Vernacular Lay Mysticism in the Sister Books

“Mer doe si in oere lester ziecten lach, ende niet en wiste, dan si sterven solde, segede si tot moder Lijzebeth: ‘Nu alle hoege boecken of: allene die passie ons lieven Heren, want daer voele ic nu allene vrede in. Want die ander dijnge, daer ic ondertijden myselven in gesocht hebbe, als mijnsselves devocie ende ynnicheit, die my in der tegenwoerdicheit genuechlick waeren, en voele ick nu gienen sonderlingen vrede, mer allene in der passiën ons lieven Heren. Ende alsoe veel als ick nu vijnde, dat ic my dier gelijcket hebbe in mynen leven overmyds enen rechten sterven ende uutgaen mijnsselves in rechter gehorsomheit onder mijnen oversten ende medezusteren, die over my gesat waeren, [66c] ende hebbe, als my wat beyegende dat my contrary ende tonwillen was, dat overmyds overdencken Sijnre geyselinge, bespottinge, ende mennichvoldeger confuyciën ongewroken ende onverantwoerdet hene laten gaen, dat isset allene, dat my nu in deser tegenwoerdiger uren waerachtigen vrede ende hope des ewigen levens gevende is.’” de Man, Hier beginnen, 126-127.

But when she lay in her last sickness, and knew nothing [other] than [that] she should die, she said to her mother Lijzebeth: ‘Now away with all high books: only the passion of our dear Lord, for only therein do I now feel peace. For [in] the other things, in which I have sometimes sought myself, as my own devotion and internality, which were pleasant to me in the present, I now feel no particular peace, but only in the passion of our dear Lord. And as much as I now find that I have conformed myself thereto in my life through a true dying and going out of myself in true obedience under my superiors and fellow sisters, who were set over me, [66c] and have, when something confronted me that was contrary to me and against my will, that through contemplating His contemptuous, mocking, and manifold treatment, let it go unavenged and unanswered, that it was that alone, what now in these present hours is giving me true peace and hope of eternal life.

“Ende als sij vaste krencte ende niet veer vander doot en was, soe quam ene jonge zuster tot oer ende sprac oer toe. Ende onder ander woerden bad si oer, dat si oer een guet punte seggen wolde. Doe sprac si oer vrendelike toe ende leerden oer, dat si oer voer alle dijnge hueden solde, dat si oer niet en wennede vanden susteren. Mer soe waer die [52a] gemyene zusteren weren, daer solde si oer altoes pijnen bij te comen. Want anders solde oer herte altoes meer ende meer van hem getoegen worden, ende dat solde oer op die herde [i.e., op den duur] tot groter onmijnnen dienen, soedat si lichtelike een myshaegen ende een bitter herte tot hem hebben solde.” de Man, Hier beginnen, 101.

And as she steadily weakened and was not far from death, so came a young sister to her and spoke to her. And among other words, she asked that she would say to her a good point. Then she spoke to her in a friendly way and taught her that she should watch herself above all things, that she would not turn from the sisters. But wheresoever the [52a] common sisters were, there should she always strive to come by. Because otherwise, her heart should always be pulled more and more from them, and that should serve her over time to great un-love, so that she should easily have a displeased and bitter heart toward them.

“Als dese guede zuster gestorven was, een wijlken nae oere doot, soe apenbaerde si oer enen brueder van Wijndsom, ende heyt brueder Henrick Mande. De[46c]sen segede si, dat si in seer groter pijnen weer, ende want si oer in oeren leven soe sonderlinge gehad hadde ende alsoe gekiert hadde vander gemyenten, daer si oeren oversten ende den zusteren dicke moyelick in geweest hadde, soe haddet onse lieve Here op oer verhenget, dat oer dat gemyene gebet der heiliger karcken ende oec dat oer die zusteren nae deden, niet alsoe te staeden, noch te hulpen en quam in vercortinge oere pijnen, als anderen zielen. Want si overmids oeren eygenen sijnne ende voernemen oer niet gekiert en hadde totter gemyenten, ende hadde oerselven bet geloeft dan enen anderen.” de Man, Hier beginnen, 92.

