sitúa la obra en un grupo de siete escritos religiosos en prosa inglesa del último cuarto del siglo XIV y la da por la más conocida de todos

«since their rediscovery in the nineteenth century they have gained a new readership for their unwavering focus on God’s radical transcendence of human understanding and human language, and for the brilliant originality with which they force their own language to point towards what lies beyond its scope» — Spearing explica por qué el grupo ganó lectores desde su redescubrimiento decimonónico: la trascendencia radical de Dios respecto del entendimiento y del lenguaje, y la originalidad con que esa prosa fuerza su propia lengua

«The seven consist of four original guides to the contemplative life – the Cloud, The Book of Privy Counselling, An Epistle on Prayer, and An Epistle of Discretion of Stirrings (that is, on discrimination of spiritual impulses) – and three adaptations of other writings – Deonise Hid Divinité (The Mystical Theology of St Denis) adapted from Pseudo-Dionysius, Benjamin Minor (also known as The Study of Wisdom) adapted from Richard of St Victor, and A Treatise of Discerning of Spirits, adapted from two sermons by St Bernard» — Spearing desglosa los siete: cuatro guías originales de vida contemplativa y tres adaptaciones, del Pseudo-Dionisio, de Ricardo de San Víctor y de dos sermones de san Bernardo

«He was at one time thought to be the famous devotional writer Walter Hilton, but it is now generally agreed that the two are not the same, though each responded to and influenced the other in successive works» — Spearing consigna y descarta la identificación con Walter Hilton, y sostiene que los dos se respondieron e influyeron mutuamente. Adjudicación del aparato, no del texto

«The dialect of his writing indicates that, like Hilton, he came from somewhere in the East Midlands. Beyond this there is little point in speculating about his identity or personality» — Spearing sitúa al autor en los East Midlands por el dialecto y pone ahí el límite de lo que se puede decir de su identidad

«The subject of the Cloud and the texts associated with it is ‘contemplation’, a term that has a very specific meaning in medieval religious thought. It means the activity whose goal is the union of the soul with God in this life» — Spearing fija el sentido técnico medieval de contemplación: la actividad cuyo fin es la unión del alma con Dios en esta vida

«That union is understood to be the highest and most desirable experience of which human beings are capable» — Spearing consigna el rango que la época da a esa unión: la experiencia más alta y deseable de que es capaz un ser humano

«While living on earth, as a result of sin, we are cut off from the continuous union with God ‘for which we were made’, but it is possible, by total dedication to the contemplative discipline, to be united with God at least for brief, unpredictable moments, and this experience is so precious that, for those who have the spiritual capacity, it is worth devoting their lives to achieving it» — Spearing expone la economía del asunto: el pecado corta la unión continua, pero queda la posibilidad de instantes breves e imprevisibles, y eso basta para justificar una vida entera dedicada a buscarlos

«Contemplative’, then, has two associated but distinct meanings: it refers to the spiritual discipline and the experience that is its goal (sometimes known, more loosely, as mystical experience), but it also refers to the outward way of life, cut off from the material world, usually as a monk or nun, hermit or anchorite, that enables complete dedication to that discipline» — Spearing separa los dos sentidos de contemplativo: la disciplina y su experiencia, y el modo de vida exterior —monje, monja, ermitaño, anacoreta— que la hace posible

«He never reveals explicitly whether he has reached this point himself, or whether he is like a coach whose task is to train spiritual athletes to achieve what is beyond his own powers; but it seems implicit in his writing3 that he has some personal experience of contemplation» — Spearing señala que el autor nunca dice si él mismo llegó, ni si enseña lo que no alcanza, y arriesga que algo de experiencia propia se trasluce

«In our time Christianity generally emphasizes practical charity and personal consolation as its goals. In the Middle Ages, too, these were highly valued, and the relationship between these and the spiritual aspirations that can seem to be of no benefit to others was often expounded in terms of the contrast between Martha and Mary, as it is in chapters 16–23 of the Cloud» — Spearing contrasta el énfasis cristiano de hoy con el medieval y remite el problema al par Marta y María, que el Cloud trata en sus capítulos 16 a 23

«The desire to participate in this strenuous spiritual ‘work’ became more widespread in the later Middle Ages; and whereas contemplation had earlier been thought possible only for those living in total seclusion from worldly concerns, by the fourteenth century it was increasingly felt to be a possibility for those whose lives were outwardly active» — Spearing describe el ensanchamiento del público: lo que antes se creía posible solo en reclusión total, en el siglo XIV se siente al alcance de quien vive una vida exteriormente activa

«Readership of the Cloud author’s works (and especially perhaps of the Cloud itself, surviving as it does in at least eighteen manuscripts) would not necessarily have been confined to monks and nuns» — Spearing deduce de los dieciocho manuscritos conservados del Cloud que sus lectores no se limitaban a monjes y monjas

«The conception of Christ as a warrior, the means by which God fought and defeated the Devil and thus released human souls from his tyranny, which was dominant in earlier religious writings, was never forgotten, but from the eleventh century onwards that conception began to be outshone by one of Christ as a wounded and suffering man, sent by his Father to arouse compassionate love in his fellow human beings and thus to draw them back to God» — Spearing traza el desplazamiento devocional desde el siglo XI: del Cristo guerrero que vence al Diablo al Cristo herido que despierta compasión y por ella devuelve a Dios

«In his Sermons on the Song of Songs, St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) gave fuller and more intense expression to this notion of mutual love as the bond between Christ and the individual soul» — Spearing adjudica a los sermones de san Bernardo sobre el Cantar la expresión plena del amor mutuo como vínculo entre Cristo y el alma

«In England, it was in the fourteenth century that major works of religious literature began to be written in vernacular prose» — Spearing fecha en el siglo XIV el arranque de la gran literatura religiosa inglesa en prosa vernácula; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, *in part probably as a consequence of the general spread of literacy*

«The first of the major writers who responded to this demand, and who collectively are sometimes known as the ‘Middle English mystics’, was Richard Rolle, a hermit but not a priest, who wrote passionately lyrical meditations and treatises in both Latin and English» — Spearing abre la serie de los llamados místicos ingleses medios con Richard Rolle, ermitaño y no sacerdote, autor de meditaciones líricas en latín y en inglés

«Rolle composed intensely bodily meditations on the Passion, and he wrote of his experience of God in richly sensory terms, as a matter of music, light, sweetness, fire» — Spearing caracteriza la vía de Rolle como intensamente corporal y sensorial: música, luz, dulzura y fuego

«The Cloud author, as we shall see, warns against this bodily understanding of spiritual matters, which he saw as dangerously influential» — Spearing anticipa la posición contraria del autor del Cloud: la comprensión corporal de lo espiritual le parece peligrosa y de influencia extendida

«Later in the century came Walter Hilton (died 1396), an Augustinian canon and author of numerous devotional works, the most famous of which is The Scale of Perfection, a comprehensive guide to the life of the soul, from moral reform up to contemplation itself» — Spearing presenta a Walter Hilton, canónigo agustino, y su Scale of Perfection como guía completa del alma desde la reforma moral hasta la contemplación

«Like the Cloud author, Hilton warns against the mere bodiliness into which Rolle’s mysticism could easily degenerate, insisting that a true desire for Jesus in the heart is of greater value than ‘visions or revelations of angels appearing, songs and sounds, savours and smells, burnings and any pleasing bodily feeling» — Spearing sitúa a Hilton junto al autor del Cloud frente al riesgo de corporalidad de la mística de Rolle: vale más el deseo de Jesús en el corazón que visiones, cantos, sabores, olores y ardores

«On the other hand, Hilton writes repeatedly of the Incarnation, and willingly accepts earthly language and bodily analogies as capable of revealing divine truth» — Spearing marca la diferencia de Hilton: acepta el lenguaje terreno y las analogías corporales como capaces de revelar verdad divina

«Another late-fourteenth-century writer is the anchorite Julian of Norwich (c. 1342–after 1416), the first woman known to have written a book in English» — Spearing presenta a Julian of Norwich, anacoreta, como la primera mujer de quien se sabe que escribió un libro en inglés

«Unlike Hilton or the Cloud author, she acknowledges from the beginning that she is writing about experiences of her own» — Spearing marca lo que distingue a Julian de Hilton y del autor del Cloud: ella declara desde el principio que escribe de experiencias propias

«She developed a conception of God as our mother as well as our father, and came to the very verge of denying the existence of hell, because she saw no anger in God and was told by him that at the Last Day he would perform a great deed that, it seemed, would bring about universal salvation» — Spearing consigna dos rasgos de la teología de Julian: Dios como madre además de padre, y el borde mismo de negar el infierno, porque no vio ira en Dios y le fue dicho que haría una gran obra al final

«Later still comes another female writer, Margery Kempe (c. 1373–c. 1440), a married laywoman, whose union with God was again of a more bodily kind» — Spearing cierra la serie con Margery Kempe, laica casada, cuya unión con Dios es de orden más corporal

