Ordo Virtutum (The Order of the Virtues)

Ordo Virtutum

(The Order of the Virtues)

On September 17, we commemorate Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179).
She was a German Christian nun, writer, mystic, and theologian.
A Benedictine nun, she lived in the same period as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153).
Here is a testimony confirming an epistolary exchange between these two great figures of the past, who left an indelible mark on their earthly passage:

“As for the noble abbess Hildegard von Bingen, it so happens that in 1146 she wrote a letter to the already famous Bernard de Clairvaux, seeking a form of official acknowledgment of her ability to see and hear ‘great and wondrous things,’ and to interpret the sacred texts in a new way, despite her limited education.”

In his reply, also dated 1146–47,
Bernard wrote:

“We rejoice in the grace of God that is within you, and, insofar as it depends on us, we exhort and implore you to recognize it as such and to respond with the utmost humility and devotion, knowing that God resists the proud but grants His grace to the humble. Indeed, where there is an inner wisdom and the anointing that imparts all teaching, what could we possibly teach or advise?”

There would be much to write about the works of Saint Hildegard and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, but this is not the place for a universal encyclopedia — nor would I be able to write one.
Therefore, I refer those interested to the writings of these two great Saints.
Hildegard, also a composer of sacred music, was proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI — better late than never.

In this brief context, I present my own composition in hendecasyllables and heptasyllables.
Its inspiration came while listening to a musical piece by the German mystic, and the choice of this mixed meter arose from the singular harmony naturally achieved by 11- and 7-syllable lines.
It is precisely for this reason that hendecasyllables and heptasyllables often appear interwoven.

Ordo Virtutum

(The Order of the Virtues)

I call upon You,
O Lord, from the depths of my heart.
May this cry reach You,
a plea imbued with love.
The strings resound,
passionate, trembling, fervent,
to carry my Ego
up to the threshold of the Great Guardian,
in the Heart of my God.
Receive this supplication, Lord,
the sinful soul
of Your humble servant; accept it,
like that sailor
beaten upon the rocks and shipwrecked
amid the waves and storm.
Grant me, King of all the Universes,
Faith, Hope,
Charity, Love, and Wisdom.
Deliver me from sin,
make the Stars shine upon the path,
guide me on the journey
bathed in the shimmering light,
until they carry me,
like pure and radiant diamonds,
to gaze upon Your face.
I pray, I implore, I beseech You,
let my soul
be united with Your Spirit,
in the fire of the One
Sun—radiant, brilliant, and powerful—
the only true Source,
giver of the treasure’s gleaming gold.
For this I thank You:
in the Beloved Son You have come,
for human salvation,
and for our eternal redemption
You have revealed Yourself,
in Christ Jesus, You became incarnate.

Firenze, 3/12/2018 ore 15.44

 Listening to Ordo Virtutum di Santa Ildegarda di Bingen.
Revised and corrected in endecasillabo e settenario, il 17/9/2021 ore 22.30
Final review and corrections, il 27/7/2023 ore 8.00

Image and historical information:
https://giuseppedecesaris.blogspot.com/2019/10/bernardo-di-chiaravalle-ed-ildegarda-di.html

“Cover image from the web”

For poetic references see:
Tommaso Palamidessi
“Poesia e Metrica o arte del Poetare per il lavoro Ascetico”, p.15

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