1542-1591, Ioannes a Cruce, The Dark Night, En

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The Dark Night

By St. John of the Cross

From: THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, and

Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, revised edition (1991)

Co!yright 1991"C# $ubli%ations$ermission is hereby granted &or any non'%ommer%ial use, i& this %o!yright noti%e is

in%luded

n e!lanation o& the stanzas des%ribing a soul*s %ondu%t along the s!iritual road that leads to the !er&e%t union +ithod through love, inso&ar as it is attainable in this li&e des%ri!tion also o& the %hara%teristi%s o& one +ho has rea%hed

this !er&e%tion

"n this boo- +e +ill &irst %ite the entire !oem, then ea%h stanza +ill be re!eated se!arately and e!lained, and &inally +e

+ill do the same thing +ith the individual verses .he &irst t+o stanzas des%ribe the e&&e%ts o& the t+o -inds o& s!iritual

!urgation that ta-e !la%e in a !erson: one, a !uri&i%ation o& the sensory !art/ the other, a !uri&i%ation o& the s!iritual !art

.he remaining si stanzas s!ea- o& some o& the marvelous results obtained &rom s!iritual illumination and union +ith

od through love

Stanzas Of The So!

1 One dar- night,

&ired +ith love*s urgent longings

' ah, the sheer gra%e0 '

" +ent out unseen,my house being no+ all stilled

"n dar-ness, and se%ure,

by the se%ret ladder, disguised,

' ah, the sheer gra%e0 '

in dar-ness and %on%ealment,

my house being no+ all stilled

2 On that glad night,

in se%ret, &or no one sa+ me,

nor did " loo- at anything,

+ith no other light or guide

than the one that burned in my heart

3 .his guided me

more surely than the light o& noon

to +here he +as a+aiting me

' him " -ne+ so +ell '

there in a !la%e +here no one a!!eared

4 O guiding night0

O night more lovely than the da+n0

O night that has united

the 5over +ith his beloved,

trans&orming the beloved in her 5over

6 7!on my &lo+ering breast

+hi%h " -e!t +holly &or him alone,

there he lay slee!ing,

and " %aressing himthere in a breeze &rom the &anning %edars

8 hen the breeze ble+ &rom the turret,

as " !arted his hair,

it +ounded my ne%-

+ith its gentle hand,

sus!ending all my senses

" abandoned and &orgot mysel&,

laying my &a%e on my ;eloved/

all things %eased/ " +ent out &rom mysel&,

leaving my %ares

&orgotten among the lilies

;eginning o& the e!lanation o& the stanzas that deal +ith the +ay a soul must %ondu%t itsel& along the road leading tounion +ith od through love, by $adre Fray

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and %on&li%ts by means o& the s!iritual eer%ise that leads one along the %onstri%ted +ay to eternal li&e, o& +hi%h our

#avior s!ea-s in the os!el [Mt. 7:14] .he soul must ordinarily +al- this !ath to rea%h that sublime and =oyous union

+ith od Re%ognizing the narro+ness o& the !ath and the &a%t that so very &e+ tread it ' as the 5ord himsel& says [Mt.

7:14]' the soul*s song in this &irst stanza is one o& ha!!iness in having advan%ed along it to this !er&e%tion o& love

!!ro!riately, this %onstri%ted road is %alled a dar- night, as +e shall e!lain in later verses o& this stanza .he soul,

there&ore, ha!!y at having trod this narro+ road &rom +hi%h it derived so mu%h good, s!ea-s in this manner:

"ntrodu%tion to ;oo- O>? ;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter 1

;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter

;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter 2





;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter


;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter 1@


;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter 1 ;oo- O>? ' Cha!ter 12


;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 1

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 2

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 3

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 4

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 6

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 8

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 9

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 1@

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 11

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 1






;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 1


;oo- .O ' Cha!ter @

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 1

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 2 ;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 3

;oo- .O ' Cha!ter 4

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1542-1591, Ioannes a Cruce, The Dark Night, En