«Though illiterate, she persuaded others to write her spiritual autobiography, the first autobiography in English» — Spearing consigna que Margery Kempe, siendo iletrada, hizo escribir a otros su autobiografía espiritual, la primera en inglés

«Views differ as to the authenticity of her religious experiences; but then, except for those prepared to accept a dogmatic theological judgement, ‘authenticity’ in devotional writing will be a literary effect, always open to question» — Spearing no arbitra la autenticidad de Margery Kempe y desplaza la cuestión: fuera de un juicio teológico dogmático, la autenticidad en la escritura devocional es un efecto literario y queda abierta

«One other religious prose writer of this period must be mentioned: Nicholas Love (died 1424), a Carthusian prior, whose Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ was a translation of a Latin work once attributed to St Bonaventure, but probably by the Franciscan Johannes» — Spearing añade a Nicholas Love, prior cartujo, cuyo Mirror traduce una obra latina antes adjudicada a san Buenaventura y probablemente de Johannes de Caulibus. Atribución consignada como disputada, no corregida

«The Mirror, an extended series of meditations on Christ’s human life, was endorsed by the Church as a bastion against the Lollard translation of the Bible into English and the heretical views that were springing up in consequence of individual readings of Scripture unguided by the Church’s teaching» — Spearing declara la función eclesial del Mirror: baluarte contra la Biblia de los lolardos y contra las lecturas de la Escritura sin guía de la Iglesia

«The great age of devotional writing in England was also the great age of heresy. England had been largely free of the heresies that had arisen in earlier centuries on the continent, but the Oxford theologian John Wyclif (c. 1330–84) was the source of a group of heterodox views that included questioning the doctrine of transubstantiation and the use of images of saints in worship, views which have been seen as amounting to a ‘premature Reformation» — Spearing enlaza los dos hechos del siglo: el auge devocional y el de la herejía, con Wyclif como origen de las tesis heterodoxas que se han llamado una reforma prematura

«Love’s Mirror was intended to provide spiritual nourishment, with no encouragement to theological speculation, to the laity, envisaged as ‘simple creatures who, like children, need to be fed with the milk of light doctrine, not with the serious food of great learning and of high contemplation’, and for whom ‘contemplation of the Humanity of Christ is more pleasing, more beneficial, and safer than high contemplation of the Godhead» — Spearing consigna la doctrina pastoral del Mirror: a los simples, leche de doctrina ligera, y la contemplación de la Humanidad de Cristo por más segura que la de la Divinidad

«Where, then, does the Cloud author stand in relation to this powerful tradition of devotional writings that focus so intensely on Christ’s Passion and his Humanity, and often on bodily aspects of religious experience» — Spearing plantea la pregunta que organiza su introducción: dónde queda el autor del Cloud frente a la devoción inglesa centrada en la Pasión y en la Humanidad de Cristo

«He draws on a radically different tradition, one that is in many ways opposed to the main stream of medieval English devotion» — Spearing responde que el autor trabaja en una tradición distinta y en varios puntos opuesta a la corriente principal de la devoción inglesa medieval

«The via negativa goes back further than the tradition of meditation on Christ’s Humanity, to a writer of around AD 500, known as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite» — Spearing remonta la vía negativa a un escritor de hacia el año 500 conocido como Pseudo-Dionisio Areopagita, anterior a la meditación sobre la Humanidad de Cristo

«This Dionysius was also confused with St Dionysius of Paris, who lived in the third century AD and was one of those who converted Gaul to Christianity; he is the patron saint of France, and is better known as St Denis» — Spearing desglosa la confusión: al Dionisio de los Hechos se le sumó el Dionisio de París del siglo III, patrono de Francia, conocido como San Denis. De ahí el título del primer texto del volumen

«The original writings of this ‘Pseudo-Dionysius’ are in Greek, but in the Middle Ages they were known in Western Europe only through Latin adaptations» — Spearing consigna la vía de transmisión: los escritos son griegos y en el Occidente medieval se conocieron solo por adaptaciones latinas

«This idea is stated succinctly in a sentence quoted in chapter 70 of The Cloud of Unknowing: ‘The godliest knowledge of God is that which is known through ignorance» — Spearing localiza en el capítulo 70 del Cloud la formulación condensada de la idea dionisiana: el conocimiento más divino de Dios es el que se conoce por ignorancia

«The English author knew this work through the Latin commentaries and paraphrases of Thomas Gallus (died 1246), the abbot of the house of Victorine canons at Vercelli, to whom he refers in the prologue of the Mystical Theology as ‘the Abbot of St Victor» — Spearing adjudica la mediación a Thomas Gallus, abad de los canónigos victorinos de Vercelli, a quien el autor llama en el prólogo el Abad de San Víctor

«As one modern scholar has put it, ‘For the Cloud author as for Gallus, love is the highest cognitive power, far superior to the powers of reason and intellect» — Spearing cita a un estudioso moderno para fijar la tesis de Gallus y del autor: el amor es la potencia cognitiva más alta, por encima de la razón y del intelecto

«Though the Mystical Theology was written later than the Cloud, it stands first in this volume as a brief and often startling exposition of the negative theology that is the basis of all the English author’s writings» — Spearing explica el orden del volumen: la Mystical Theology se escribió después del Cloud pero va primero por ser la exposición breve de la teología negativa que sostiene todo lo demás

«I would call attention especially to its final chapter, where the author gives a comprehensive list of the things we cannot say about God» — Spearing destaca el capítulo final de la Mystical Theology como lista completa de lo que no se puede decir de Dios

«The gap between God and human language is such that we cannot truly say that God lives or that he is good or father or son or spirit or that he exists or that he does not exist (language will no more express atheism than it will express belief); we cannot even say that he is God; there is no way whatever that we can know him, nor does he know any of the things that exist as they are in themselves. There is an absolute fissure between God and everything human» — Spearing enuncia el alcance de esa negación: ni vive, ni es bueno, ni padre, ni hijo, ni espíritu, ni existe, ni deja de existir, ni siquiera se puede decir que es Dios; una fisura absoluta entre Dios y lo humano

«It may be hard to see how such beliefs could be compatible with Christianity itself, and especially with its central doctrine of the Incarnation: if God became man, taking on human language as well as human flesh, how can this absolute gap and this absolute incapacity of human language exist» — Spearing plantea la objeción interna: cómo casa esa fisura absoluta con la Encarnación, si Dios se hizo hombre asumiendo el lenguaje además de la carne

«The Mystical Theology is the most extreme of his statements of the consequences of the via negativa, and it may be significant that this translation survives in only two manuscripts, both of which are collections of all seven of his works. It may perhaps have been felt to be too dangerous to circulate separately» — Spearing lee la escasez de manuscritos —dos, y los dos con las siete obras juntas— como indicio de que ese texto pudo considerarse demasiado peligroso para circular solo

«Even the Cloud, after all, begins with a prologue insisting that the work may be misunderstood if not carefully read as a whole, and should not be made known to any but those truly dedicated to contemplation – though it must be admitted that one effect of the prologue might have been to arouse just the curiosity it deplores, and to attract readers to the work as if it were a dangerous drug» — Spearing señala el efecto contrario que pudo tener el prólogo restrictivo del Cloud: despertar la curiosidad que deplora y atraer lectores como a una droga peligrosa

«considerable support, and were regarded by the institutional Church, and by the Lancastrian dynasty that seized the throne in 1399, as a danger that must be resisted at all costs» — Spearing sitúa a los lolardos como amenaza que la Iglesia y la dinastía de Lancaster resolvieron combatir a toda costa; el tramo arranca a media frase, en la plana siguiente a *His followers, known as Lollards, gained*

«by placing a far stronger emphasis on love as the bridge between the soul and God» — el giro que Spearing adjudica a esas adaptaciones latinas: ponen el amor como puente entre el alma y Dios, y así acercan a Dionisio a la devoción centrada en Cristo

«Scholars have debated whether the Cloud author’s metaphysical outlook might be closer to that of Buddhism than to that of Christianity» — Spearing consigna el debate sobre si la metafísica del autor está más cerca del budismo que del cristianismo; el verbatim se corta antes de la llamada de nota 14, pegada a la palabra en el troceo

«The emphasis elsewhere in his work on love as the means of bridging this gap probably sets him apart from Buddhism» — Spearing pone el amor, subrayado en el resto de la obra, como lo que probablemente aparta al autor del budismo; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con la conjetura de que nacido en otra cultura habría sido budista

«In his own works, the Cloud author frequently takes up questions relating to what Nicholas Love calls ‘contemplation of the Humanity of Christ’. He sees this as a desirable and necessary religious exercise, but one that belongs to a relatively early stage in the soul’s ascent to God» — Spearing consigna que el autor no rechaza la contemplación de la Humanidad de Cristo: la tiene por ejercicio necesario, pero de una etapa temprana del ascenso

