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    The Life of Saint Enimie. A 13th c text by Bertran de Marseille. Original Translation by Karena Akhavein. A reader's companion for the adventure novel Translatio

    Page 8
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    passed,

      1786.The good man was tormented

      1787.At night in his bed, noiselessly

      1788.When the others were all sleeping

      1789.He would not sleep at all, he was wakeful,

      1790.And remained in prayer

      1791.And when he had prayed as usual

      1792.To God and Madam Saint Mary,

      1793.He remained for a long time awake

      1794.And thinking about many things

      1795.As the good man had already done many times.

      1796.It was not about worldly things

      1797.So he thought about the matter

      1798.Of God and His mother

      1799.And how he could all his life

      1800.Do what the Scriptures said

      1801.And how all his faults

      1802.He could cleanse through saintly orations.

      1803.About all this and more he reflected

      1804.The good man, while he was awake.

      1805.But foremost in his thoughts

      1806.He had that one, the most pressing one,

      1807.And he thought in his inner being

      1808.About all the parts, on all the seams,

      1809.About what the angel had told him

      1810.About the body of Sainte Enimie:

      1811.He did not know how

      1812.Could be possible

      1813.The vision he had seen

      1814.Two times through the messenger of Christ.

      1815.Then he said softly, for he did not dare to say it loud:

      1816.“What can this thing be

      1817.Which came to me twice during the night?

      1818.Will I never know?

      1819.For I have been quite excessively

      1820.Day and night in profound reflection

      1821.And it told me that it was the angel of God

      1822.But I do not know how I could believe it

      1823.For I have seen many things

      1824.At night, imaginary things

      1825.Which came to me in the appearance

      1826.Of an angel or another creature,

      1827.And of this vision

      1828.Neither good nor evil came to me.

      1829.Everywhere I have also heard it be said

      1830.That we must not ponder

      1831.Nor concern ourselves

      1832.With things we see at night

      1833.For it is a dream and it goes away quickly,

      1834.As fast as it came.

      1835.Now can I then speak reasonably

      1836.Said this one, of this vision

      1837.Which can in no way

      1838.A dream or my imagination,

      1839.For twice in the same appearance

      1840.I saw it while wakeful in my bed;

      1841.And if I had been sleeping, then I would think

      1842.That this image was a dream

      1843.But I was really awake,

      1844.As I am now,

      1845.For this reason I believe that it is the truth

      1846.And not a dream nor a false thing.

      1847.And why then would I not say it

      1848.Tomorrow, when I have risen?

      1849.So I will do it, and hidden nevermore

      1850.Will I hold it from the convent.

      1851.And what am I saying? Why would I not consider it an illusion,

      1852.That which I have heard,

      1853.For the virgin, as they say,

      1854.Is in the church of Saint Denis

      1855.And for this reason, if I say

      1856.That I take this vision seriously,

      1857.They will say that it is a dream,

      1858.For it cannot be anything else.

      1859.And I believe that, may God help me,

      1860.That I should stop dwelling on this,

      1861.And that I should get up

      1862.And that I should no longer lose myself in these thoughts and reflections.”

      1863.So spoke the good man,

      1864.Arguing and quarrelling with himself.

      1865.But when he had tormented himself enough,

      1866.He prepared to sleep,

      1867.But he had hardly fallen asleep

      1868.When he heard a sudden noise

      1869.And was frightened and had a great fear

      1870.Then he stuck his head out (of the sheets)

      1871.To listen for what had made the racket.

      1872.As soon as he had lifted his head

      1873.He saw a blinding light

      1874.Similar to daylight on the road

      1875.So he was completely amazed

      1876.And tangled himself in his sheets,

      1877.Terrified and confounded.

      1878.At this moment the angel arrived

      1879.And said to him proudly:

      1880.“Jean! Jean! Hey! Are you sleeping?”

      1881.Jean remained there, he does not wish to answer,

      1882.He was primarily concentrating on hiding.

      1883.The angel said to him a second time:

      1884.“Jean, Jean, how are you?

      1885.Are you sleeping or awake? Answer me!”

      1886.So he rose from his pillow

      1887.And responds with great pride:

      1888.“In the name of the Father, who are you?

      1889.If you are an evil thing, go away!

