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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.
1be elevated and kindled in the glorification of the holy divine Majesty, and cast the wrath or fierceness from it, which had so long stood against it, and had wrestled with it. 67. In like manner the tree of darkness, wrath, fierceness and perdition moved furiously, as one that would be kindled by and by, and therein the prince with his legions went forth to spoil the noble fruit of the good tree. 68. And it stood horribly in nature in the fierce quality, in that quality wherein the prince of darkness dwelleth, to speak after the manner of men; even as when men see terrible and cruel weather coming on, which maketh a horrible appearance, with lightning and tempestuous winds, at which men stand terrified. 69. On the other side, in the good quality in which the holy tree of life stood, all was pleasant, sweet and delightful, like a heavenly joy fulness. These two moved furiously the one against the other, till the whole nature was kindled of both qualities in one moment. 70. The tree of life was kindled in its own quality by the fire of the Holy Ghost, and its quality burnt in the fire of heavenly joyfulness, in an unsearchable light and glory. 71. All voices of the heavenly joyfulness, which have been from eternity in the good quality, qualified, mixed or harmonized in this fire; and the light of the Holy Trinity shone into the tree of life, and replenished or filled the whole quality in which it stood. 72. The tree of the fierce quality, which is the other part in nature, was kindled also, and burnt in the fire of God's wrath in a hellish flame; and
2the fierce source rose up into eternity, and the prince of darkness with his legions abode in the fierce wrathful quality, as in his own kingdom. 73. In this fire were consumed the earth, the stars, and the elements, for all were on fire at once, each in the fire of its own quality, and all became separable.* For the Ancient of Days moved himself in it, wherein every power, and all the creatures, and whatsoever can be named, even the powers of heaven, of the stars, and of the elements, became thin again, and were fashioned according to that form which they were in from the beginning of the creation. ** * " all became separable ": St M. has, " dissolved." ** "For the Ancient of Days," etc., lit., "For the Ancient of Days moved himself, in whom are all powers [virtues], all creatures and all that can be named; and the powers of heaven, of the stars and of the elements became thin again," etc. The word "dünne," "thin," is rendered "simple" by StM. 74. Only the two qualities, good and bad, which have been in nature the one in the other, were separated, and the bad one was given to the prince of malice and wrath, or fierceness, for an eternal habitation; and that is called Hell, or a Rejection, which in eternity no more apprehends or toucheth the good quality, but is an oblivion of all good, and that to its eternity. 75. In the other quality stood the Tree of eternal Life, and its source and offspring de scended from the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Ghost shone into the same. And all men came forth which descended from the loins of Adam, who was the first man, each in his virtue, and in that quality in which each did grow on earth.
376. Those that on earth had eaten of the good tree, which is called JESUS CHRIST, in them flowed the mercy of God unto eternal joy; they had in them the power of the good quality, they were received into the good and holy quality, and they sang the song of their Bridegroom, each in his voice, according to his own holiness. 77. But those that were born in the light of nature, and of the Holy Ghost, and on earth never fully knew the Tree of Life, but were grown in its power, which overshadowed all men upon earth, as very many nations, heathen, and babes, which were also received into the same power wherein they were grown, and wherewith their spirit was clothed, they sang the song according to their power and measure in the noble Tree of eternal Life; for every one was glorified according to his power, virtue, measure and proportion. 78. The holy nature generated joyful, heavenly fruit, even as on earth it had generated fruit in both the qualities, which were both good and bad, so now it generated heavenly fulness of joy. 79. Those men who were now like angels, did each eat the fruit of his quality, and they sang the song of God, and the song of the Tree of eternal Life. 80. And that was in the Father as a holy play, a triumphing joy; for to that end all things at the beginning were made out of the Father, and now they abide so to all eternity. 81. But those who were grown on earth in the power of the tree of wrath, that is, those whom the fierce quality had overcome, and who were
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.
1be elevated and kindled in the glorification of the holy divine Majesty, and cast the wrath or fierceness from it, which had so long stood against it, and had wrestled with it. 67. In like manner the tree of darkness, wrath, fierceness and perdition moved furiously, as one that would be kindled by and by, and therein the prince with his legions went forth to spoil the noble fruit of the good tree. 68. And it stood horribly in nature in the fierce quality, in that quality wherein the prince of darkness dwelleth, to speak after the manner of men; even as when men see terrible and cruel weather coming on, which maketh a horrible appearance, with lightning and tempestuous winds, at which men stand terrified. 69. On the other side, in the good quality in which the holy tree of life stood, all was pleasant, sweet and delightful, like a heavenly joy fulness. These two moved furiously the one against the other, till the whole nature was kindled of both qualities in one moment. 70. The tree of life was kindled in its own quality by the fire of the Holy Ghost, and its quality burnt in the fire of heavenly joyfulness, in an unsearchable light and glory. 71. All voices of the heavenly joyfulness, which have been from eternity in the good quality, qualified, mixed or harmonized in this fire; and the light of the Holy Trinity shone into the tree of life, and replenished or filled the whole quality in which it stood. 72. The tree of the fierce quality, which is the other part in nature, was kindled also, and burnt in the fire of God's wrath in a hellish flame; and
2the fierce source rose up into eternity, and the prince of darkness with his legions abode in the fierce wrathful quality, as in his own kingdom. 73. In this fire were consumed the earth, the stars, and the elements, for all were on fire at once, each in the fire of its own quality, and all became separable.* For the Ancient of Days moved himself in it, wherein every power, and all the creatures, and whatsoever can be named, even the powers of heaven, of the stars, and of the elements, became thin again, and were fashioned according to that form which they were in from the beginning of the creation. ** * " all became separable ": St M. has, " dissolved." ** "For the Ancient of Days," etc., lit., "For the Ancient of Days moved himself, in whom are all powers [virtues], all creatures and all that can be named; and the powers of heaven, of the stars and of the elements became thin again," etc. The word "dünne," "thin," is rendered "simple" by StM. 74. Only the two qualities, good and bad, which have been in nature the one in the other, were separated, and the bad one was given to the prince of malice and wrath, or fierceness, for an eternal habitation; and that is called Hell, or a Rejection, which in eternity no more apprehends or toucheth the good quality, but is an oblivion of all good, and that to its eternity. 75. In the other quality stood the Tree of eternal Life, and its source and offspring de scended from the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Ghost shone into the same. And all men came forth which descended from the loins of Adam, who was the first man, each in his virtue, and in that quality in which each did grow on earth.
376. Those that on earth had eaten of the good tree, which is called JESUS CHRIST, in them flowed the mercy of God unto eternal joy; they had in them the power of the good quality, they were received into the good and holy quality, and they sang the song of their Bridegroom, each in his voice, according to his own holiness. 77. But those that were born in the light of nature, and of the Holy Ghost, and on earth never fully knew the Tree of Life, but were grown in its power, which overshadowed all men upon earth, as very many nations, heathen, and babes, which were also received into the same power wherein they were grown, and wherewith their spirit was clothed, they sang the song according to their power and measure in the noble Tree of eternal Life; for every one was glorified according to his power, virtue, measure and proportion. 78. The holy nature generated joyful, heavenly fruit, even as on earth it had generated fruit in both the qualities, which were both good and bad, so now it generated heavenly fulness of joy. 79. Those men who were now like angels, did each eat the fruit of his quality, and they sang the song of God, and the song of the Tree of eternal Life. 80. And that was in the Father as a holy play, a triumphing joy; for to that end all things at the beginning were made out of the Father, and now they abide so to all eternity. 81. But those who were grown on earth in the power of the tree of wrath, that is, those whom the fierce quality had overcome, and who were
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.
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