The Dark Night of the Soul (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

By St. John of the Cross and Margaret Peterson

In The Dark Night of the Soul, Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross describes the purification, or "night," that the human soul must experience if it is to enter into loving union with God in this life. Its combination of personal, pastoral, and academic wisdom has made The Dark Night of the Soul an enduring classic in the literature of Christian spirituality. It is a book to which generations of readers, both lay and religious, have turned as they have sought to experience on earth the kind of intimacy with God that will characterize the lives of the blessed in heaven.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Sep 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781411429208

Book preview

BOOK I

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

AND DECLARATION OF THE SONGS

WHICH EMBRACES THE ROAD TO THE PERFECT UNION OF LOVE WITH God, as far as may be in this Life; and the admirable properties of the soul which has reached thereto.

ARGUMENT

In this book are first set down all the songs which are to be declared; and then each one is separately expounded, setting the song before the gloss, and afterwards proceeding to shew the meaning of each line one by one, placing the line first.

In the first two songs are described the effects of the two Spiritual purgations of the Sensitive part of man and the Spiritual. In the following six are described various and admirable effects of Spiritual Illumination and Union of Love with God.

SONG OF THE SOUL

Into the darkness of the night

With heart ache kindled into love,

Oh blessed chance!

I stole me forth unseen,

My house being wrapped in sleep.

Into the darkness, and yet safe

By secret stair and in disguise,

Oh gladsome hap!

In darkness, and in secret I crept forth,

My house being wrapt in sleep.

Into the happy night

In secret, seen of none,

Nor saw I ought,

Without, or other light or guide,

Save that which in my heart did burn.

This fire it was that guided me

More certainly than midday sun,

Where he did wait,

He that I knew imprinted on my heart,

In place, where none appeared.

Oh Night, that led me, guiding night,

Oh Night far sweeter than the Dawn;

Oh Night, that did so then unite

The Loved with his Beloved,

Transforming Lover in Beloved.

On my blossoming breast,

Alone for him entire was kept,

He fell asleep,

Whilst I caressed,

And fanned him with the cedar fan.

The breeze from forth the battlements,

As then it tossed his hair about,

With his fair hand

He touched me lightly on the neck,

And reft me of my senses in a swoon.

I lay quite still, all mem’ry lost,

I leaned my face upon my Loved One’s breast;

I knew no more, in sweet abandonment

I cast away my care,

And left it all forgot amidst the lilies fair.

EXPOSITION OF THE PURPORT OF THE SONGS

Before we enter on the interpretation of these songs, it behoves us here to know that they are the utterances of the Soul which has arrived at perfection, which is the Union of Love with God, she having, at last, passed through rigorous trials and conflicts, by spiritual practice of the narrow road which leads to life eternal, as saith our Savior in the Gospel, which must, as a rule, be traversed by the soul if she is to arrive at this sublime and divine Union with God: Quam angusta porta, et arcta via est, quœ ducit ad vitam: et pauci sunt, qui inveniunt eam.¹ The which, inasmuch as it is so strait, and they so few that enter thereon (as the Lord Himself likewise says), the soul counts it for great happiness and good fortune that she has won therethrough to the aforesaid perfection of love, like as she sings in this her first Song, where, with exceeding propriety, she likens this strait and narrow road to a darksome night, as is shewn further on in the lines of the aforesaid Song. The soul, then, rejoicing in the successful issue of her journey from this narrow road whence she has derived so great a treasure, proceeds to unburthen herself in manner following.

WHEREIN THE NIGHT OF THE SENSES IS TREATED OF

SONG THE FIRST

Into the darkness of an obscure Night

Burning with passionate longing for my love,

Oh gladsome chance!

I sallied forth with none to note,

My house being now asleep.

DECLARATION

IN THIS FIRST SONG THE SOUL RELATES THE MODE AND MANNER SHE pursued as regards her emotions and sensations, when she set forth from herself and all things, dying with unfeigned mortification to herself and them, so as to attain at last a sweet and pleasant life of love in God; and she says that this going forth from herself and all things, was In a dark night, whereby she means purgative contemplation, as shall afterwards be said; the which causes in the soul the negation of herself and of everything.

And this outgoing, she says here, she was enabled to effect by the strength and ardor given to her for this purpose by the love of her Spouse in the aforesaid obscure contemplation. Wherein she extols the good fortune she had on her journey to God through this dark night, with so prosperous an issue, that none of the three enemies, which are the world, the flesh, and the devil (who ever obstruct this road), had power to stop her, so effectually did this said night of purificative contemplation put to sleep and deaden by its contrary motions every passion and appetite in the house of her sensuality.

THE FIRST LINE IS SET DOWN, AND THE IMPERFECTIONS OF BEGINNERS ARE COMMENCED TO BE TREATED OF

IN A DARK NIGHT

Souls begin to enter this dark night when God proceeds to lead them from the state of beginners, proper to those who meditate on the spiritual road, and begins to set them in that of the progressives, which is, at length, that of the contemplatives, to the end, that passing through this state, they may reach that of the perfect, which is the Divine union of the Soul with God. Therefore, so that we may the better understand and set forth what night this is where through the soul passes, and for what cause God places her therein, we must here first touch upon some propensities of beginners, so that they may know the weakness of their state, and pluck up courage, and desire that God may set them in this night, wherein the soul is strengthened and confirmed in virtue and made ready for the inestimable delights of the love of God. And even though we dwell somewhat thereon, it will not be more than suffices in order adequately to treat, further on, of this dark night. We must then know that, after the soul resolutely converts herself to serve God, God generally sets to work to educate her spiritually and to regale her, as does a loving mother her tender child, whom she warms at the heat of her breast, and rears with sweet milk and soft and delicate food and bears about in her arms and cherishes; but, by degrees, as it waxes in growth, the mother begins to wean it and hiding from it her soft breast, anoints it with bitter aloes, and putting the infant from her arms, teaches it to walk with its feet, to the end that, losing its childish ways, it may become used to greater and more real things.

The loving mother of the grace of God, as soon as she regenerates the soul, by inspiring her with renewed ardor and fervency to serve God, does likewise. For, without any effort of her own, she causes her to find sweet and pleasant spiritual milk in everything belonging to God and great delight in spiritual exercises, because now God gives her his breast of tender love, like as she were a child. Wherefore she ciphers her delight in passing long hours in prayer, and, perchance, whole nights; her pleasures are penances, her enjoyments fasts, her comfort to partake of the Sacraments and discourse of Divine matters. In which things, although the spiritually minded assist with great efficacy and assiduousness and use to treat with the utmost solicitude, yet, speaking in the spiritual sense, they conduct themselves therein most weakly and imperfectly. For, as they are moved to these things and spiritual exercises by the comfort and relish they find therein; and as, likewise, they have not acquired sufficient skill, by the practice of stubborn wrestling with virtue, they are, in these their spiritual works, subject to many faults and imperfections; because, in short, each one acts conformably to that degree of perfection he possesses, and as they have had no opportunity to acquire the aforesaid rigorous habits they must, perforce, like children, act weakly. The which, in order to make clearer, as also the weakness wherewith these beginners advance in virtue, in respect of what, with the aforesaid relish, they easily accomplish, we shall note as we go on under the seven capital vices, setting forth some of the many imperfections they incur as regards each. Wherein it will be clearly seen how their performances are little better than child’s play. And it shall also be seen how great are the treasures which the dark night, whereof we are about to treat, brings with it; since it cleanses and purifies the soul from all her