Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Christian : Catholic 12th Century	About Hildegard of Bingen Timeline (1098 - 1179)
<<Previous Poem | View All Poems by Hildegard of Bingen | Next Poem >>
English version by Barbara Newman Original Language Latin	O nobilissima viriditas / Responsory for Virgins
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Dawn   Fire   Light   Sky   Sun   Recommended Books The Book of the Rewards of Life: Liber Vitae Meritorum, by Hildegard of Bingen / Translated by Bruce W. Hozeski Creation and Christ: The Wisdom of Hildegard of Bingen, Translated by Columbar Hart / Translated by Jane Bishop German Mystical Writings: Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Jacob Boehme, and others, Edited by Karen J. Campbell Hildegard of Bingen, by Regine Pernoud / Translated by Paul Duggan Hildegard of Bingen, by Nancy Fierro More >>	Most noble evergreen with your roots in the sun: you shine in the cloudless sky of a sphere no earthly eminence can grasp, enfolded in the clasp of ministries divine. You blush like the dawn, you burn like a flame of the sun.     -- from Symphonia: A Critical Edition of the Symphonia armonie celstium revelationum, by Hildegard of Bingen / Translated by Barbara Newman Amazon.com
<<Previous Poem | View More Poems by Hildegard of Bingen | Next Poem >>

Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

The evergreen tree is used by Hildegard von Bingen as a symbol of eternal life -- it is always green and vibrant, even during winter, the season of death. Within the Christian tradition, the evergreen is specifically a symbol of Christ, the one who overcomes death, the one who is the embodiment of eternal life. Christ is particularly associated with the tree based on prophetic associations of the messiah with a tree and, of course, because of his crucifiction (being 'hung upon the tree').

So when Hildegard sings to the evergreen, she is singing to Christ, the Beloved, the Living One.

But what does she mean when she refers to an "evergreen with your roots / in the sun"? That almost sounds like a yogic image. In Yoga, the subtle energetic body is often described as a tree: the trunk is the central axis is the subtle spine or shushumna. But this tree, like Hildegard's evergreen, is upside-down, with its roots in heaven (the radiant crown chakra) and its branches are the nadis or energetic pathways of awareness.

And this tree "shines", it "blushes like the dawn." Hildegard is describing the perception of radiance the mystic experiences in deep communion, when one discovers the real presence of this living tree.

I love the description of the tree shining "in the cloudless / sky of a sphere no earthly / eminence can grasp..." It is as if she is describing a state of pure awareness, not even a cloud of a thought, beyond the ability of any earthly power (or grasping, earthly mind) to find anything to hold onto -- a vision of formless presence.

The final few lines say a great deal from the mystic's perspective: There is both the scintillating radiance, and also burning "like a flame / of the sun." With the mystic's union, there is often a rush of heat, a burning that can be quite intense, a heat that burns away the world around you. This "flame" (however your religious tradition names it) can be overwhelming, even frightening but, so long as you don't grasp at a fixed notion of things or yourself, it is oh so sweet and liberating.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.