Folio 48v - the swallow, continued. De ciconia; Of the stork.
of the swallow, it signifies, unless I am mistaken, the lament of the penitent soul.
The swallow does not feed on the ground but eats what it catches in the air, as those who have no love for earthly things, seek, far away from them, the things of heaven.
It is said to twitter, like those who frequently take pleasure in plaintive pleas.
It flies in winding circles, as those who bend their minds in submission to the rules of obedience.
The swallow is expert in building nests and bringing up its young. In constructing a nest, it resembles those who fix their hope in the faith of Christ's passion. It is skilled in bringing up its young, that is, like those who are skilled in teaching the brethren in their charge.
The swallow has a kind of foresight, because it tells us which buildings which are about to fall by refusing to nest on their tops. Those who are truly penitent have a kind of foresight, in that they flee from the fall of this world and seek life without end.
It is not harassed by other birds and is never their prey. Birds of prey never fall upon it, in the same way that the contrite of heart are never the prey of devils.
The swallow flies across the sea, as the truly penitent long to quit the sorrows and commotions of this world. There it stays during in winter. As, when winter assails us, and the cold comes, the righteous man migrates to the warm region of love. There he waits patiently until the coldness of temptation passes from his mind.
The pious bird knows how to proclaim, in witness of its coming, the beginning of spring. The swallow returns after the cold of winter to announce the beginning of spring. Likewise, the righteous man returns after the coldness of great temptation to the temperate climate of a well-regulated mind, in order that, having escaped the cold of temptation, he may ascend by means of good works to summer, that is, the warmth of the due measure of love.
This, then, is the nature of the swallow, that is to say, of the penitent soul: it longs all the time for the beginning of spring, as the soul holds to the way of good judgement and moderation in all things.
See how something simple, like the swallow, can teach those to whom divine providence from the beginning gave the capacity of discernment.
Of the stork
Storks get their name, ciconie, from the creaking sound they make, like crickets, cicanie. The sound comes from their mouth rather than their voice, because they make it by clashing their bills.
Storks are the heralds of spring; they share a sense of community;
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The swallow twitters and flies across the sea. The stork makes a creaking sound with its bill.
Comment
Two text corrections in the margin:Two text corrections in the margin: ad diversa [correcting ‘adversa’]; accedit [correcting ‘antecedit’]. Initial type 2.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
yrundinis, nisi fallor questum designat anime penitentis. Hi\ rundo cibos residens non sumit, sed in aere quas capit escas edit, quia\ qui terrena non diligit, remotus a terrenis celestia querit. Garrula\ avis esse dicitur quia querulosis orationibus sepius delectatur, per fluxuosos cir\ cuitus pervolat, ut adversa obedientie precepta mentem subiectus\ flectat. In nidis construendis educandisque fetibus sollertissima.\ Nidum construit, quia in fide passionis Christi spem fixam ponit. Sol\ lers in educandis fetibus, id est in docendis subiectis fratribus. Habet etiam\ quiddam pre[s]cium, quod deserat lapsura, nec appetat culmina. Quid\ dam enim pre[s]cium habent qui vere penitent, quod casum presentis seculi\ fugiant, et per mansura sine fine querunt. Hyrundo aliis avibus\ non impetitur nec unquam preda est. Rapaces aves nunquam yrundinem\ rapiunt, quia contriti corde demonibus nunquam preda sunt. Yrun\ do maria transvolat, quia vere penitet amaritudines et tumul\ tus huius mundi exire desiderat. Ibique hieme commoratur. Cum enim\ yemps ingruit et frigus antecedit [PL, accedit] tunc iustus ad calorem cari\ tatis transit. Ibique pacienter expectat, donec frigus temptationis a\ mente recedat. Novit pia avis annuntiare adventus sui testi\ monio, veris inicium. Revertitur yrundo post frigus yemis, ut an\ nuntiet inicium veris. Similiter iustus post frigus nimie temp\ tationis revertitur ad temperantiam moderate mentis, ut qui frigus\ temptationis evaserat, ad estatem, id est dilectionis amorem [PL, calorem] mo\ derate per ascensus boni operis accedat. Hec est igitur natura yrundinis,\ id est anime penitentis, que semper querit veris inicium, quia in omnibus\ tenet discrecionis et temperantie modum. Ecce qualiter simplex\ eos instruit, quos ab inicio divina providentia discretos facit.\ De ciconia \ Ciconie vocate a sono quo crepitant\ quasi cicanie que sonum oris pocius esse quam vocis quia\ quatiente rostro faciunt. Hee veris nuntie, societatis comites,\Translation
of the swallow, it signifies, unless I am mistaken, the lament of the penitent soul. The swallow does not feed on the ground but eats what it catches in the air, as those who have no love for earthly things, seek, far away from them, the things of heaven. It is said to twitter, like those who frequently take pleasure in plaintive pleas. It flies in winding circles, as those who bend their minds in submission to the rules of obedience. The swallow is expert in building nests and bringing up its young. In constructing a nest, it resembles those who fix their hope in the faith of Christ's passion. It is skilled in bringing up its young, that is, like those who are skilled in teaching the brethren in their charge. The swallow has a kind of foresight, because it tells us which buildings which are about to fall by refusing to nest on their tops. Those who are truly penitent have a kind of foresight, in that they flee from the fall of this world and seek life without end. It is not harassed by other birds and is never their prey. Birds of prey never fall upon it, in the same way that the contrite of heart are never the prey of devils. The swallow flies across the sea, as the truly penitent long to quit the sorrows and commotions of this world. There it stays during in winter. As, when winter assails us, and the cold comes, the righteous man migrates to the warm region of love. There he waits patiently until the coldness of temptation passes from his mind. The pious bird knows how to proclaim, in witness of its coming, the beginning of spring. The swallow returns after the cold of winter to announce the beginning of spring. Likewise, the righteous man returns after the coldness of great temptation to the temperate climate of a well-regulated mind, in order that, having escaped the cold of temptation, he may ascend by means of good works to summer, that is, the warmth of the due measure of love. This, then, is the nature of the swallow, that is to say, of the penitent soul: it longs all the time for the beginning of spring, as the soul holds to the way of good judgement and moderation in all things. See how something simple, like the swallow, can teach those to whom divine providence from the beginning gave the capacity of discernment. Of the stork Storks get their name, ciconie, from the creaking sound they make, like crickets, cicanie. The sound comes from their mouth rather than their voice, because they make it by clashing their bills. Storks are the heralds of spring; they share a sense of community;
