.
In the desert,
Turn toward emptiness,
Fleeing the self.
.
Stand alone
Ask no one's help,
And your being will quiet,
Free from the bondage of things.
.
Those who cling to the world,
endeavor to free them;
Those who are free, praise.
.
Care for the sick,
But live alone,
Happy to drink from the waters of sorrow,
To kindle Love's fire
With the twigs of a simple life.
.
Thus you will live in the desert.
.
Mechtild of Magdeburg (1207?-1282? or 1297?)
.