«In the Cloud, for example, he warns of the danger for the advanced mystic of meditation on the Passion, as a hindrance to union with God» — Spearing localiza la advertencia: para el místico adelantado, la meditación sobre la Pasión estorba la unión con Dios

«All the ‘Middle English mystics’, however strong their emphasis on God’s bodily suffering and however bodily the language in which they refer to their religious experiences, would have agreed that ultimately the human senses and human language are insufficient to convey the true nature of union with God» — Spearing consigna el acuerdo de fondo entre todos los místicos ingleses medios: por corporal que sea su lenguaje, los sentidos y la lengua no bastan para decir la unión con Dios

«We must not exaggerate, then, the difference between the Cloud author and the other English devotional writers: they are aware of the limits of human language in regard to God, while he shares their focus on love, accepts the orthodox view that salvation can be achieved ‘by sole virtue of Christ’s Passion’ (Cloud, chapter 25), and does not deny that meditation on the Passion, your own sins, or the joys of heaven ‘will bring you much good, much help, much benefit, and much grace» — Spearing acota su propio contraste: el autor comparte el foco en el amor, acepta la salvación por la Pasión y no niega el provecho de meditar en ella. La acotación va en la misma frase que la tesis

«He evidently feels a strong revulsion towards what he regards as the excesses of material devotion encouraged by writings such as those of Rolle, and is sometimes impelled by that revulsion to approach the opposite extreme, the denial of value to anything bodily» — Spearing adjudica al autor una repugnancia por los excesos de la devoción material, que a veces lo empuja al extremo contrario: negar valor a todo lo corporal

«He was not accused of heresy, but at times you can feel him struggling to hold on to orthodoxy» — Spearing consigna que al autor no se le acusó de herejía y a la vez se le nota el esfuerzo por sostener la ortodoxia

«The Cloud author appears in his writings as a spiritual director instructing a novice, the disciple described in the Cloud as aged twenty-four (chapter 4); he is in authority over the pupil, and what he is teaching him is absolute truth» — Spearing describe la escena de enunciación de los textos: un director espiritual con autoridad sobre un novicio, que enseña lo que tiene por verdad absoluta

«The teacher is extremely careful to avoid arrogance, repeatedly using phrases such as ‘to my humble ability’, turning his texts into dramatic dialogues that incorporate objections attributed to the disciple, and ending the Epistle on Prayer, for example, by urging the disciple to follow a different method if he learns one that is better, and begging for his prayers, ‘because I am a sinner, and you do not know how things are with me» — Spearing consigna los recursos con que el maestro evita la arrogancia: fórmulas de modestia, diálogos con objeciones puestas en boca del discípulo, y el cierre del Epistle on Prayer pidiendo oraciones por ser pecador

«He is also extremely careful to insist that the pursuit of contemplation can be no substitute for the everyday requirements of medieval Catholicism, but can begin only after one has achieved ‘faithful reformation through contrition and confession and satisfaction according to the established practices and laws of the universal Church» — Spearing marca el otro límite que el autor se impone: la contemplación no sustituye a las obligaciones católicas ordinarias y solo empieza tras contrición, confesión y satisfacción

«God in his absolute transcendence exists, can be reached, and wants to be reached» — Spearing condensa la doctrina: el Dios absolutamente trascendente existe, se puede alcanzar y quiere ser alcanzado

«The apprentice to the ‘work’ of contemplation, then, is in one sense in a state of total obscurity between these two clouds, unable to rely on his senses or his intellect as guides, and finding indeed that they are bound to distract and mislead him; but love will not mislead him» — Spearing describe el estado del aprendiz entre las dos nubes: sin sentidos ni intelecto por guía, y con ellos como estorbo, le queda el amor, que no engaña

«One definition of ‘mysticism’ is ‘(Religious) belief characterized by self-delusion or dreamy confusion of thought’,19 but that is far from the way the Cloud author conceives and presents his subject matter» — Spearing contrapone una definición de diccionario de misticismo —creencia marcada por el autoengaño o la confusión soñadora— a lo que el autor hace con su materia

«For him, contemplation is a craft that can be taught; its goal is objectively real, and, though it lies beyond thought, the means to achieve it is part of a complete and authoritative intellectual system – that of theology, understood, as it was in the Middle Ages, as a science, indeed the highest of the sciences» — Spearing enuncia la tesis que recorre su introducción: para el autor la contemplación es un oficio enseñable, con un fin objetivamente real, dentro del sistema de la teología entendida como ciencia y la más alta

«The author refers several times, for example, to the Devil as an objective source of deception, ‘For I tell you truly that the Devil has his contemplatives, just as God has his» — Spearing consigna al Diablo como fuente objetiva de engaño en el sistema del autor, con la frase del capítulo 45 del Cloud sobre los contemplativos del Diablo

«Later in the Cloud the author goes into more detail about the Devil’s methods, learned from ‘students of necromancy who possess the knowledge to summon up wicked spirits» — Spearing consigna de dónde dice el autor que sabe de los métodos del Diablo: de estudiosos de nigromancia capaces de convocar espíritus malignos

«This grotesque detail is then interpreted as having a symbolic significance, but it is clearly understood to be, in itself, not the product of ‘dreamy confusion of thought’ but an objective reality revealed by dangerous scientific experiment» — Spearing lee el detalle grotesco del único orificio nasal como dato objetivo dentro del sistema, revelado por experimento peligroso, y no como confusión soñadora

«The general grounding of the author’s contemplative teaching in the science of his age emerges especially strongly in the treatment of time in chapter 4 of the Cloud» — Spearing localiza en el capítulo 4 del Cloud la prueba de que la enseñanza se apoya en la ciencia de su tiempo

«It is described as being ‘neither longer nor shorter than an instant’, and an instant is a term that has a meaning ‘defined by expert scientists in the field of astronomy’ as the smallest possible unit of time, equivalent to fifteen ninety-fourths of a second» — Spearing consigna la definición técnica del instante que el autor toma de los astrónomos: la menor unidad de tiempo, quince noventaicuatroavos de segundo

«Mystical theology, then, is envisaged by the Cloud author as part of a single system with natural philosophy, and for him infinity and transcendence are also mathematical concepts» — Spearing concluye que para el autor la teología mística forma un solo sistema con la filosofía natural, y que infinito y trascendencia son también conceptos matemáticos

«The author’s claim is to be the vehicle of a coherent doctrine of absolute validity focused on an absolutely transcendent God, and this implies the further claim to transcendence of history» — Spearing formula la pretensión del autor y su consecuencia: doctrina coherente de validez absoluta sobre un Dios absolutamente trascendente, y por tanto también trascendente respecto de la historia

«That is the view taken by many of the modern scholars, often themselves Catholics, to whom we are most indebted for interpreting his writings» — Spearing sitúa a los estudiosos modernos, a menudo católicos, como quienes sostienen esa lectura y a quienes más se debe la interpretación de estos textos

«A most important aspect of the Cloud corpus that has never been given sufficient attention by its students is the doctrinal cohesiveness, internal and external alike, of its various treatises, and with this the traditional nature of the spirituality it teaches. This coherent body of doctrine is what Dom Cuthbert Butler, in his account of the teachings of Sts Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Bernard of Clairvaux on contemplation and the contemplative life, has called ‘Western Mysticism» — Spearing cita a James Walsh: la cohesión doctrinal del corpus y su carácter tradicional, dentro de lo que Cuthbert Butler llamó Western Mysticism. Voz citada por Spearing, no suya

«This is the statement of a believing theologian, to whom it comes naturally to stress the perfect coherence of the Cloud author’s work and what it has in common with earlier Catholic teaching on contemplation» — Spearing marca de quién es esa voz: un teólogo creyente, a quien le sale subrayar la coherencia y la continuidad con la enseñanza católica anterior

«The author certainly claims (for instance at the end of chapter 7 of Privy Counselling) that his work is self-consistent and consistent with Dionysian teaching, and he doubtless believed this to be true, but we are not obliged to accept his own view of himself» — Spearing consigna que el autor declara su obra coherente consigo misma y con Dionisio, y objeta que no estamos obligados a aceptar la imagen que el autor da de sí

«recommends ‘blind and loving contemplation of the word IS’ as the means of approaching ‘him who is as he is, him who alone is of himself his own blessed being and yours» — el otro lado de la grieta: Privy Counselling recomienda en su capítulo 4 la contemplación ciega y amorosa de la palabra IS. Spearing consigna la contradicción sin armonizarla

«There may well be a refined metaphysical distinction here between two senses of ‘exists’ or ‘is’, but the force of the two passages for vernacular readers would surely be contradictory» — Spearing admite que puede haber una distinción metafísica fina entre dos sentidos de ser, y sostiene que para el lector vernáculo los dos pasajes resultarían contradictorios

