Blanquerna

OF CONSOLATION

It was the will of all the sifters that Natana should speak words of consolation concerning the death of the abbess. Sp Natana rose to her feet, made reverence before the holy crucifix, and gave thanks to God and to the sifters for doing her this honour over all the reft. Natana said that there

were many sifters in the chapter who knew more of con¬ solation than she, but that, since it so pleased them, she would speak according as God should give her grace. So Natana began, and spake after this manner:

2. " My will is to give comfort and consolation to myself, and that by my consolation ye may have a manner and example of consolation to your own selves likewise. This is the new method of a wise religious, who preached right nobly by communing with himself.”

3- “ Dead is my superior. Charity and juftice move my soul to yearn and weep for my lady abbess. My soul moves my heart to bring tears to my eyes. Fain would I weep, for tears and love agree well the one with the other. Juftice wills that a man should weep for his superior. I muft weep ,f I would console myself, for without tears I

OF CONSOLATION

may have no consolation. I weep because I see her no more who loved me and was wont to point to me the way of salvation. But I mu9 be glad for her joy and happiness, and for gladness too mud I weep; for there is no perfeftion of gladness in this world without weeping. Loss and emptiness have come upon us because our lady has been perfected, and has won eternal reft. I muft rejoice at her bliss, and be sad at my own loss and emptiness ; and therefore, for joy and sorrow alike, I muft weep. If for two reasons I should weep, then muft I weep doubly ; if I weep not because reason wills it, then muft I of necessity weep for my sin in weeping not. My soul forgets not itself that it may weep. If juftice would make me lose my con¬ solation and punish me, then let it not allow me to weep; and if it would comfort and reward me, I pray it to let me weep for long with all my will.”

4. “ My will was created that it might have pleasure in the Will of its Creator. If my will desires not that which its Creator wills, I muft needs have no more comfort. If for my own necessities I would have had from my superior that which was imperfc&ion, what is become of the charity which my superior made me to love ? If I have grief at the death of her body, I muft comfort myself because of the good of her soul, which makes me to rejoice. My superior has gone from this life of peril : haft thou then wrath, O my soul, that she is here no more ? If thou, O body, that art a creature by nature beaft-like, wouldft take from my soul consolation for the loss of that which is like to thee,1 then will my soul comfort me by reason of that same likeness.2 Weep thou, my body, if weep thou wilt; for in thy tears my soul will find consolation. To thee, O body, it pertains to weep ; to my soul it is given to remember the virginity, the perseverance, the sanftity, the worthiness, the good

1 i.t. the body of the abbess.

1 i.e. because the soul of the abbess, which is like to the speaker’s soul,

blanquerna

works and the holy end of my superior.” Thus devoutly, and in words that by their nature accord with consolation, did Natana console herself, and so piously did she weep, that she moved all the sifters to pity and tears, and con¬ soled them all with her devout words and her tears. And all the sifters praised and blessed God and His power, saying that it was a time to love and to weep and to have patience, and praising the Will of God Who had been pleased to manifeft His power. And their tears and love became to them an occasion and cause of consolation.