      1890.If good, say nicely

      1891.Who you are, what you want, and what you ask of me.”

      1892.“I am truly the angel of God,

      1893.This said the vision to him,

      1894.And I find it very irritating

      1895.That so many times you made me return,

      1896.For you did not wish to manifest

      1897.That which I informed you of

      1898.Two time by God’s will.”

      1899.Jean responds: “Can I believe you

      1900.That you are the angel of God?”

      1901.The angel says: “You can well believe me.”

      1902.Jean responds: “Lord, thank you!

      1903.For I did not believe that was

      1904.Real the vision;

      1905.But, Lord, consider me guilty,

      1906.For I forgot that

      1907.And I will tell you why I did it:

      1908.For the body of Sainte Enimie,

      1909.They say that it is at Saint Denis,

      1910.And for this reason I was defiant.”

      1911.The angel responds: “No longer believe

      1912.That she is there, she is here instead

      1913.But Dagobert the king, her brother,

      1914.When he came to this place,

      1915.And thought he had his sister,

      1916.Left with the god-daughter

      1917.Who was called Enimie

      1918.As was she, when she was baptized.

      1919.But you, when day comes,

      1920.Just as I have shown it to you,

      1921.Manifest this to the convent.”

      1922.So said the angel, then left.

      1923.So, when daylight arrived on the morrow,

      1924.The good man did not delay

      1925.And had the convent come

      1926.And told them entirely

      1927.The vision of Jesus Christ

      1928.As he had seen it at night

      1929.And he let them know

      1930.How it had come three times

      1931.As well as how he deserves a reproach

      1932.For he had not repeated it.

      1933.When the monks heard this,

      1934.They praised God, and all together

      1935.They went into that place immediately

      1936.To find the place where the tomb was;

      1937.And they did, to ask for the bishop,

      1938.Run to the city of Mende

      1939.So that he come with them quickly

      1940.And they called the other members of the church,

      1941.The lay people and the clergy,

      1942.For found is the virgin

      1943.Sainte Enimie in truth.

      1944.So the
    y all come without delay

      1945.The bishop and the other barons

      1946.To see the precious gift.

      1947.When the bishop and the other people

      1948.Had arrived and were present there,

      1949.The good man entered the church

      1950.He to whom God revealed it,

      1951.And showed the spot where was the tomb

      1952.In which the saintly virgin lay.

      1953.The bishop and the clerics who were there

      1954.When they saw the spot, rejoiced,

      1955.And sang an antiphon

      1956.In honor of the virgin

      1957.Then the dug in the ground nicely

      1958.And found the monument

      1959.And exhumed it from the ground

      1960.Where the saintly virgin was.

      1961.They opened the casket, they found the body,

      1962.And took it and pulled it out

      1963.Then they smelled a scent

      1964.Which was there, really the best that exists,

      1965.It was neither clove, nor coxcomb, nor mint,

      1966.Nor balms nor other spices,

      1967.So that those who were present

      1968.Believed that they were in heaven.

      1969.Another miracle then happened

      1970.That all the monks saw, that was saintly and beautiful,

      1971.For while they were being awed

      1972.By the saintly odor with which she was filled,

      1973.A blinding light came to their eyes

      1974.From the sky: It was votive candles;

      1975.And I tell you that in this place

      1976.They could not see each other

      1977.So much light was there

      1978.And then when she had begun on the path,

      1979.The candles that had blown out

      1980.Created light themselves

      1981.So when they saw the miracle,

      1982.All praised the holy virgin.

      1983.By me will not be recounted

      1984.All the miracles that were performed there,

      1985.For by the mere odor that issued forth

      1986.Did they find health that day

      1987.The sick, blind, paralyzed, lame,

      1988.Deaf, lepers, and too many others to recount.

      1989.But when she had come out of the vault

      1990.And that she had performed all these miracles,

      1991.They carried her with beautiful chants

      1992.To the new church which had been built

      1993.And placed her nicely

      1994.In a silver sarcophagus

      1995.Where God performs miracles through her

      1996.For her, miracles and marvels.

      1997.Now did they all pray, lay people and clergy,

      1998.That God in the name of this virgin

      1999.About whom I have made this story

      2000.Place our souls in heaven with his saints.

      AMEN

     



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