Oh Sweet Dark Night

Oh dulce noche escura

' Oh dulce noche escura I '

O SWEET dark night
Which brings no gloomy shades,
But rather, thine obscurity
The more it blinds, the more delights the soul,
And grows in beauty as it grows more dense.

Divine privations,
Blest darkness, pleasant rest,
And secret inspirations !
Happy the soul made blind
By such refulgence — fortunate exchange !
302 POEMS-
Denying self
That it may not deny the One Who ne'er denies.
It enters the delicious gulf
Of that blind night,
Where they who enter find a vivid light.

In the hidden depths
Of this resplendent darkness,
Illumined by the Sun
Which dwelleth in her,
Night is made radiant day !
O night of happiness
Which offers joy in such security
To the enamoured soul,
That she in slumber rests,
And day seems night to her !

To reach this rest
She mounted by the secret, hidden stairs.
When in unconsciousness,
She on their summit slept,
The rays of life fell on her.

That ladder of repose,
The beauteous Mysteries of Christ,
That lovely path,
Trod by His well- loved sons,
Wherein a thousand treasures are discovered !

She soars aloft
By flight,
Having two lovely wings,
Yet, once arrived,
Their delicate plumes are scorched.

There she in peace enjoys
The secret rays that stream from the Beloved ;
And all her house and its inhabitants
Are fallen asleep,
Powerless and free from care.

In drowsy rest
The dwellers in her mansions leave her free
The Bridegroom opes and enters —
Yet when they are aroused
They murmur at their quick awakening.

They enjoy His favours
In solitude, beholding not the Spouse,
For still these dwellers
Are lost in slumber
Nor do they make the slightest sound.
Then the gentle bride,
Transformed and turned to her Belovdd,
Lives and reposes in Him
And draws from Him her life,
Since her own life has been consumed
3°4 POEMS

While in this state
Has she repose, joy, life, and nourishment;
But on returning
To her former life,
She weeps because death lingers on its way.

Yet having wept,
Her graces still augmenting with her tears,
Her trials no longer grieve her,
For on suffering
She centres all her aims and all her love.

Light in darkness ;
And darkness which withdraws not in the light ;
Distinctness in the mist !
The mist is manifest in light
In this abyss, and is not swallowed up.

For shade is set
O'er light divine by God's essence and presence ;
Thus, seen through clouds
By aid He gives in secret,
The soul can, while on earth, enjoy His presence.