«The orthodox theological approach to these writings has its own validity, but it should be recognized that it may exclude aspects of the author’s work that will be of special interest to many readers of a modern translation» — Spearing concede validez al enfoque teológico ortodoxo y objeta que deja fuera lo que más interesa al lector moderno

«These include: the significant differences of emphasis among his various writings; his dynamic responses to earlier and contemporary mystical texts; the ways in which he seems to respond to the reception of the Cloud itself (partly with anger at what he sees as misunderstanding, and partly by attempting to correct what has led to misunderstanding); the possibility of speculative and experimental elements in his thought about God and the soul; and, above all, the work’s existence not only as purportedly timeless doctrine but as writing in the vernacular language of a particular time and place» — Spearing enumera lo que ese enfoque deja fuera: las diferencias de énfasis entre sus escritos, sus respuestas a textos místicos anteriores y contemporáneos, su reacción a la recepción del Cloud, lo especulativo de su pensamiento, y la obra como escritura vernácula de un tiempo y un lugar

«In short, the danger of this approach is that it makes the author a much less interesting writer, and one whose crucial relationship is to an established body of truth that no ordinary reader is in a position to test or question, rather than to a specific historical situation in which ‘truth’ was, as always, in the process of being constructed» — Spearing declara el riesgo de la lectura atemporal: vuelve al autor menos interesante y lo ata a un cuerpo de verdad que nadie puede poner a prueba, en vez de a una situación histórica en que la verdad se estaba construyendo

«In one respect at least the Cloud corpus does not appear to be doctrinally cohesive, since Mystical Theology (chapter 5) denies that even» — Spearing señala la grieta doctrinal del corpus: la Mystical Theology, en su capítulo 5, niega que siquiera la existencia pueda atribuirse a Dios; la frase se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *existence can be attributed to God*

«As we have seen, in England the fourteenth century was an age of religious controversy as well as one of devotional writing, and the Cloud author’s work inevitably participates in that controversy, one concern of which was with the legitimacy of any writing in the vernacular that touched on theological issues. Thus ‘the very act of writing in the vernacular had theological implications» — Spearing sitúa la obra dentro de la controversia del siglo y consigna que escribir en lengua vernácula sobre teología tenía en sí implicaciones teológicas

«At several points in the Cloud he refers (though never by name) to other devotional writers. In chapters 35 and 48 he commends the teachings of ‘someone else’ who is likely to have been Hilton, while in chapter 68 he politely indicates reservations about that someone’s emphasis on inwardness» — Spearing consigna que el autor alude a otros escritores devocionales sin nombrarlos: elogia en los capítulos 35 y 48 a alguien que probablemente es Hilton, y en el 68 le pone reparos

«In chapter 45 he harshly attacks the errors encouraged by the writings of Rolle and his followers, which lead ‘young disciples’ to identify ‘the bodily inflaming of their constitution’ with ‘the fire of love» — Spearing localiza en el capítulo 45 el ataque del autor a los errores de la escuela de Rolle: confundir el ardor del temperamento corporal con el fuego del amor

«in chapter 50, the violent weeping practised by Mary of Oignies and other continental women and later by Margery Kempe» — Spearing lee el capítulo 50 como advertencia contra el llanto violento de María de Oignies y de otras mujeres continentales, y luego de Margery Kempe

«and in chapter 44, the danger of allowing the intense sorrow that he sees as inseparable from awareness of one’s own separate existence to lead to a desire for self-annihilation» — Spearing lee el capítulo 44 como advertencia contra dejar que la tristeza de la propia existencia separada lleve al deseo de aniquilarse

«Such a desire would be ‘diabolical madness and contempt for God’; and here he may be alluding to the heretical teaching of the French mystic Marguerite Porete, which became available in English about this time» — Spearing consigna el juicio del autor sobre ese deseo y arriesga que aluda a la enseñanza de Marguerite Porete, disponible en inglés por esos años

«In instances such as these, we can certainly see a concern for orthodoxy, but in a situation where orthodoxy involved not a simple conformity to transhistorical truth but a dynamic process of discussion and negotiation» — Spearing enuncia su tesis sobre la ortodoxia del autor: no conformidad a una verdad fuera del tiempo, sino proceso dinámico de discusión y negociación

«Near the end of the Cloud the author tells his disciple that if there is any of its subject matter that he ‘would like to have more fully expounded, let me know what it is and your ideas about it, and I will improve it if I can, to my humble ability» — Spearing localiza en el capítulo 74 del Cloud la promesa del autor de ampliar lo que el discípulo pida

«Privy Counselling fulfils this promise, yet not merely as a fuller exposition of the earlier work, but in ways involving important shifts of emphasis and considerable emotional stress» — Spearing sostiene que Privy Counselling cumple esa promesa desplazando énfasis y con tensión emocional, no solo ampliando

«This is especially noticeable in chapter 1, where metaphysical questions of being are newly introduced as a preliminary to the teaching that the contemplative should offer God the mere fact of his own existence; and this teaching is accompanied by angry resentment of alleged complaints by scholars that it is too difficult to be understood, and by the accusation that the complaints are themselves the product of wilful misunderstanding» — Spearing localiza el desplazamiento en el capítulo 1 de Privy Counselling: la cuestión del ser, la ofrenda del propio existir, y el resentimiento contra los doctos que dicen no entenderlo

«The vehemence of the author’s language seems to indicate that he is responding not just to a pupil’s request for fuller explanation but to threatening criticism of a metaphysic only implied in the Cloud – criticism hinting, it may be, at some Porete-like heresy underlying his interpretation of the via negativa» — Spearing lee la vehemencia como respuesta a una crítica amenazante, quizá con insinuación de herejía al modo de Porete, y no a una simple petición de aclaración

«A different way in which Privy Counselling represents a shift in emphasis from the Cloud is in its stronger affirmation of the validity and indeed necessity of meditation on God’s manhood» — Spearing consigna el segundo desplazamiento de Privy Counselling: afirma con más fuerza la validez y la necesidad de meditar en la humanidad de Dios

«Later he reminds his reader that it is precisely the ‘elaborate meditations and subtle imaginings of the attributes of your being and God’s’ that have led him to his ‘present capacity for grace» — Spearing localiza en el capítulo 13 de Privy Counselling el reconocimiento de que esas meditaciones llevaron al discípulo a su capacidad actual de gracia

«Thus the author attempts a more explicit reconciliation of the via negativa with the main stream of orthodox late-medieval devotion; and in Privy Counselling as a whole we can see him diverging from the Cloud in two opposite directions, towards such a reconciliation and towards an angry defence of a more radical metaphysic» — Spearing resume el doble movimiento de Privy Counselling: reconciliar la vía negativa con la devoción ortodoxa y a la vez defender con enojo una metafísica más radical

«in chapter 12, extreme practices of bodily self-mortification even to the» — Spearing lee el capítulo 12 del Cloud como advertencia contra las mortificaciones corporales extremas de los místicos continentales; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *point of self-castration*

«he goes on in the next chapter to insist that, before attaining the higher levels of contemplation, one must engage in such meditations. ‘Anyone who does not come in by this way does not come by the right way» — Spearing marca el giro entre los capítulos 8 y 9 de Privy Counselling: tras repetir el rechazo de las meditaciones elaboradas, el autor las declara paso obligado antes de los grados altos

«The Cloud author’s downgrading of everything bodily is closely associated with the centrality of language as a theme of his work» — Spearing enlaza las dos cosas: rebajar lo corporal y poner el lenguaje en el centro de la obra

«Human language is for him a crucial barrier between the soul and God, and a crucial hindrance to his own attempt to write about contemplation» — Spearing enuncia el problema del autor: la lengua humana estorba entre el alma y Dios, y estorba también a su propio intento de escribir sobre la contemplación

«Language is a product of the blabryng fleschely tonge – a phrase that, when you speak it, makes your tongue feel so bodily that it is too big for your mouth – and therefore lacks the transparency that might enable it to represent what ‘belongs to God alone» — Spearing se detiene en la frase del original, la lengua carnal balbuciente, y sostiene que por eso el lenguaje no alcanza la transparencia que haría falta

«Language is material in its reference, not just in the obvious concreteness of common nouns and adjectives, but even in prepositions» — Spearing extiende la materialidad del lenguaje hasta las preposiciones, no solo a los sustantivos y adjetivos

«Middle English religious prose characteristically made heavy use of rhythmic alliteration, a device that calls attention to the phonetic materiality of language» — Spearing consigna el rasgo de la prosa religiosa inglesa media: aliteración rítmica, que llama la atención sobre la materialidad fónica de la lengua

«The Cloud author shows no sign of attempting to remove or reduce this; there are many strongly alliterative passages in his work» — Spearing objeta la expectativa: el autor no intenta quitar ni reducir la aliteración, y hay muchos pasajes fuertemente aliterados

