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
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
