Image
© Hildesheim, St Godehard |
Translation
| 124 |
Alas! Unfortunate
mortals! How blind we are!
For we must see that we have lost our senses.
We are so burdened by our sins,
They make us completely forget the right way to live,
Through this holy man we must recover our sight.
|
620 |
| 125 |
My lords,
let us remember this holy man,
And let us pray to him to deliver us from all evil,
That in this world he may obtain for us peace and joy,
And in the next everlasting glory!
On this note let us say: Our Father. |
625 |
| |
Amen. |
|
(Note:
Some editors, notably G. Paris (1872), use no punctuation at the end
of line 624. They take the sense to run into line 625. The translation
of their reading is:
And in the next world everlasting glory
In the Word itself. And so let us say: Our Father.) |
Letter of Pope Gregory, Latin version
See here the reply to holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit who was asking
for an explanation about pictures: It is one thing to worship a picture;
another to learn, through the story of a picture, what is to be worshipped.
For the thing that writing conveys to those who read, that is what a picture
shows to the illiterate; in the picture itself those who are ignorant
see what they ought to follow. In [the picture] itself those who are unacquainted
with letters [are able to] read. Whence, and particularly among common
folk, a picture serves in place of reading. And towards this especially
you, who dwell among the peoples, ought to direct your attention, much
rather than that you should inadvertently inflame trouble by your righteous
zeal; and through headstrong spirits you should give rise to a stumbling
block. Therefore there has been no need for the breaking down of what
was not intended for worship in the churches. But it is agreed to keep
in place what is purely and simply for instructing the minds of the ignorant;
also because, in venerable places belonging to saints, antiquity has sanctioned,
not without reason, that their stories should be depicted. If you hide
your zeal with prudence, without doubt you might be able both to obtain
advantageously those things which you were intent upon, and avoid scattering
the collected flock. But rather you might gather them together, so that
the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the reproach of [being]
a destroyer not weigh upon you.
Letter of Pope Gregory, Old French version
Here is the reply of holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit when he asked
for a reason for pictures.
It is one thing to worship a picture and another to learn from the story
of a picture what is to be worshipped. For what writing conveys to those
who can read, a picture shows to the ignorant, for in a picture the ignorant
can see what they ought to follow. In a picture those who are unacquainted
with letters are able to read and for that very reason a picture is like
a lesson for the people. This is something that you who live among the
people should have understood lest while you are heedlessly inflamed by
righteous zeal you create a stumbling block through headstrong spirits.
Scarcely anything should be destroyed so that nothing remains to be worshipped
in churches. But rather [it is agreed to keep in place what is only] for
instructing the minds of the ignorant, also because the Ancients, not
without good reason, directed that stories should be depicted in the venerable
places of the Saints. If you exercised your zeal discreetly without doubt
you could obtain advantageously those things which you were intent upon
and yet not scatter the collected flock, but rather you might gather them
together so that the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the
guilt of [being] a destroyer should have no part therein.
|
Transcription
Las
malfeuz cum esmes avoglez · quer có veduns que tuit sumes
desvez · / de noz pechez sumes si ancumbrez · la dreite vide
nus funt tresoblier · / par cest saint home doussum
ralumer · Aiuns seignors cel saint home/ en memorie · si li
preiuns que de toz mals nos tolget · en icest siecle nus/ acat pais
e glorie · & en cel altra la plus durable glorie · en
ipse v[er]be/ sin dimes · pat[er] n[oste]r · am[en] ·
[E missing]cce responsu[m] s[an]c[t]i gregorii secundino incluso/ Aliud
est picturam adorare · aliud //ratione[m] de pict[ur]is int[er]roganti
· /
per picture historia[m] quid sit adorandu[m] addiscere · Nam quod
legentib[us]/
scriptura hoc ignotis prestat pictura · q[u]a in ipsa ignorantes
vident quid/ sequi debeant · In ipsa legunt qui litteras nesciunt
· Unde & precipue/ gentibus pro lectione pictura est ·
Quod magnopere tu qui inter gentes/ habitas adtendere debueras ·
ne dum recto zelo incaute succenderis · ferocibus/ animis scandalum
generares · frangi go [ergo? er missing] non debuit quod
non ad adorandum/ in eccl[es]iis · set ad instruendas solum modo
mentes nescientium constat collocatu[m]/ & quia in locis venerabilib[us]
s[an]c[t]orum depingi historias non sine ratione/ vetustas admisit ·
si zelum discrecione condisses · sine dubio & ea que intende/bas