«In translating I have tried to reproduce his alliterative patterns when possible, but I have not always succeeded, and this feature can best be recognized in the original» — Spearing declara el límite de su traducción: intentó reproducir los patrones aliterativos, no siempre lo logró, y ese rasgo se reconoce mejor en el original

«The phonetic texture of the Cloud and the other works keeps us constantly aware that language is indeed the product of the blabbering fleshly tongue» — Spearing sostiene que la textura fónica de estas obras mantiene presente que la lengua es producto de la lengua carnal balbuciente

«More important, the Cloud author repeatedly chooses language that is concrete in reference, and evokes the very world of the body and the senses that it might be supposed he would do his best to exclude» — Spearing enuncia la paradoja central de su lectura: el autor elige una y otra vez lenguaje concreto y evoca el mundo del cuerpo y de los sentidos que cabría esperar que excluyera

«Perhaps too it is not surprising that the author should exploit rather than minimize the concreteness of language when writing about false contemplatives, in a way that is intensely bodily precisely in order to make the point that they mistake the bodily for the spiritual» — Spearing explica un caso del uso concreto: al describir a los falsos contemplativos el autor extrema lo corporal precisamente para mostrar que ellos confunden lo corporal con lo espiritual

«There are many examples of this, so many as to arouse the suspicion that he took more pleasure than he would have admitted in his satirical comedy at the expense of those deceived by false teachings» — Spearing arriesga una sospecha sobre el autor: que disfrutaba de su comedia satírica a costa de los engañados más de lo que habría admitido

«But it is not only to refer to sin and error that the Cloud author heightens the concreteness of his language. He does the same when evoking those very movements of God and the soul that he repeatedly insists are not concrete» — Spearing amplía el alcance: el autor extrema lo concreto también al evocar los movimientos de Dios y del alma que declara no concretos

«That word stirring, along with other forms of the verb stir, is very frequently repeated throughout the work to refer to a spiritual impulse or movement» — Spearing señala la palabra que el autor repite, *stirring*, para nombrar el impulso espiritual

«When translating I was often tempted to replace the Middle English steryng with the Latinate and more abstract ‘impulse’, but to do so would lose just the concreteness that the author warns against yet keeps on evoking» — Spearing declara una decisión de traducción: no cambiar *steryng* por *impulse*, porque perdería la concreción contra la que el autor advierte y que no deja de evocar

«Another word frequently repeated in the original is put, usually translated here as ‘push’ or ‘thrust» — Spearing consigna la segunda palabra repetida del original, *put*, que él traduce por empujar o embestir

«And elsewhere the author repeatedly refers to a secret push or thrust of love, and to pushing or thrusting down thoughts that arise from intellectual curiosity – again language that irresistibly evokes bodily effort» — Spearing señala que el empuje secreto de amor y el empujar los pensamientos hacia abajo evocan sin remedio el esfuerzo corporal

«Then there is the leading image of the whole work, the cloud of unknowing that stands between the contemplative and God, with its counterpart, the cloud of forgetting that he must set between himself and everything that is bodily and can be known» — Spearing nombra la imagen rectora del libro y su contraparte: la nube del no saber entre el contemplativo y Dios, y la nube del olvido entre él y todo lo corporal y sabido

«A cloud is more intangible than a lump, to be sure, yet these clouds are made more tangible by the concreteness of what the disciple is told to do with them» — Spearing observa que las nubes se vuelven tangibles por lo concreto de lo que se manda hacer con ellas

«Here, as often, concreteness undoes itself: how do you set about beating on a cloud with a sharp dart» — Spearing formula el efecto: lo concreto se deshace solo, porque no hay modo de golpear una nube con un dardo afilado

«This powerful concreteness of language, and the way it stands in apparent opposition to the work’s doctrine, have been remarked by scholars, but they have usually been content to note the opposition as a paradox» — Spearing consigna que los estudiosos han notado la oposición entre la concreción del lenguaje y la doctrina, y se han quedado en llamarla paradoja

«Here it may be useful to compare the Cloud author with his contemporary, Hilton. Like the Cloud author, Hilton feels the need to resist the literalism, associated with Rolle’s enormously popular writings, that identifies contemplative experience with bodily sensation; but at the same time he wants to affirm the truth of analogies between the spiritual realm and daily experience in the material world» — Spearing compara a los dos contemporáneos: los dos resisten el literalismo de Rolle, pero Hilton quiere además afirmar la verdad de las analogías entre lo espiritual y la experiencia material

«So, though God cannot be literally understood as ‘bodily light’, to think about light as we experience it with our bodily senses can help towards an understanding of our experience of God» — Spearing glosa a Hilton: Dios no es luz corporal, y aun así pensar la luz con los sentidos ayuda a entender la experiencia de Dios

«He sees the long process of achieving contemplation as a journey towards Jerusalem, and, imagining the heavenly city as an earthly city, explains that, as you approach it, ‘by small sudden lightings that glide out through small crannies from that city thou shalt be able to see it from far, or [before] that thou come thereto» — Spearing cita la imagen de Hilton: el camino a la contemplación como viaje a Jerusalén, y la ciudad vista de lejos por pequeños destellos que se cuelan por rendijas

«That was surely what a real medieval city would have looked like from a distance at night: not the modern city’s great glow staining half the sky, but fleeting glimpses of candlelight caught through small windows» — Spearing restituye la experiencia detrás de la imagen: no el resplandor de la ciudad moderna sino vislumbres de luz de vela por ventanas pequeñas. Lectura del traductor, dicha como suya

«The Scale of Perfection is among the greatest works of poetic prose in English, and much of its power derives from recurrent evocation of the familiar sensory world as a generous source of analogy for the distant realm of the divine» — Spearing declara su juicio sobre la Scale de Hilton y de dónde saca su fuerza: la evocación del mundo sensible familiar como fuente de analogía

«The Cloud of Unknowing is also a great work of prose, but it conveys its different doctrine by different means» — Spearing marca la diferencia de procedimiento entre las dos obras, no de calidad

«Do not suppose that I mean darkness like that in your house at night when your candle is out! How could the medieval reader or listener, living in a world of night-time darkness lit only by candles or fire, fail to imagine what he is told not to imagine, when it is so vividly evoked» — Spearing muestra el mecanismo en el pasaje de la vela: al lector medieval, alumbrado por velas, se le manda no imaginar justo lo que se le acaba de evocar

«The imagination is stimulated to draw on the memories of daily experience stored in daily language» — Spearing describe el efecto: la imaginación se ve obligada a acudir a los recuerdos de la experiencia diaria guardados en la lengua diaria

«And the contradiction is heightened by the intensity of the deictic effect: I call it, thine house, thy candle, and the imperative verbs summoning up an I–thou situation (time, place and body) in which the imagination is being forbidden to operate as it is being compelled to operate» — Spearing suma el efecto deíctico: el yo y el tú, tu casa, tu vela y los imperativos levantan la situación de habla en que se prohíbe imaginar lo que se obliga a imaginar

«And this is the epitome of the via negativa, for there can be no negative theology without something to negate. This is indeed paradox, but it is not just paradox as a rhetorical figure; it has fundamental doctrinal implications» — Spearing enuncia la tesis: eso es la vía negativa en cifra, porque no hay teología negativa sin algo que negar, y la paradoja tiene consecuencias doctrinales y no solo retóricas

«The Cloud author too is driven by a passionate desire to understand the limits of language; we see this in the determined ingenuity with which he uncovers the bodiliness that limits the applicability to God of even the smallest and most neutral-seeming words, even prepositions, and the penetration with which he reveals the metaphors built into language that seems commonplace and literal, such as ‘I’ll stand by you» — Spearing aplica al autor la descripción de Wittgenstein: el mismo deseo de entender los límites del lenguaje, visible en cómo destapa la corporalidad de las palabras más neutras y las metáforas escondidas en lo que parece literal

«But the danger of ordinary language can be grasped only if its bewitchment is actually experienced, and that is what happens when we read the Cloud author’s works» — Spearing sostiene que el peligro del lenguaje ordinario solo se capta si su hechizo se padece, y que eso es lo que pasa al leer estos textos

«First our mind is filled with the engaging ‘primitive naturalness’ of this homely proverb, which is a more vivid way of saying ‘God helps those who help themselves’; then it is snatched away from us, leaving an empty space, to be filled by an understanding that is not merely natural» — Spearing describe el procedimiento con el proverbio de la vaca y el cuerno: primero se llena la mente de su naturalidad, luego se la arranca y queda un hueco que ha de llenar otro entendimiento

«In the Cloud author’s work, language is neither a transparent medium nor an obscuring cloak for theological thought; it is the very means by which theological thought operates» — Spearing fija su tesis sobre el lenguaje en esta obra: ni medio transparente ni manto que oculte, sino el medio mismo por el que opera el pensamiento teológico

