Poetry of St John of the Cross


Read by Ed Humpal

(4.8 stars; 47 reviews)

The poems of St John of the Cross, with their mystic depth and spiritual ecstasy, stand among the world's great poems of Divine Love in all traditions. St John is one of the Roman Catholic Doctors of the Church, was a reformer of the Carmelite Order, and co-founder with St Teresa of Avila of the Discalced Carmelites. Teresa invited John to follow her, and in the protocols of the times, also became her Spiritual Director and Confessor. Many of their individual works could be considered the products of their mutual support and inspiration. - Summary by Ed Humpal (1 hr 13 min)

Chapters

The Dark Night 2:12 Read by Ed Humpal
Song of the Soul and It's Bridegroom 13:53 Read by Ed Humpal
The Living Flame of Love 1:21 Read by Ed Humpal
A Soul Longing for the Vision of God 3:14 Read by Ed Humpal
Ecstasy of Contemplation 4:41 Read by Ed Humpal
God the Supreme Good 5:05 Read by Ed Humpal
Song of the Soul Rejoicing in the Knowledge of God by Faith 2:03 Read by Ed Humpal
Song of Christ and the Soul 1:32 Read by Ed Humpal
The Most Holy Trinity, & The Communication of the Three Persons 3:50 Read by Ed Humpal
The Creation 4:25 Read by Ed Humpal
The Desires of the Holy Fathers 2:36 Read by Ed Humpal
The Incarnation & The Nativity 4:23 Read by Ed Humpal
Super Flumina Babylonis 3:14 Read by Ed Humpal
Three Songs: The Soul's Craving, The Exiled Soul, & Desolation 7:59 Read by Ed Humpal
The Dark Night (II) & O Sweet Dark Night 7:05 Read by Ed Humpal
The Soul's Desire to Be with Christ & Ecstasy 5:56 Read by Ed Humpal

Reviews

Amazingly Beautiful and Yet a Translation


(5 stars)

I'm amazed at how beautiful this translation sounds in some ways even able to rival the original Spanish text

Excellent, intriguing poetry


(4 stars)

Saint John of the Cross was a Sixteenth Century writer who used the troubadoric tradition to write verses about his love for God. As he often casts himself in the role of the beloved, and God or Jesus in the role of the lover, the poetry often seems to be written in female voice. There have been some really beautiful performances of his poetry by female singers. Lorena McKennitt’s The Mask and Mirror, for example, contains a really beautiful version of The Dark Night of the Soul. The Librivox version which I listened to is instead performed by a male reader. Aside from some fantastic poetry, Saint John’s works demonstrate how the idea of masculineness has changed over time. His contemporaries saw absolutely nothing homoerotic about his poems, but to a modern reader, there’s certainly an undercurrent there. This review was first posted on <a href="https://gcbooks.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">book coasters</a>

A Gem


(5 stars)

Beautifully written sublime poetry of longing for God.

simply wonderful


(5 stars)

gorgeous translation and reading.