Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
1 Or transi- spirit and the virtue in the l corruptible life.
20. So now a spirit is nothing else but a springCh. 8] OF THE CREATION OP THE CREATURES 115 ing will, and in the will there is the anguish to the birth, and in the anguish the fire generateth itself, and in the fire the light, and from the light the will becometh friendly, pleasant, mild and sweet, and in the sweet will the kingdom and the glory generate themselves. Thus the light keepeth the might [or power] ; and if that be put out, then the virtue [or power] and glory cease, and the kingdom also.
21. God, who is the eternal light, he is the eternal will ; he shineth in the darkness, and the darkness hath comprehended the will : And in that will (which hath comprehended the darkness) the anguish riseth up, and in the sour [harsh] anguish the fire, and in the fire the light, and out of the light [cometh] the virtue [or power], and out of the virtue the kingdom. So now out of the fire [came] the constellations, and moreover the sun, and out of the virtue came the heaven ; and the kingdom is God's. All this was in the first will in the creation, one with another ; wherein God severed the fiery will from the mild will of the light, and called the fiery [will] stars, and the mild [will] heaven, in respect of the virtue of each of them.
22. The sun is the l goddess in the third Prin- ' petty god. ciple ; in the created world (understand, in the material virtue) it went forth out of the darkness in the anguish of the will, in the way and manner of the eternal birth. For when God set the Fiat in the darkness, then the darkness received the will of God, and was impregnated 2 for the birth. The * to.
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will causeth the [sour] harshness, the harshness causeth the attracting, and the stirring of the attracting to mobility causeth the bitterness, which is the woe, and the woe causeth the anguish, and the anguish causeth the moving, breaking, and rising up. Now the sour harshness cannot endure the jerking, and therefore attractetjh the harder to itself; and the bitterness or the attracting will not endure to be stayed, but breaketh and stingeth so very hard in the attracting, that it stirreth up the heat, wherein the flash springeth up, and the dark [sourness or] harshness is affrighted by the flash, and in the shriek the fire kindleth, and in the fire the light. Now there would be no light if the shriek in the harshness had not been, but there would have remained nothing but fire ; yet the shriek in the harshness of the fire killeth the hard harshness, so that it sinketh down as it were to the ground, and becometh as it were dead and soft ; and when the flash perceiveth itself in the harshness, then it is affrighted much more, because it findeth the mother so very mild, and half dead in weakness ; and so in this shriek its fiery property becometh white, soft, and mild, and it is the kindling of the light, wherein the fire is changed into a white clarity [glance, lustre, or brightness].
1 Or transi- spirit and the virtue in the l corruptible life.
20. So now a spirit is nothing else but a springCh. 8] OF THE CREATION OP THE CREATURES 115 ing will, and in the will there is the anguish to the birth, and in the anguish the fire generats itself, and in the fire the light, and from the light the will becomes friendly, pleasant, mild and sweet, and in the sweet will the kingdom and the glory generate themselves. Thus the light keeps the might [or power] ; and if that be put out, then the virtue [or power] and glory cease, and the kingdom also.
21. God, who is the eternal light, he is the eternal will ; he shines in the darkness, and the darkness has comprehended the will : And in that will (which has comprehended the darkness) the anguish rises up, and in the sour [harsh] anguish the fire, and in the fire the light, and out of the light [comes] the virtue [or power], and out of the virtue the kingdom. So now out of the fire [came] the constellations, and moreover the sun, and out of the virtue came the heaven ; and the kingdom is God's. All this was in the first will in the creation, one with another ; wherein God severed the fiery will from the mild will of the light, and called the fiery [will] stars, and the mild [will] heaven, in respect of the virtue of each of them.
22. The sun is the l goddess in the third Prin- ' petty god. ciple ; in the created world (understand, in the material virtue) it went forth out of the darkness in the anguish of the will, in the way and manner of the eternal birth. For when God set the Fiat in the darkness, then the darkness received the will of God, and was impregnated 2 for the birth. The * to.
116 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 8
will causes the [sour] harshness, the harshness causes the attracting, and the stirring of the attracting to mobility causes the bitterness, which is the woe, and the woe causes the anguish, and the anguish causes the moving, breaking, and rising up. Now the sour harshness cannot endure the jerking, and therefore attractetjh the harder to itself; and the bitterness or the attracting will not endure to be stayed, but breaks and stings so very hard in the attracting, that it stirrs up the heat, wherein the flash springs up, and the dark [sourness or] harshness is affrighted by the flash, and in the shriek the fire kindls, and in the fire the light. Now there would be no light if the shriek in the harshness had not been, but there would have remained nothing but fire ; yet the shriek in the harshness of the fire kills the hard harshness, so that it sinks down as it were to the ground, and becomes as it were dead and soft ; and when the flash perceives itself in the harshness, then it is affrighted much more, because it finds the mother so very mild, and half dead in weakness ; and so in this shriek its fiery property becomes white, soft, and mild, and it is the kindling of the light, wherein the fire is changed into a white clarity [glance, lustre, or brightness].