Fetching
One moment.
Eleven books by a shoemaker of Görlitz who wrote, by his own account, because he could not help it. Ten of them stand here in the seventeenth-century English of John Sparrow, who translated Boehme within a generation of his death and whose prose is itself now four hundred years old; where that English has drifted out of reach, the facing pane carries a modern register — the same text with archaic inflection and spelling normalised by rule, never paraphrased. Nothing is reworded, and where no register appears beside a passage it is because the rules found nothing to change.
The eleventh book is not in English at all, and it is the reason this note exists.
Des trois principes de l'essence divine, printed at Paris in 1802, is the same work as Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence, which stands here as the second book — the same twenty-seven chapters in the same order, opening `Du premier principe de l'essence divine` against Sparrow's `Of the first Principle of the Divine Essence`. Its translator was Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, who gave the last years of his life to putting Boehme into French, and who has a shelf of his own in this Lycaeum.
That makes a closed circuit inside this archive, and it is worth naming plainly. Saint-Martin translates Boehme. La Iniciación, printed in Montevideo a hundred and forty years later, traces its own descent through Saint-Martin. A reader can therefore follow one thread from a German mystic of 1619, through the French philosopher who carried him into another language, to a Spanish-language monthly of the 1940s that claimed them both — and read every step of it in the original.
The two are shelved as one work rather than two because that is what they are. They are not set as facing panes: an English translation of 1619 and a French translation of 1802 are two independent readings of a lost German original, and pairing them line by line would assert a correspondence neither translator ever claimed.
156. Lors donc que l'aiguillon amer, qui est engendré dans la terreur angoisseuse , dans l'étouffenient et l'entrée de la mort , se tourmente ainsi et fait rage dans l'astringence; qu'il se rend ainsi effrayant ; qu'il pointe et se porte au-dessus de soi : alors il est saisi et retenu par l'astringence,de façon qu'il ne peut pas aller au-dessus de soi. Car , à cause de son tempêtement ^ l'aslringence le tire toujours plus fort à soi, et ne peut pas le souffrir; ce qui fait que l'aiguillon devient beaucoup plus effrayant ; et ici il n'y a aucun autre remède que dans la séparation du corps et de l'ame, dans la mort de l'homme. Eu effet , la mort amère est déjà dans le sang étouffé ; et , si maintenant l'aiguillon amer ne peut monter au-dessus de soi, à cause de l'astriugence, il devient comme une insensée , comme une roue tournante , ou comme une effrayante pensée rapide qui s'étrangle et s'angoisse. Il est alors un vrai esprit de souffre , une essence vénéneuse, effroyable, et dans la mort angoisseuse j car c'est là le ver pour l'ascension de la vie. 57. Maintenant , puisque l'esprit des étoiles et des élémens s'est figuré dans Vhomification , ainsi la puissance des étoiles et des élwincns est aus^i \\ ^•: [i I .: ( 2i6 ) CH. i3. circulante dans ce tempéiement ; car là , dans celto angoisse , l'espril des éloiles tire aussi à soi la vertu du soleil, et se contemple dans la vertu du soleil ,d'où il résulte dans ce tempêtement un éclair luisant dont l'angoisse dure et astringente s'efifraie, et se précipite au dessous de soi ; alors la terrible ceinture va dans son El lier. En effet , Tessence de l'angoisse , dans le fiât , s'eflraie aussi beaucoup devant l'éclair, de façon qu'elle devient impuissante et tombe en arrière j qu'elle se détend, et qu'elle s'atténue.
258. Or, l'explosion ou Téclair de feu s'opère dans l'aiguillon amer; et, quand il se contemple en arrière , dans la ténébreuse angoisse astringente, dans la mère , et qu'il se trouve ainsi subjugué et réprimé, il s'effraie beaucoup plus que la mère; mais cet effroi arrivant ainsi dans la douce mère , l'éclair devient sur-le-champ blanc et clair , quoiqu'il tienne à l'angoisse , à la racine ignée : mais maintenant sa surprise n'est plus qu'une grande joie 5 et c'est comme si on jetoit de l'eau sur le feu , où alors la source astringente s'éteint. Or , l'astringence se réjouit aussi beaucoup de la lumière , et la lumière se réjouit de la mère de l'astringence dans laquelle elle est engendrée, de façon qu'il n'j a sur cela aucune comparaison à faire \ car c'est la naissance et le commencement do la vie. 59. Aussitôt que la lumière de la vie s'envisage dans l'angoisse , et dans la douce mère , et que par là l'astringence goûte la lumière^ combien elle est cfl. i3. ( 2^7 J douce , aimable et joueuse , elle s'élève avec un si grand attract vers la lumière pour se mêler avec elle et pour la saisir , que son attract et ses puissances sortent d'elle pour atteindre cette lumière f lequel attract est la vertu de la lumière; or, cet attract qui sort dans l'amour , est la noble teinture qui là est engendrée neuve pour être en propriété à l'enfant ; et l'esprit , qui est engendré de l'angoisse dans l'éclair de feu , est la vraie ame qui est engendrée dans l'homme.
