The Abbot Ludwig to Hildegard
The Letters
That Man is blessed because all blessing flows from Him. He is called "Man" because He created all things, and He manfully brought forth all things that are strong and mighty.2
Therefore, imbue your perception with streams of water from the Scriptures and with the calling and way of life of the saints. Restrain your body so that it will not cause the riches of the devil to put forth shoots, but so that virtues will blossom through wholesome doctrine. And so climb the mountain of virtues. Do this in humility, and bring forth flowers from your brothers as from trees.
Be their sun through your teaching, their moon through your disputation, their wind through your uncompromising governance, their air through your mildness, and their fire through seemly exposition of doctrine.'
Begin to do these things in the beautiful dawn, and perfect them in the radiant light. Persist with might and main so that you will live for ever.
Notes 1. That is, St. Benedict.
2. It is impossible to render the Latin wordplay here into English. Hildegard plays on the words vir, virtuosa, and viriliter, which we have rendered as "man," "manfully," and "strong."
The Abbot Ludwig to Hildegard
The abbot expresses the strength of his friendship for Hildegard.
To the holy virgin dedicated to God, Hildegard, his beloved mother, Ludwig, abbot in name only of St. Eucharius, greetings. My affection for you is so great that nobody except me could fully understand it.'
How ludicrous it would be for butterflies to greet eagles in a letter, or fleas, harts; or worms, lions. Just so, it would be strange, even laughable for me, a sinner, who has little, if any, capacity in any divine or human skill, to presume to write you. For adorned with the miraculous privilege of chastity, you have been endowed by God with such lofty and remarkable sagacity that you surpass the insight not only of modern philosophers and logicians, but even the prophets of old.
And yet with your customary kindness, saintly mother, you will surely not deny pardon to my rash presumption, for our friendship has made me bold to write to you again. And I will not be deterred from writing you or coming to see you frequently by the hardship of the road, for the benefit obtained from hearing you is all the more to be desired the greater the effort it requires to do so.
For we possess those things more gratefully that we acquire by exertion.