«The author uses the materiality of the vernacular as a skilful wrestler uses the strength of his opponent in order to defeat him» — Spearing da su símil: el autor usa la materialidad de la lengua vulgar como un luchador diestro usa la fuerza del contrario

«One of his favourite words is ‘work’, by which he usually means the practical discipline of contemplation that he aims to teach» — Spearing consigna la palabra predilecta del autor, *work*, y su sentido habitual: la disciplina práctica de la contemplación

«This term has the advantage of implying that the apparently idle contemplative, Mary as opposed to Martha, is also a labourer in the Lord’s vineyard; at the same time, ‘this work’ can also refer to the written work in which the discipline is taught» — Spearing despliega el doble filo del término: hace de María una obrera en la viña del Señor y a la vez nombra el escrito donde se enseña la disciplina

«In my translation, to avoid misunderstanding, the bare word is often expanded to ‘the work of contemplation’ or ‘contemplative activity» — Spearing declara una decisión de traducción: desdobla la palabra escueta en *the work of contemplation* o *contemplative activity* para evitar el equívoco

«But the work of the Cloud is not just something to be done by the reader who wants to achieve contemplation; it is also the work of mystical theology, and it is done in the text itself, in that wrestling-match with language, even when the goal of the work is to point towards the realm of transcendence that lies outside language» — Spearing sostiene que la obra del Cloud es también la obra de la teología mística y se hace en el texto mismo, en esa lucha con el lenguaje

«I close this introduction with a closer look at the richly enigmatic relation between orthodoxy and heresy in the language in which he writes about images» — Spearing anuncia el cierre de su introducción: la relación enigmática entre ortodoxia y herejía en el modo en que el autor escribe sobre las imágenes

«An important feature of Lollardy was opposition to the use of images – crucifixes and pictures and statues of saints – in religious worship» — Spearing consigna el rasgo lolardo pertinente: la oposición al uso de crucifijos, pinturas y estatuas de santos en el culto

«The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards nailed to the door of Westminster Hall in 1395 include the statement that ‘prayers and offerings made to blind crosses and to deaf images of wood and of stone are closely related to idolatry» — Spearing cita las Doce Conclusiones clavadas en Westminster Hall en 1395: rezar y ofrendar a cruces ciegas y a imágenes sordas de madera y piedra se emparenta con la idolatría

«The fear of iconoclasm extended so far, then, that the worship of images could be required as a proof of orthodoxy, something not just acceptable but compulsory» — Spearing marca el extremo al que llegó el temor a la iconoclasia: adorar imágenes pasó de admisible a obligatorio como prueba de ortodoxia

«That makes all the more interesting the passage in chapter 2 of Mystical Theology in which the author uses a concrete example to illustrate how the via negativa applies to our attempt to ‘see and know… him who is above all seeing and knowing» — Spearing sitúa el pasaje del capítulo 2 de la Mystical Theology sobre el hombre que talla una imagen como ejemplo concreto de la vía negativa

«The illustration of the statue concealed within the block and waiting to be revealed by the removal of all that is extraneous to it was not original, either with the Cloud author or with Pseudo-Dionysius» — Spearing consigna que la imagen de la estatua escondida en el bloque no es original ni del autor del Cloud ni del Pseudo-Dionisio

«In Pseudo-Dionysius’s Greek, the block is of marble, but our author has brought it into a dramatic and concrete medieval English context by making it of wood» — Spearing localiza la intervención del autor inglés: en el griego del Pseudo-Dionisio el bloque es de mármol y aquí se vuelve de madera, en contexto inglés medieval

«But the author is well aware that, the more vividly he evokes the situation in its full physicality, the more it acts against the idea belonging to ‘this high work of theology’ that he wants it to exemplify» — Spearing sostiene que el autor sabe que la viveza física de la escena trabaja contra la idea que quiere ilustrar con ella

«and boistous, meaning coarse, gross, thick, crude, simple, is a word he often employs to refer to the deceptive physicality and bodiliness that hinder us from approaching God in his naked nature» — Spearing glosa el término *boistous* del original y su función: nombra la fisicidad engañosa que estorba el acceso a Dios en su naturaleza desnuda

«I do not mean to imply that the writings translated in this volume mark the author’s victory over language. On the contrary, though he is a master of language» — Spearing acota su propia tesis: no hay victoria del autor sobre el lenguaje; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde la maestría incluye soltar el control

«involves relinquishing mastery, allowing language to release potentialities of which he is not fully in control and sometimes perhaps not fully aware» — el otro lado de esa acotación: la maestría a veces consiste en renunciar a ella y dejar que la lengua libere posibilidades que el autor no controla ni advierte del todo

«The ME original of this passage is given in the appendix.) The example is that of a man who wishes to carve out of a solid block of wood an image corresponding to one that exists only in his imagination» — Spearing declara que el original en inglés medio de ese pasaje va en el apéndice, y describe el ejemplo: el hombre que quiere tallar en un bloque macizo una imagen que solo existe en su imaginación

«Thus, paradoxically, the illustration is ‘contrary in nature to what it illustrates’. When the ground of the comparison is explained» — Spearing recoge la fórmula del propio texto: la ilustración es de naturaleza contraria a lo que ilustra

«God is ‘covered up and enwrapped and overlaid’ with material supplied by our limited senses and intellects, ‘coagulated around him, as it were, in an encumbering lump (kumbros clog)’, and that phrase kumbros clog, so evocative of disgusting clinging and frustrating hindrance, is repeated in the next sentence» — Spearing sigue la frase del texto: Dios queda cubierto y envuelto por el material de nuestros sentidos e intelectos, cuajado en torno a él como un estorbo pegajoso

«Here it may be worth digressing for a moment to observe that a sense of the difference between the Cloud author’s attitude towards God and that of his contemporary Julian of Norwich emerges especially strongly from their uses of such imagery of covering and enwrapping» — Spearing abre una digresión comparativa: la diferencia de actitud entre el autor del Cloud y Julian of Norwich se ve sobre todo en sus imágenes de cubrir y envolver

«Julian writes, for example, that God ‘is our clothing, wrapping us for love, embracing and enclosing us for tender love» — Spearing cita a Julian: Dios es nuestra vestidura, que nos envuelve por amor. Voz de Julian citada por Spearing

«while for the Cloud author enwrapping and enclosing evoke not motherly tenderness but hindrance and defilement from which we must try to disentangle ourselves – a reflection, perhaps, of the way that in his society even more than in ours male identity was formed through rejection of the mother and the suffocating characteristics associated with femaleness» — Spearing contrapone al autor del Cloud, para quien envolver evoca estorbo y suciedad, y arriesga una lectura propia: la identidad masculina de su sociedad se formaba rechazando a la madre

«Covering and nakedness are important opposites in his thought, though at times, like Julian, he can see God as an ‘ample garment’ for the naked soul (Privy Counselling, chapter 8), and at times he can allow this image too to undo itself, writing of the contemplative as ‘nakedly clothed’ in God» — Spearing acota su propio contraste: el autor también puede ver a Dios como vestidura amplia del alma desnuda, y hablar del contemplativo desnudamente vestido en Dios, con los locators de Privy Counselling

«The whole scene evoked is that of the carving of a wooden image, one of those ‘deaf images of wood’ against which the Lollards’ Twelve Conclusions protested; and yet the Cloud author is using this as a figure of what lies beyond figuration» — Spearing señala la incomodidad histórica del pasaje: la escena es la talla de una imagen de madera, de las que los lolardos condenaban, usada como figura de lo que está más allá de toda figura

«The craftsman’s task is ‘to make an image’ of what is unmade; and, worse still, the kumbros clog, the material that, in the illustration, disgustingly obscures the ‘image’ that he wishes to make, itself consists of ‘many marvellous fanciful images» — Spearing aprieta la paradoja: el artesano ha de hacer una imagen de lo no hecho, y lo que la oculta son a su vez muchas imágenes fantasiosas

«What difference is there between the image that represents the unrepresentable and the image that obscures it? Is this orthodoxy or heresy? Each implies the other, and what emerges is the impossibility of thinking the orthodox view of images without becoming involved in the heretical view, and of thinking the heretical view without becoming involved in the orthodox view» — Spearing formula la pregunta sin resolverla: cada postura sobre las imágenes implica la otra

«Given that thought and writing are representations, representation is an almost impossibly difficult topic to think and write about» — Spearing generaliza: siendo el pensamiento y la escritura representaciones, la representación es un asunto casi imposible de pensar y escribir

«That may have been apparent to a profound thinker (which the Cloud author certainly was) in the period when he was writing, when age-old controversies about icons and iconoclasm were revived with new force and new danger» — Spearing concede que eso pudo ser visible para el autor en un tiempo en que las viejas polémicas sobre iconos e iconoclasia revivían con fuerza y peligro nuevos

«but I am not sure to what extent he can have intended to provide this textbook example of what Derrida claims to be true of philosophy in general» — Spearing declara su reserva: no sabe hasta qué punto el autor quiso dar ese ejemplo de lo que Derrida afirma de la filosofía entera