When this good sister had died, a little while after her death, so she appeared to a brother of Windesheim, named Brother Henrick Mande. [46c] To this one she said, that she was in very great pain, and because she had held herself so particular in her life, and had turned so from the common, in which she had often been difficult to her superiors and the sisters, so our dear Lord had ordained it for her, that the common prayers of the holy church and also those that the sisters did for her, came neither to her stead nor to her help to shorten her pains, as for other souls. Because through her own sense and resolution, she had not turned herself to the common, and had faith in herself more than another.

“Sij was [54d] recht vlijtich ende willich tot allen werke, soe datmen vry tot oer mochte wesen, als yement oere te doene hadde; want als men oer bad of yet van oer begeerde, soe vant men si altoes bereit ende guederhande.” de Man, Hier beginnen, 106.

She was[54d] truly diligent and willing to [do] all work, so that one might be free to her, if anyone had [something] for her to do; for when one asked her or desired something of her, so one found her always ready and good-natured.

“Ende alst an zuster Grieten quam, dat si wat seggen solde, soe segede si oetmodelike, dat si onsen lieven Heren gebeden hadde, dat si noch omme Sinen willen een tredelijnc worden mochte, ende dat si oer noch mit herten ende mit lichaem mochte buygen ende veroetmodigen onder [20d] alle die zusteren, als dat alremalck over oer mochte ende vrij tot oer weer.” de Man, Hier beginnen, 47.

And when it came to sister Griete, that she should say something, so she said humbly, that she had asked our dear Lord, that she still for his sake might become a little pebble, and that she might bow herself still with heart and with body and humble herself under [20d] all the sisters, so that each and every one might be over her and be free to her.

Want si segede der zuster toe, daer si bi te werke was: ‘Of daer oeck wal yement in al die werlt wesen mach, die soeveel rijcheiden ende genuechten heeft, dat hem tot enyger tijt alsoe wal is als biwilen is enen armen begijnken, dat hem vereniget mit onsen lieven Heren’! Altoes genck si mit enen geneygeden hoefde ende mit soe ingekierden wesen, recht of si onsen lieven Heren voer oer hadde sien staen. Dicwile plach si te seggen: ‘Isset dat ic witlike sterve, soe salt my alte seer rouwen, dat ic my nu in mynre yoeget niet meer en hebbe gegeven tot sterven ende uutgaen myns selves.’ de Man, Hier beginnen, 11.

For she said to the sister, who was at work near her: ‘If [optative mood: ‘oh if only’] there truly may be anyone in all the world, who has so much richness and contentment, that [he] himself for any time is as well as a poor beguine sometimes is, who unites herself with our dear Lord!’ She always went with a bowed head and with such an internally-turned being, just as if she had seen our dear Lord standing before. Often she used to say: ‘If it is the case that I consciously die, so shall it be to me very grievous, that I now in my youth have not given myself more to dying and going out of myself.’

“Die onbegripelijcke rijcheit ende hoocheit ende uutvloeyende milde ghemeynheit godlijcker natueren, die trect den mensche in een verwonderen. Ende zonderlinghe verwondert desen mensche der ghemeinheit gods ende sijns ute vloeyens boven alle dinc. Want hi siet dat ombegripelijc wesen een ghemeyne ghebruken gods ende alre heilighen, ende hi siet die godlijcke persone een ghemeyne uutvloeyen…” Ruusbroec, “Brulocht,” The Complete Ruusbroec, Volume 2, 125.

The incomprehensible richness and highness and outflowing mild commonness of the divine nature, this draws the human being into astonishment. And particularly this person marvels at the commonnes of God and his outflowing above all things. For [s]he sees that incomprehensible essence as a common enjoyment of God and all saints, and [s]he sees the divine persons as a common outflowing…

“Dit uutgaen moet sijn in drie manieren. Wij moeten uutgaen te gode ende tot ons selven ende tot onsen evenkersten, ende dit moet sijn met karitaten ende met gherechticheden.” Ruusbroec, “Brulocht,” The Complete Ruusbroec, Volume 2, 86.

This outgoing must be in three manners. We must go out to God and to ourselves and to our fellow Christians, and this must be with charity and with justice.