Edition Masquer
Confessiones

Caput 17

Quis congregavit amricantes in societatem unam? idem namque illis finis est temporalis et terrenae felicitatis, propter quam faciunt omnia, quamvis innumerabili varietate curarum fluctuent. quis, domine, nisi tu, qui dixisti, ut congregarentur aquae in congregationem unam, et appareret arida, sitiens tibi, quoniam tuum est mare, et tu fecisti illud, et aridam terram manus tuae formaverunt? neque enim amaritudo voluntatum, sed congregatio aquarum vocatur mare. tu enim coerces etiam malas cupidatates animarum, et figis limites, quousque progredi sinantur aquae, ut in se comminuantur fluctus earum, atque ita facis mare ordine imperii tui super omnia. At animas sitientes tibi et apparentes tibi (alio fine distinctas a societate maris) occulto et dulci fonte irrigas, ut et terra det fructum suum: et dat fructum suum, et te iubente, domino deo suo, germinat anima nostra opera misericordiae secundum genus, diligens proximum in subsidiis necessitatum carnalium; habens in se semen secundum similitudinem, quoniam ex nostra infirmitate compatimur ad subveniendum indigentibus, similiter opitulantes, quemadmodum nobis vellemus opem ferri, si eodem modo indigeremus; non tantum in facilibus tamquam in herba seminali, sed etiam in protectione adiutorii forti robore, sicut lignum fructiferum, id est beneficum ad eripiendum eum, qui iniuriam patitur, de manu potentis, et praebendo protectionis umbraculum valido robore iusti iudicii.

Traduction Masquer
The Confessions of St. Augustin In Thirteen Books

Chapter XVII.--Allegorical Explanation of the Sea and the Fruit-Bearing Earth--Verses 9 and 11.

20. Who hath gathered the embittered together into one society? For they have all the same end, that of temporal and earthly happiness, on account of which they do all things, although they may fluctuate with an innumerable variety of cares. Who, O Lord, unless Thou, saidst, Let the waters be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear, ¹ which "thirsteth after Thee"? ² For the sea also is Thine, and Thou hast made it, and Thy hands prepared the dry land. ³ For neither is the bitterness of men's wills, but the gathering together of waters called sea; for Thou even curbest the wicked desires of men's souls, and fixest their bounds, how far they may be permitted to advance, ⁴ and that their waves may be broken against each other; and thus dost Thou make it a sea, by the order of Thy dominion over all things.

21. But as for the souls that thirst after Thee, and that appear before Thee (being by other bounds divided from the society of the sea), them Thou waterest by a secret and sweet spring, that the earth may bring forth her fruit, ⁵ and, Thou, O Lord God, so commanding, our soul may bud forth works of mercy according to their kind, ⁶ --loving our neighbour in the relief of his bodily necessities, having seed in itself according to its likeness, when from our infirmity we compassionate even to the relieving of the needy; helping them in a like manner as we would that help should be brought unto us if we were in a like need; not only in the things that are easy, as in "herb yielding seed," but also in the protection of our assistance, in our very strength, like the tree yielding fruit; that is, a good turn in delivering him who suffers an injury from the hand of the powerful, and in furnishing him with the shelter of protection by the mighty strength of just judgment.