«An astute critic writes of the Cloud author’s work as ‘a self-deconstructing attempt to undo the carnality of the language in which it is written’, in which we can see him ‘plumbing the possibilities for error both in the language in which he writes and in the vernacular reader for whom he writes» — Spearing cita a Nicholas Watson: un intento autodeconstructivo de deshacer la carnalidad de la lengua en que está escrito, sondeando las posibilidades de error de la lengua y del lector vernáculo

«In the matter of images, to plumb the possibilities for error was likely to be a dangerous undertaking in the author’s time, though admittedly less so than it was to become a few years later, when the English Church started burning heretics at the stake» — Spearing fecha el riesgo: sondear el error en materia de imágenes era peligroso entonces y lo sería más pocos años después, cuando la Iglesia inglesa empezó a quemar herejes

«The very features that make the Cloud author’s work dangerously self-contradictory are precisely those that are essential to its meaning; and I am all too well aware of being unable to convey them fully in translation» — Spearing cierra declarando el límite de su propio trabajo: los rasgos que hacen la obra peligrosamente contradictoria son los esenciales a su sentido, y no logra trasladarlos del todo

«I hope that at least some readers of the translation will go on to use it as an aid to reading the original» — Spearing declara el destino que desea para su traducción: que sirva de ayuda para leer el original

«British Library Harleian 674 and Cambridge University Library Kk.vi.26 both contain all seven works; Harleian 2373 contains all except The Mystical Theology of Saint Denis» — nota 1 de Spearing: los dos manuscritos que traen las siete obras y el tercero que las trae todas menos la Mystical Theology. Base de la atribución a un mismo autor

«The similarities of literary expression between the Cloud corpus and Hilton, together with the manner in which similar expressions are often used to express apparently similar but in fact quite distinct theological concepts as between the two bodies of works, become explicable if we suppose that the Cloud was in part a response to Hilton’s Ladder[i.e., Scale] of Perfection, Book One, while the second part of Hilton’s diptych was in turn influenced by the language and theology of the Cloud, without fully assimilating it» — nota 2: Spearing cita a John P. H. Clark sobre el intercambio entre el Cloud y la Scale de Hilton, con expresiones parecidas para conceptos teológicos distintos. Voz de Clark, citada

«For example, in his identification of himself with Beseleel in Cloud, chapter 73» — nota 3: Spearing localiza en el capítulo 73 del Cloud la identificación del autor con Beseleel, el indicio de que habla desde alguna experiencia propia

«Recent study suggests that in matters such as opposition to images there may have been ‘some tradition of reformist thinking at least partly independent of Wyclif ’ that was then subsumed into Lollardy» — nota 10: Spearing consigna, citando a Steven Justice, que la oposición a las imágenes pudo venir de una corriente reformista en parte independiente de Wyclif, luego absorbida por el lolardismo

«McGinn points out that Gallus’s ‘affective Dionysianism’ (p. 79) derived from his attempt to reconcile the Dionysian writings with the Song of Songs» — nota 13: Spearing recoge de Bernard McGinn el origen del dionisismo afectivo de Gallus, en su intento de conciliar los escritos dionisianos con el Cantar de los Cantares

«Parallels have also been suggested with Vedantic Hinduism. It should be borne in mind, however, that negative theology had been assimilated into the main stream of medieval scholastic thought; to take a single example, St Thomas Aquinas incorporated it into the proof of God’s existence in his Summa contra gentiles» — nota 14: Spearing consigna los paralelos propuestos con el hinduismo vedántico y advierte que la teología negativa ya estaba asimilada a la escolástica, hasta en la prueba de la existencia de Dios de Tomás de Aquino

«These are the opening sentences of Father James Walsh’s ‘Translator’s Introduction’ to A Letter of Private Direction (i.e., The Book of Privy Counselling) in The Pursuit of Wisdom and Other Works by the Author of The Cloud of Unknowing (Mahwah, New Jersey, 1988), p. 185. The work by Cuthbert Butler, Abbot of Downside, to which Walsh refers is his deservedly influential Western Mysticism (London, 1922). Though in what follows I indicate dissatisfaction with Walsh’s approach, I do not underestimate the debt that all work on the Cloud owes to his remarkable erudition» — nota 20: Spearing identifica al teólogo que cita en el cuerpo, James Walsh, remite la expresión Western Mysticism a Cuthbert Butler, y declara su deuda con Walsh a la vez que su desacuerdo

«Porete was the first person to compose a work of mystical theology in the French vernacular; she was burned at the stake for heresy in 1310» — nota 23: Spearing data a Marguerite Porete, primera en escribir teología mística en francés vulgar, quemada por herejía en 1310

«One of the copies of The Mirror of Simple Souls, the ME translation of her condemned writing, is found in the same manuscript as the only copy of the short version of Julian of Norwich’s Revelations» — nota 23, continuación: Spearing consigna que una copia del Mirror of Simple Souls comparte manuscrito con la única copia de la versión breve de Julian of Norwich

«Similar comments have been made by other major scholars in this field. Alastair Minnis writes that ‘ Despite the anonymous author’s constant dismissals of the imagination, he employs figurative language through out his treatise. Rich symbolism and imagery is used to evoke something which is, we are assured, beyond all literary symbolism and imagery» — nota 30: Spearing acumula los juicios de Hodgson y de Minnis sobre la misma paradoja, que el autor rechaza la imaginación y usa lenguaje figurado por todo el tratado. Voces citadas, no la suya

«You set limits to your humility when you will not follow the advice of your spiritual master unless your intellect can see that it ought to be done. So here you can see that I desire mastery over you. So I do, truly, and I intend to have it» — nota 17: Spearing cita el capítulo 7 de Privy Counselling, donde el autor reclama abiertamente autoridad sobre el discípulo. El pasaje aparece dos veces en el volumen, aquí en la nota y luego en el texto traducido; se ancla en esta, la primera

«Will is the faculty by which we choose good after it has been identified by reason, and by which we love God, desire God, and finally rest in God with complete joy and consent» — nota 18: Spearing cita la definición de la voluntad del capítulo 64 del Cloud y adjudica el esquema de las facultades del alma al Benjamin Major de Ricardo de San Víctor. El pasaje se repite luego en el texto traducido; se ancla en la nota

«The Cloud author’s use of language is, I believe, deconstructive in Derrida’s sense, that ‘the movements of deconstruction do not destroy structures from the outside. They are not possible and effective, nor can they take accurate aim, except by inhabiting those structures» — nota 33: Spearing declara como suya la lectura deconstructiva del uso del lenguaje del autor, apoyada en la fórmula de Derrida de que la deconstrucción habita las estructuras en vez de destruirlas desde fuera

«Phyllis Hodgson, in her edition of The Cloud of Unknowing and Related Treatises on Contemplative Prayer (Exeter, 1982), p. 192, points out that it is of Neoplatonic origin, and compares it with a passage in Plotinus» — nota 37: Spearing remite a Hodgson el origen neoplatónico de la imagen de la estatua en el bloque y su paralelo con un pasaje de Plotino. Voz de Hodgson, citada por Spearing

«Here is a single example, from this same passage, of the untranslatable. The phrase translated as ‘a powerful hindrance’ is plural in the original: stronge letters» — nota 39: Spearing declara lo intraducible con un caso concreto, la forma plural *stronge letters* del original

«The spelling stronge, however, can also represent a different ME word, straunge, meaning ‘strange’ or ‘alien’, which would surely be appropriate in this context of unlikeness» — nota 39, continuación: Spearing consigna la ambigüedad gráfica entre *stronge* y *straunge*, extraño o ajeno, que encajaría en un contexto de desemejanza

«And letters (here ‘hinderers’ or ‘hindrances’) would more normally mean ‘letters’ or ‘writing’, often with the implication of the literal (as opposed to the allegorical or spiritual) sense. That too seems an obvious possibility in a work so conscious of language, and especially of language understood in a literal or bodily sense as a barrier to understanding as well as a means of understanding» — nota 39: la segunda ambigüedad, entre estorbos y letras, con la implicación del sentido literal frente al alegórico, en una obra atenta al lenguaje como barrera y como medio

«All these may well be coexistent possibilities, though not necessarily ones of which the author was fully conscious» — nota 39, cierre: Spearing deja las lecturas coexistiendo sin elegir una, y sin afirmar que el autor las tuviera todas presentes

«The Cloud of Unknowing and Related Treatises on Contemplative Prayer, ed. Phyllis Hodgson (Exeter, 1982) Derrida, Jacques, Of Grammatology, trans. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (Baltimore, 1976)» — la bibliografía pone en la misma lista la edición de Hodgson que es la base textual y la Gramatología de Derrida, que Spearing usa como instrumento de lectura

«Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, trans. Colm Luibheid (Mahwah, New Jersey, 1987) The Pursuit of Wisdom and Other Works by the Author of the Cloud of Unknowing, trans. James Walsh (Mahwah, New Jersey, 1988)» — la bibliografía remite al lector a las obras completas del Pseudo-Dionisio en traducción de Luibheid y al resto del corpus del autor traducido por James Walsh

«Sikka, Sonya, ‘Transcendence in Death: A Heideggerian Approach to Via Negativa in The Cloud of Unknowing’, in The Medieval Mystical Tradition in England 5, ed. Marion Glasscoe (Cambridge, 1992), pp. 179–92 Smart, Ninian, ‘What Would Buddhaghosa Have Made of The Cloud of Unknowing?’, in Mysticism and Language, ed. Steven A. Katz (New York, 1992), pp. 103–22» — la bibliografía reúne las lecturas comparadas que la introducción menciona: Heidegger y la vía negativa, y la pregunta de Ninian Smart sobre qué habría hecho Buddhaghosa con el Cloud

«Turner, Denys, The Darkness of God: Negativity in Christian Mysticism (Cambridge, 1995), chapter 8» — la bibliografía remite al capítulo 8 del libro de Denys Turner sobre la negatividad en la mística cristiana

«FURTHER READING Burrow, J. A., ‘Fantasy and Language in The Cloud of Unknowing’, Essays in Criticism 27 (1977), 283–98 Butler, Cuthbert, Western Mysticism (London, 1922)» — la bibliografía se abre con Burrow y con el Western Mysticism de Cuthbert Butler que Walsh invocaba en el cuerpo de la introducción. Entrada de bibliografía releída entera en el crudo: la guarda anticosido se apagó por el año entre paréntesis

«Lees, Rosemary Ann, The Negative Language of the Dionysian School of» — la bibliografía registra el estudio de Lees sobre el lenguaje negativo de la escuela dionisiana; el asiento se parte en el cambio de plana y sigue *Mystical Theology: An Approach to the Cloud of Unknowing*

«Will, Maika J., ‘The Role of Passivity in the Prayer of The Cloud of Unknowing’, Mystics Quarterly 19 (1993), 63–70» — última entrada de la bibliografía, sobre el papel de la pasividad en la oración del Cloud; es también lo único que imprime esa plana. Bibliografía releída entera: la guarda se apagó por el año entre paréntesis

«Where I could, I have attempted to reproduce the stylistic features of the original, including the patches of alliteration that are characteristic of Middle English devotional prose; but the author’s syntax is sometimes extremely complex, and on occasions when I thought there was a real danger of misunderstanding, I have divided long sentences into shorter ones» — Spearing declara sus dos decisiones de traducción: reproducir la aliteración característica de la prosa devocional inglesa media y partir las frases largas donde el sentido corría peligro

«He surprisingly often employs constructions such as ‘he or she’ and ‘man or woman’, but in general he follows the custom of his time in using masculine nouns and pronouns to refer to humanity in general» — Spearing consigna el uso del original: fórmulas de doble género con frecuencia, y por lo demás el masculino genérico de su tiempo

«In this one area I have thought it best to defer to modern sensitivities, and, where possible (which is by no means everywhere), have used genderless forms such as ‘a person’, ‘one’, ‘we’, ‘someone’, or ‘anyone» — Spearing declara dónde se apartó del original: formas sin marca de género, donde se pudo, para atender la sensibilidad actual

«In quotations from Middle English originals, obsolete characters are replaced by their modern equivalents. In the notes, ‘ME’ is used to stand for ‘Middle English» — Spearing declara dos convenciones del aparato: sustituye los caracteres obsoletos del inglés medio y abrevia ME por Middle English

«The Bible is quoted in English from the Douai-Rheims translation, the sixteenth-century version of the Latin Vulgate text that was used in the Middle Ages, in the eighteenth-century revision by Challoner» — Spearing declara qué Biblia usa al traducir las citas del texto: la Douai-Rheims, versión inglesa de la Vulgata en la revisión de Challoner. Dato que decide cómo suenan las citas bíblicas del cuerpo

«Take care, therefore, that you do not understand in a bodily sense what is meant spiritually, even though it is expressed in bodily words, such as UP or DOWN, IN or OUT, BEHIND or IN FRONT, ON ONE SIDE or ON THE OTHER SIDE. For however spiritual something may be in itself, yet if it is to be spoken about, given that speech is a bodily activity performed by the tongue, a bodily organ, it must always be spoken in bodily words. But does it follow that it must therefore be received and understood in a bodily sense» — Spearing reproduce el capítulo 61 del Cloud para mostrar que ni las preposiciones escapan a la corporalidad del lenguaje: lo espiritual ha de decirse en palabras corporales porque el habla es obra de un órgano corporal. El cuerpo del volumen imprime el mismo pasaje, palabra por palabra, en la plana 208

«Someone who cannot think and feel that he is – not what he is, but that he is – I consider excessively ignorant and simple. For it is manifestly given to the most ignorant cow or the beast most lacking in reason (supposing it could be said, as it cannot, that one was more ignorant or irrational than another» — Spearing reproduce el pasaje del capítulo 1 de Privy Counselling como muestra de la vehemencia con que el autor responde a los doctos: hasta la vaca más ignorante sabe de su propia existencia. El cuerpo del volumen imprime el mismo pasaje en la plana 244

«the Abbot of St Victor: That is, Thomas Gallus, a canon regular of the Congregation of St Victor in Paris, who in 1218 became Abbot of Vercelli in Italy. The Cloud author makes use of three of his writings about Pseudo-Dionysius, the Paraphrase or Extractio, the Commentary or Explanatio, and the Gloss» — nota 2 de Spearing a la Mystical Theology: identifica al Abad de San Víctor con Thomas Gallus, abad de Vercelli desde 1218, y nombra los tres escritos suyos que el autor del Cloud usa

«transcendent Godhead: The ME text has souereyn Goddesse, which may be a misunderstanding of the Latin superdea» — nota 3: Spearing consigna que el original imprime *souereyn Goddesse* y arriesga que sea un malentendido del latín *superdea*. Enmienda propuesta, no afirmada

«negation: ME doing awey, literally ‘removal» — nota 6: Spearing declara qué palabra del inglés medio traduce por negación

«the prophet: Gallus’s Paraphrase refers to Job 28:20–21: ‘Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? It is hid from the eyes of all living: and the fowls of the air know it not» — nota 8: Spearing localiza en la Paráfrasis de Gallus la referencia al profeta, y la remite a Job. Voz de Spearing sobre su fuente

«Bartholomew: One of the twelve apostles. This statement is also quoted in the life of Bartholomew in the Legenda aurea, the standard medieval collection of saints’ lives; see Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend, trans. William Granger Ryan (Princeton, 1993), vol. II, pp. 109–16. The source of the statement has not been identified. No authentic writing of Bartholomew’s is known, and no such statement is found in the widely-read apocryphal Gospel (or Questions) of Bartholomew» — nota 10: Spearing consigna que la sentencia atribuida a Bartolomé no tiene fuente identificada y que no se conoce escrito auténtico suyo. Negativa declarada, sin corregir el texto

«Hierarchies of Heaven… Militant: These are the works usually known as the Heavenly Hierarchies and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies. (See Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, trans. Colm Luibheid (Mahwah, New Jersey, 1987), pp. 143– 259.) The Cloud author probably knew these only by reputation. They are not mentioned in his sources» — nota 20: Spearing identifica los dos libros que el texto se atribuye y arriesga que el autor del Cloud solo los conocía de oídas, porque no aparecen en sus fuentes

«On the Compendium… Meanings: Usually called the Symbolic Theology. This work is now lost» — nota 22: Spearing identifica el tercer libro del autocatálogo con la Teología Simbólica y la declara perdida

«And then… have life: The bracketed words do not appear in the two manuscripts, but editors agree that some such addition is required by the argument» — nota 24: Spearing declara que las palabras entre corchetes del capítulo 4 no están en los dos manuscritos y que los editores las suplen por exigencia del argumento

«God… Amen: This prayer is a translation of the collect (the prayer before the epistle) of the Mass of the Holy Spirit» — nota 1 al Cloud: Spearing identifica la oración inicial como traducción de la colecta de la misa del Espíritu Santo

«educated or uneducated: ME lettred or lewed, literally ‘literate or ignorant’: these terms vary widely in meaning according to context, but here probably refer to knowledge or ignorance of Latin, the traditional language of theology and other branches of learning» — nota 2: Spearing acota el sentido de *lettred or lewed*: probablemente saber o no saber latín, la lengua de la teología

«bridegroom: One of the few places where the Cloud author adopts the nuptial imagery of the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon), in which the bridegroom was interpreted as God or Christ and the bride as the human soul (or sometimes the Church or the Blessed Virgin» — nota 8: Spearing consigna que es de los pocos lugares en que el autor usa la imaginería nupcial del Cantar de los Cantares