Wherein is expounded the second line of the stanza.
Kindled in love with yearnings.
NOW that we have expounded the first line of this stanza,
which treats of the night of sense, explaining what this night of
sense is, and why it is called night; and now that we have
likewise described the order and manner which are to be followed
for a soul to enter therein actively, the next thing to be treated
in due sequence is its properties and effects, which are
wonderful, and are described in the next lines of the stanza
aforementioned, upon which I will briefly touch for the sake of
expounding the said lines, as I promised in the Prologue;[203] and I
will then pass on at once to the second book, treating of the
other part of this night, which is the spiritual.
2. The soul, then, says that, 'kindled in love with
yearnings,' it passed through this dark night of sense and came
out thence to the union of the Beloved. For, in order to conquer
all the desires and to deny itself the pleasures which it has in
everything, and for which its love and affection are wont to
enkindle the will that it may enjoy them, it would need to
experience another and a greater enkindling by an other and a
better love, which is that of its Spouse; to the end that, having
its pleasure set upon Him and deriving from Him its strength, it
should have courage and constancy to deny itself all other things
with ease. And, in order to conquer the strength of the desires of
sense, it would need, not only to have love for its Spouse, but
also to be enkindled by love and to have yearnings. For it comes
to pass, and so it is, that with such yearnings of desire the
sensual nature is moved and attracted toward sensual things, so
that, if the spiritual part be not enkindled with other and
greater yearnings for that which is spiritual, it will be unable
to throw off the yoke of nature[204] or to enter this night of
sense, neither will it have courage to remain in darkness as to
all things, depriving itself of desire for them all.
3. And the nature and all the varieties of these yearnings of
love which souls experience in the early stages of this road to
union; and the diligent means and contrivances which they employ
in order to leave their house, which is self-will, during the
night of the mortification of their senses; and how easy, and even
sweet and delectable, these yearnings for the Spouse make all the
trials and perils of this night to appear to them, this is not the
place to describe, neither is such description possible; for it is
better to know and meditate upon these things than to write of
them. And so we shall pass on to expound the remaining lines in
the next chapter.
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