salubrit[er] obtinere & collectum gregem non disperdere · set
pocius poteras/ congregare · ut pastoris intemeratum nomen excelleret
non culpa disp[er]soris/ incumberet · [E missing]ste vus
le respuns saint gregorie a secundin le reclus/ //cum il demandout raison
des/ // paintures
Altra cóse est aurier la painture/ e altra cose est par le historie
de la painture ap[re]ndre/ quela cóse seit ad aurier · kar
ico que la scripture aprestet/ as lisanz · icó aprestet la
painture as ignoranz · kar an icele veient/ les ignoranz quet il
deivent sivre · An icele lisent icels ki letres ne sevent ·
/ ampur laquele cóse maismement la peinture est pur leceun as genz
· / Laquele cóse tu q[u]i habites entra les genz deuses antendra
· que tu n’angendrasses/ scandale de crueles curages dementiers
que tu esbraseras nient cuintement/ par dreit amvidie · Geres nient
ne deut
aluiet [scribal interlinear correction]
estra fruissiet icó que nient ne/ parmaint ad aurier an eglises ·
mais ad anstruire sulement les penses/ des nient savanz · e ampur
icó que l’ancienetiet nient senz raisun cuman/dat les hystories
estra depaint es honurables lius des sainz · se tu feisses/ amvidie
par discrecion · senz dutance poeies salvablem[en]t purtenir les
cóses/ que tu attendeies e nient dep[er]dra la cuileita folc ·
mais maisment ase[m]blier/ que le nient fraint num de pastur excellist ·
e nient an i oust la culpa del/ dep[er]dethur · /
|
Translation
| 124 |
Alas! Unfortunate
mortals! How blind we are!
For we must see that we have lost our senses.
We are so burdened by our sins,
They make us completely forget the right way to live,
Through this holy man we must recover our sight.
|
620 |
| 125 |
My lords,
let us remember this holy man,
And let us pray to him to deliver us from all evil,
That in this world he may obtain for us peace and joy,
And in the next everlasting glory!
On this note let us say: Our Father. |
625 |
| |
Amen. |
|
(Note:
Some editors, notably G. Paris (1872), use no punctuation at the end
of line 624. They take the sense to run into line 625. The translation
of their reading is:
And in the next world everlasting glory
In the Word itself. And so let us say: Our Father.) |
Letter of Pope Gregory, Latin version
See here the reply to holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit who was asking
for an explanation about pictures: It is one thing to worship a picture;
another to learn, through the story of a picture, what is to be worshipped.
For the thing that writing conveys to those who read, that is what a picture
shows to the illiterate; in the picture itself those who are ignorant
see what they ought to follow. In [the picture] itself those who are unacquainted
with letters [are able to] read. Whence, and particularly among common
folk, a picture serves in place of reading. And towards this especially
you, who dwell among the peoples, ought to direct your attention, much
rather than that you should inadvertently inflame trouble by your righteous
zeal; and through headstrong spirits you should give rise to a stumbling
block. Therefore there has been no need for the breaking down of what
was not intended for worship in the churches. But it is agreed to keep
in place what is purely and simply for instructing the minds of the ignorant;
also because, in venerable places belonging to saints, antiquity has sanctioned,
not without reason, that their stories should be depicted. If you hide
your zeal with prudence, without doubt you might be able both to obtain
advantageously those things which you were intent upon, and avoid scattering
the collected flock. But rather you might gather them together, so that
the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the reproach of [being]
a destroyer not weigh upon you.
Letter of Pope Gregory, Old French version
Here is the reply of holy Gregory to Secundinus the hermit when he asked
for a reason for pictures.
It is one thing to worship a picture and another to learn from the story
of a picture what is to be worshipped. For what writing conveys to those
who can read, a picture shows to the ignorant, for in a picture the ignorant
can see what they ought to follow. In a picture those who are unacquainted
with letters are able to read and for that very reason a picture is like
a lesson for the people. This is something that you who live among the
people should have understood lest while you are heedlessly inflamed by
righteous zeal you create a stumbling block through headstrong spirits.
Scarcely anything should be destroyed so that nothing remains to be worshipped
in churches. But rather [it is agreed to keep in place what is only] for
instructing the minds of the ignorant, also because the Ancients, not
without good reason, directed that stories should be depicted in the venerable
places of the Saints. If you exercised your zeal discreetly without doubt
you could obtain advantageously those things which you were intent upon
and yet not scatter the collected flock, but rather you might gather them
together so that the undefiled name of shepherd may flourish, and the
guilt of [being] a destroyer should have no part therein.
|
