[** work in progress]
Translation of Sister Katheryna’s Vite
This good sister Katheryna was the daughter of the brother of [the elder] Katherina de Arkel,
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so that she therefore also had the same last name. When this sister still lived with her parents and was a very small little maid, of eight years or thereabout, so it happened – because they lived in the country – that at one time, she was supposed to look after her father’s sheep. And when she was thus, obliviously, in the field with the sheep, so our dear Lord ordained it for her, that she became blind all of a sudden, so that she did not see anything after that. But she nevertheless suffered a very great pain, rather than her eyes completely perishing. Hereafter, when she had become reasonably old, as by around her fortieth year, and had served our dear Lord with as much integrity as she might in her [122d] condition, so our sisters took her in for the sake of her god-serving spiritual journey, and also because of her good aunt, who had been a foundation and a beginning of Master Geert’s house. And when she had then come here, as internally and god-serving as she began to journey and therein to persist until the end of her life, that we shall not be able to easily describe.
Very marvelously did she love the good habits of the house, and as much as she could, and it was in her power, she strove always to hold them unbroken. And that is why, when she was by the fire or somewhere else where one should be silent, she did not take it well if someone did her any service from which might arise a cause for speaking or anything else that was against our [123a] good habits. She was very diligent and dutiful in all humble works, which she could do, such as washing the dishes, churning [butter], or many kinds of things, which she did. For although our dear Lor had taken her sight, He had nevertheless given her the grace that she could truly do all kinds of work according to her own manner. For she could insert a thread into a needle, and also sew something, even though she could not see a stitch. And so accurately did she know all the paths and little nooks of the house, as though she had lived here many years as a seeing person, so that
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the sisters used to say, that they thought that she was led by her holy [guardian] angel. She was a person very internally-turned and devout [123b] toward God, so that it seemed that — although our dear Lord had taken away that external light from her – He had enlightened and brightened her from within with His divine grace so much that the virtues which she possessed within shone externally in all her ways and wanderings [her spiritual journey]. With great devotion did she used to hear the mass; for our dear Lord used to endow her sometimes with such internality, that she could truly not hide it within herself while it happened. And that was mostly through thinking over the life and the passion of our dear Lord; for she used to turn herself particularly to this with humble, loving inclination, through recognition of her own pitifulness and ungratefulness for His manifold gifts and graces, which He had given to her. [123c] And she used sometimes to say out of humility, that she did not feel anything except that she was worthy of this [only]: that the wolves and beasts should tear her apart, because she was so unthankful to our dear Lord for all the gifts and favors which he had shown her. And particularly, that He had called her out of the world and out of sin, and brought her among such good people, who loved and intended [mijnden noch en myenden] nothing except our dear Lord in all their works. And because she was so humble and low in herself, so she used to castigate herself and
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hit herself with rods, when she thought herself to be alone. She was particularly ardent and lively to establish a good intention with someone, such as [123d] that they would guard themselves from slander, and that they would faithfully keep the good habits, and many other ardent points, with which they might edify their souls in virtues. For she was indeed an ardent lover of virtues and all that belonged to our dear Lord. Such great reverence and worthiness did she hold for her superiors, for they did not stand before her as humans but as great saints, through which our dear Lord deigned to teach and to exhort us, how that we should hold ourselves and govern ourselves in all things. And when she heard from anyone anything that was contrary to these sentiments, she could barely stand it. All faults were contrary to her, and particularly slander. For when she heard someone, who asked for forgiveness [124a] for having spoken slander, that was to her so oppressive that she became gloomy, such that one could see it externally on her face. And as much as slander and contention were contrary to her, so by contrast, she used to elevate mutual love with great worthiness. And this is why she often used to say that point, that our dear Lord spoke to His disciples in the Last Supper: “All people shall know that you are my disciples in this, that you have mutual love.”
Very great devotion and internality did she used to have toward the birth of our dear Lord, and in anticipation that he should be born, she used to build him a little house out of manifold devout prayers and exercises. And when she then
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on the evenings of holy days after the meal [124b] spoke with a number of sisters in the prayer house about something good, so was she sometimes so ardent, as though she were aflame. And then she gave to each one who desired it a spiritual office through which she might prepare herself that Jesus might be spiritually born in her; that was: that they should exercise themselves in the virtues, which were contrary to their flaws, to which they most seemed to be inclined….
Notes on Edition and Citation Information
Numbers in dashes (such as – 126 -) indicate pages in de Man’s 1919 edition.
Numbers is brackets (such as [122c]) indicate column numbers in the manuscript.
Roman Numerals in brackets (such as [i]) indicate end notes (below) about terms that are notably freely translated.
Citation
de Man, Dirk. 1919. Hier beginnen sommige stichtige punten van onsen oelden zusteren. Martinus Nijhoff, Den Haag.