MARCIEGAMBETTA
Marcie Gambetta
English 231
Hildegard Von Bingen’s Poetry
Reading Journal 7
9/14/14
FIRST THOUGHTS
My first thought upon reading the assignment was that I have never heard of Hildegard Von Bingen. She sounds German from her name. I also thought, Hildegard was not a common name at all so she must be from the Middle Ages. I am looking forward to reading something else besides Shakespeare, hopefully Hildegard is easier to understand.
QUOTES
From Columba Axpexit (The Ascension) – “The dove peered in through the lattices of the window where, before its face, a balm exuded from incandescent Maximin.” I enjoyed this quote because I easily understood it. Maximin is a local saint and Hildegard is writing about him. She is explaining that the Holy Spirit (the dove) is watching Maximin while he is preaching. The Holy Spirit is reaching out to Maximin causing him to glow from within and radiate the love and power of the Holy Spirit.
From Ignis Spiritus (Hoy Spirit) - “Guard all those who have been imprisoned by the Enemy, and release the fettered when Divine Power wishes to save”. This quote is about the Holy Spirit. Hildegard is asking the Holy Spirit to guard those that the Enemy (the Devil) has imprisoned. She is also asking for the Holy Spirit to release them of sin so they can be saved. The words seem comforting to me by asking the Holy Spirit to “guard”, she is helping people feel protected.
QUESTIONS
Who is Hildegard Von Bingen? Hildegard Von Bingen was a nun, who ended up having some power within the church in the Middle Ages. She was the 10th child and during the Middle Ages, the 10th child was often given to the church as a tithe. She had visions and before the visions would manifest she would often become sick. Hildegard was not very well educated and she was unhappy about that. During a time when women did not usually have power, speak publicly, or were sought as advisors, Hildegard did manage to rise in the ranks of the church. She often spoke publicly in the towns she visited and was a “first” in many areas. She was consulted by bishops, popes, and knights.
Who is Rupert? In Hildegard’s poem O Jerusalem she refers to Rupert. Rupert, it turns out, was a local saint and the founder of the Monastery of Rupertsberg. Hildegard often wrote of local saints and she praises him in her poem. She encourages the nuns at Saint Rupertsberg by comparing their city to the heavenly city and reminding them of their future citizenship in heaven.
VOCABULARY
Ecclesia:
Definition: a congregation; church
Sentence: The preacher spoke to the ecclesia about right from wrong.
Finial:
Definition: a relatively small, ornamental, terminal feature at the top of a gable, pinnacle, etc
Sentence: The finial stone, would be the very top piece of the gable.
Fecundity:
Definition: fruitfulness or fertility
Sentence: The rabbit had great fecundity and produced many offspring.
SUMMARY/RESPONSE
When I first saw the assignment, I thought “Who is Hildegard Von Bingen”? This caused me to want to do a little background research to find out more about her and what the context of her writing might be. Once I looked her up, I read her poetry. I think her writing is very beautiful and she seems to enjoy writing about the beauty of God. She wrote for the nuns and so praised virginity and encouraged them to keep their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Examples of this can be seen in “O Viridissima Vinga” where she is praising Mary and her virginity, “O Eclessia” where she displays how Christian virginity ultimately defeats Satan and “Ave, Generosa” where she is again praising Mary and her virginity. When she visited towns she would often write about the local saints and examples of this can be found in “O Jerusalem” where she is extoling Rupert the legendary founder of the Monestary of Rupertsberg, “O Presul Vere Civitatis” where she is celebrating St. Disobed, and “Columba Aspexit” where she is proclaiming how the Holy Spirit shines through Maximin.
The literary theme that stood out to me is “Man Struggles Against Societal Pressure”. While Hildegard’s writings are all about divinity, she writes to the nuns about chastity and obedience. The nuns may have struggled with the vows they took and Hildegard wants to uplift them and let them know it’s okay to not have sex or money. The nuns sang Hildegard’s poems and songs, so the recital of her works regarding chastity, poverty, and obedience would be constant reminders to the nuns to keep their vows.
I used Feminist Criticism to help analyze this text. I read Hildegard’s poems and did additional research on her. I discovered that, in a time when women were often silent and not given much respect, she was able to overcome that. Hildegard often spoke out in public, produced major works of theology, and visionary writings. Bishops, popes, and even kings sought her out for her wisdom and visionary powers.
WORKS CITED
All Poetry – Hildegard Von Bingen. http://allpoetry.com/Hildegard-von-Bingen- 9/14/14
Dictionary. Dictionary.com LLC 2014 http://dictionary.reference.com/ 9/14/14
The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen by Olivia Carter Mather. The ORB: On-Line Reference Book for Medieval Studies. http://the-orb.net/encyclop/culture/music/mather.htm 11/25/02
The Life and Works of Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) by Kristina Lerman. http://www.isi.edu/~lerman/music/Hildegard.html 2/15/95