360. Ici, maintenant , il faut particulièrement observer où elle demeure , et d'où le cœur , les poumons et le foie dérivent ; spécialement la vessie et les entrailles ; et ensuite la cervelle dans la tête , et l'inlelligence et les sens. J'exposerai cela ici l'un après l'autre. On ne peut guère bien rendre avec la langue humaine , ni particulièrement décrire avec ordre , ce qui , dans la nature , arrive en un clin d'oeil ; il faudroit un gros volume pour le décrire ; et quoique le monde nous regarde comme trop petit pour ceci , nous dirons que nous nous croyons encore bien plus petit , et qu'il en est de nous , comme dit IsaYe : J'ai été trouvé par ceux qui ne me cherchoient point, et j'ai été connu de ceux qui ne me connoissoient point , et qui n'avoient point demandé après moi. 61. Je dis que cela n'a point été cherché , maïs nous avons cherché le cœur de Dieu , pour nous y mettre à couvert des tempêtes du démon. Lorsque nous y sommes arrivés , la très gracieuse vierge SOPHIE nous rencontra hors du paradis et nous offrit: iônâmouf , disant qu'elle vouloit élre ami^ avec nous et s'unir à nous comme une compagne , et nous montrer le chemin du paradis , où nous serions en sûreté contre les tempêtes ; elle portoil une branche dans sa main, et dit : Nous voulons planter cela , et il croîtra un \ys , et je reviendrai a toi : ce dont nous avons reçu assez de joie pour écrire de la très gracieuse vierge Sophie, qui nous a montré le chemin du paradis , où nous allons au travers de ce monde et aussi au travers du règne infernal , et il ne nous est arrivé aucun mal. Or , c'est d aprè* elle que nous écrivons. t M9) CHAPITRE QUATORZIEME. De la génération et de la propagation de rhomme. La très secrète porte»
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
156. When then the bitter sting, which is begotten in the anguishing terror, in the stifling and the entry of death, torments itself thus and rages in the astringency; that it renders itself thus frightful; that it points and carries itself above itself: then it is seized and retained by the astringency, so that it cannot go above itself. For, because of its storming, the astringency draws it always more strongly to itself, and cannot suffer it; which makes that the sting becomes much more frightful; and here there is no other remedy than in the separation of the body and the soul, in the death of man. In effect, the bitter death is already in the stifled blood; and, if now the bitter sting cannot mount above itself, because of the astringency, it becomes as a mad thing, as a turning wheel, or as a frightful rapid thought which strangles itself and is in anguish. It is then a true spirit of sulphur, a venomous essence, frightful, and in the anguishing death; for that is the worm for the ascension of the life. 57. Now, since the spirit of the stars and of the elements has figured itself in the homification, thus the power of the stars and of the elements is also \\ ^•: i I .: ( 2i6 ) CH. i3. circulating in this tempering; for there, in this anguish, the spirit of the stars draws also to itself the virtue of the sun, and contemplates itself in the virtue of the sun, whence there results in this tempering a shining flash whereat the hard and astringent anguish takes fright, and precipitates itself beneath itself; then the terrible girdle goes into its Ether. In effect, the essence of the anguish, in the fiat, takes fright also greatly before the flash, so that it becomes impotent and falls backward; that it relaxes itself, and that it attenuates itself.
258. Now, the explosion or the flash of fire operates in the bitter sting; and, when it contemplates itself backward, in the tenebrous astringent anguish, in the mother, and that it finds itself thus subjugated and repressed, it takes fright much more than the mother; but this fright arriving thus in the sweet mother, the flash becomes forthwith white and clear, although it hold to the anguish, to the fiery root: but now its surprise is no more than a great joy 5 and it is as if one cast water upon the fire, where then the astringent source is extinguished. Now, the astringency rejoices also greatly at the light, and the light rejoices at the mother of the astringency in which it is begotten, so that there is upon that no comparison to be made; for it is the birth and the beginning of the life. 59. As soon as the light of the life envisages itself in the anguish, and in the sweet mother, and that thereby the astringency tastes the light, how much it is cfl. i3. ( 2^7 J sweet, amiable and playful, it rises with so great an attract toward the light to mingle itself with it and to seize it, that its attract and its powers go forth from it to attain this light; which attract is the virtue of the light; now, this attract which goes forth in the love, is the noble tincture which there is begotten new to be in property to the child; and the spirit, which is begotten of the anguish in the flash of fire, is the true soul which is begotten in man.
360. Here, now, it is needful particularly to observe where it dwells, and whence the heart, the lungs and the liver derive; specially the bladder and the entrails; and then the brain in the head, and the intelligence and the senses. I will expose that here one after the other. One can hardly well render with the human tongue, nor particularly describe with order, what, in nature, happens in the twinkling of an eye; a great volume would be needed to describe it; and although the world regards us as too little for this, we will say that we believe ourselves yet much littler, and that it is with us, as Isaiah says: I have been found by those who sought me not, and I have been known of those who knew me not, and who had not asked after me. 61. I say that this has not been sought, but we have sought the heart of God, to put ourselves there under cover from the tempests of the demon. When we were arrived there, the most gracious virgin SOPHIA met us out of paradise and offered us her love, saying that she would be friend with us and unite herself to us as a companion, and show us the way of paradise, where we should be in safety against the tempests; she bore a branch in her hand, and said: We will plant that, and there will grow a lily, and I will return to thee: whereof we have received joy enough to write of the most gracious virgin Sophia, who has shown us the way of paradise, where we go through this world and also through the infernal reign, and no evil has happened to us. Now, it is after her that we write. t M9) CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. Of the generation and of the propagation of man. The most secret gate.
Our translation, period-faithful. Citable as our translation, never as the source.
Saint-Martin's French rendering of Boehme's 'Von den drei Principien göttlichen Wesens'. The same work stands in this estate in English as boehme:2. The title page also advertises 'L'Aurore naissante, du même Auteur' from the same booksellers — Saint-Martin's translation of the Aurora, whose English counterpart the estate holds as boehme:1. Reading the two versions against each other shows what a Martinist made of a German shoemaker's theosophy.
→ boehme:2
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.