Love Alone

Звёздная дружба  The ecstasy of St Francis of Assisi На мотив из Платона Душа себя найти желает. Томится по себе самой. Тоскливо по себе вздыхает и плачет в горести немой. Дрожащий в тусклых очертаньях пред ней витает мир идей, и Эрос, – мощный чародей, – Душой во сне или в мечтаньях в какой-то миг овладевает. Душа томится и рыдает. И вот почудилось, что снова Душа-близнец ей найдена. Полёт в Эфир свершать готова на белых крыльях не одна. Но сон проходит, и тоскливо она взирает вкруг, стеня. И шепчет страстно-сиротливо: «найди меня, найди меня...» (1905) *   *   * On a motif from Plato The ecstasy of St Bernard of Clairvaux Desiring to find itself, the Soul languishes by itself, sighs wistfully by itself  and cries in sorrow, silent. Tremulous in dim outlines, hovering below her world of ideas, Eros, - a mighty magician, -  and the Soul in dream.  The Soul seizes, as in some instant,  as it pines and weeps. A

"If anyone says that good is difficult to attain – for the Lord of creation is alone immutable while human nature is mutable and inclined to change – how can a mutable nature realize what is fixed and stable in the good? My response is that a person who does not lawfully strive in a contest cannot be crowned (1Tim 2:5); he would not be a legitimate athlete if an opponent were lacking.  Without an opponent there is no crown, for victory against oneself is lacking if there is no weakness. Hence, let us struggle against our nature’s mutability as though against an adversary; wrestling with our reason makes us victors not by ca6ting it down but by not consenting to the fall. Man can change not only for evil; if he had a natural inclination only to evil it would be impossible to turn to the good … Perfection consists in never stopping our growth towards the good nor in circumscribing perfection."  St Gregory of Nyssa, On Perfection ,  J213-4.