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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.
1heat (which is generated by the astringent and the bitter qualities in the sweet water), riseth up out of the sweet fountainwater through the astringent and bitter qualities, and in the astringent and bitter qualities the light first then becometh dry and shining, as also moveable and triumphing. 31. And when the light riseth up out of the sweet fountainwater in the heat, in the astringent and bitter qualities, then the bitter and astringent qualities taste the light and sweet water, and the bitter quality catcheth the taste of the sweet water, and in the sweet water is the light, but only of a skycolour or azure, which is blue. 32. And then the bitter quality trembleth, and dissolveth the hardness in the astringent quality, and the light becometh dry in the astringent, and shineth clear, much brighter than the light of the sun. 33. In this rising up the astringent quality becometh meek, light, thin or transparent and pleasant or lovely, and obtaineth its life, whose original riseth up out of the heat in the sweet water, and this now is the true fountain or wellspring of love. Observe this in the deep Sense. 34. How should love and joy not be there, where life is generated in the very centre or midst of death, and light in the midst of darkness? Question. Thou askest, How comes that to pass? Answer. 35. If my spirit indeed did sit in thy heart, and spring up in thy heart, then thy body would find, feel and apprehend it.
236. But otherwise I cannot bring it into thy sense. Neither canst thou apprehend or understand it, unless the Holy Ghost kindle thy soul, so that this light itself shine in thy heart. 37. Then will this light itself be generated in thee, as in God, and rise up in thy astringent and bitter qualities, in thy sweet water, and triumph, as in God: Now when this is done, then will you first understand my book, and not before. Observe: 38. When the light is generated in the bitter quality, that is, when the bitter and dry fountainsources catch the sweet fountainwater of life, and drink it, then the bitter spirit becometh living in the astringent spirit, and the astringent spirit, which is as a spirit impregnated with child,* is impregnated with life, and must continually generate the life. * "a spirit impregnated with child," lit., "a pregnant spirit." 39. For the sweet water, and the light in the sweet water, rise up continually in the astringent quality, and the bitter quality triumpheth continually therein, and so there is nothing else but mere laughing and joy, and mere existing in love. 40. For the astringent quality loveth the sweet water. 41. First, because in the sweet water the spirit of light is generated, and saturateth or moisteneth the astringent, hard and cold qualities; also it enlighteneth them and warmeth them; for in water, light and heat the life consisteth.
342. Secondly, the astringent quality loveth the bitter, because the bitter quality in the sweet water, that is, in water, heat and light, triumpheth in the astringent quality, and maketh the astringent moveable or stirring, wherein the astringent also can triumph. 43. Thirdly, the astringent quality loveth the heat, because in the heat the light is generated, whereby the astringent quality is enlightened and warmed. 44. And the sweet quality also loveth the astringent. 45. First, because the astringent drieth it up,* that it becometh not thin or dim like the elementary water, and that its quality consisteth in power; and because in the astringent quality the light, which is [thus] generated therein, becometh shining and dry. * St M. translates: " la qualité astringente la resserre," " the astringent quality contracts it." 46. Besides, the astringent quality is a cause of the heat which is generated in the sweet water, wherein the light riseth up, and wherein the sweet water standeth in great clarity, brightness or glory. 47. Secondly, the sweet quality also loveth the bitter, because it is a cause of the heat, and also because the bitter spirit triumpheth and trembleth in the sweet water, heat and light, and so maketh the sweet water moveable or stirring and living. 48. Thirdly, the sweet quality loveth heat exceedingly, so very much that I cannot compare it to anything; but you may take this for a similitude, though it comes very short of it:
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.
1heat (which is generated by the astringent and the bitter qualities in the sweet water), riseth up out of the sweet fountainwater through the astringent and bitter qualities, and in the astringent and bitter qualities the light first then becometh dry and shining, as also moveable and triumphing. 31. And when the light riseth up out of the sweet fountainwater in the heat, in the astringent and bitter qualities, then the bitter and astringent qualities taste the light and sweet water, and the bitter quality catcheth the taste of the sweet water, and in the sweet water is the light, but only of a skycolour or azure, which is blue. 32. And then the bitter quality trembleth, and dissolveth the hardness in the astringent quality, and the light becometh dry in the astringent, and shineth clear, much brighter than the light of the sun. 33. In this rising up the astringent quality becometh meek, light, thin or transparent and pleasant or lovely, and obtaineth its life, whose original riseth up out of the heat in the sweet water, and this now is the true fountain or wellspring of love. Observe this in the deep Sense. 34. How should love and joy not be there, where life is generated in the very centre or midst of death, and light in the midst of darkness? Question. Thou askest, How comes that to pass? Answer. 35. If my spirit indeed did sit in thy heart, and spring up in thy heart, then thy body would find, feel and apprehend it.
236. But otherwise I cannot bring it into thy sense. Neither canst thou apprehend or understand it, unless the Holy Ghost kindle thy soul, so that this light itself shine in thy heart. 37. Then will this light itself be generated in thee, as in God, and rise up in thy astringent and bitter qualities, in thy sweet water, and triumph, as in God: Now when this is done, then will you first understand my book, and not before. Observe: 38. When the light is generated in the bitter quality, that is, when the bitter and dry fountainsources catch the sweet fountainwater of life, and drink it, then the bitter spirit becometh living in the astringent spirit, and the astringent spirit, which is as a spirit impregnated with child,* is impregnated with life, and must continually generate the life. * "a spirit impregnated with child," lit., "a pregnant spirit." 39. For the sweet water, and the light in the sweet water, rise up continually in the astringent quality, and the bitter quality triumpheth continually therein, and so there is nothing else but mere laughing and joy, and mere existing in love. 40. For the astringent quality loveth the sweet water. 41. First, because in the sweet water the spirit of light is generated, and saturateth or moisteneth the astringent, hard and cold qualities; also it enlighteneth them and warmeth them; for in water, light and heat the life consisteth.
342. Secondly, the astringent quality loveth the bitter, because the bitter quality in the sweet water, that is, in water, heat and light, triumpheth in the astringent quality, and maketh the astringent moveable or stirring, wherein the astringent also can triumph. 43. Thirdly, the astringent quality loveth the heat, because in the heat the light is generated, whereby the astringent quality is enlightened and warmed. 44. And the sweet quality also loveth the astringent. 45. First, because the astringent drieth it up,* that it becometh not thin or dim like the elementary water, and that its quality consisteth in power; and because in the astringent quality the light, which is [thus] generated therein, becometh shining and dry. * St M. translates: " la qualité astringente la resserre," " the astringent quality contracts it." 46. Besides, the astringent quality is a cause of the heat which is generated in the sweet water, wherein the light riseth up, and wherein the sweet water standeth in great clarity, brightness or glory. 47. Secondly, the sweet quality also loveth the bitter, because it is a cause of the heat, and also because the bitter spirit triumpheth and trembleth in the sweet water, heat and light, and so maketh the sweet water moveable or stirring and living. 48. Thirdly, the sweet quality loveth heat exceedingly, so very much that I cannot compare it to anything; but you may take this for a similitude, though it comes very short of it:
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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