Hildegard of Bingen

Stem and diadem of regal purple,
you are shut up like a breastplate.
Blooming, you flourished in another change
when Adam brought forth the whole human race.

Hail, hail,
from your womb came forth a new life
by which Adam laid bare his sons.

Flower, you did not sprout forth from the dew
nor from the drops of rain,
and the air did not fly round above you,
but divine clarity produced you on the noblest stem.

Stem, God foresaw your flourishing
on the first day of his creation.
And from his word he made golden material,
praiseworthy virgin.

How great
in strength is the side of man
from which God produced the form of woman,
made in the image of each of his features
and the embrace of each of his creatures.

Therefore the heavenly organs sound
and all earth wonders,
praiseworthy Mary,
because God loved you so much.

How sorely it must be lamented
and bemoaned that misery flowed onto the woman
because of the serpent's advice.

For this woman,
whom God established as mother of all,
plucked off his limbs with the wounds of ignorance
and created great grief for her people.

But dawn, from your womb
a new sun comes forth
which cleans away all the offences of Eve
and offers greater blessing through you
because Eve harmed mankind.

Wherefore, salvation, you who offered new light to mankind
gether the limbs of your son
to heavenly harmony.

To find out more about this remarkable medieval woman, you can visit a The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen at the University of California Santa Barbara.

You may also wish to view a selection of Hildegard's art works:
(Courtesy of Bonnie Duncan
Women Writers of the Middle Ages
English Department
Millersville University
bduncan@marauder.millersv.edu)

• The Cosmic Egg
• Mandala
• Tree of Life
• The Human Soul
• Cosmic Eucharist
• Light Stars, Dark Stars
• Wisdom
• The Human Universals
• The Tent
• Three Wings