CHAPTER XI

第十一章

 Anne Catherine Receives the Crown of Thorns. —

安纳•加大利纳领受茨冠

Her Entrance among the Augustinians, of Dulmen.

她进入杜尔门的奥斯定修会。

When Anne Catherine had completed her bridal outfit by the practice of the most abject poverty and self-abnegation, the Heavenly Bridegroom Himself added to it the last and most precious jewel, the Crown which He had Himself worn on earth.

当安纳•加大利纳以最神贫和最克己的方式完成了她的新娘礼服时，天上的新郎亲自在婚礼上增添了最后一颗最珍贵的宝石——祂自已在人间戴过的茨冠。

One day about noon, during the last year of her residence in the Soentgen family, she was kneeling near the organ in the Jesuits' Church, at Coesfeld. Clara was by her side.

在索恩根家居住的最后一年，一天中午，她跪在科斯菲尔德耶稣会教堂的管风琴旁。克拉拉就在她身边。

Immersed in contemplation, she beheld the tabernacle door open and her Divine Betrothed issue from it under the form of a radiant youth.

她沉浸在默观中，看到圣体龛的门打开，她神圣的净配以一个容光焕发的青年形象，从里面出来。

In His left hand He held a garland, in His right a Crown of Thorns, which He graciously presented to her choice. She chose the Crown of Thorns.

神圣的净配左手拿着鲜花装饰的冠冕，右手拿着一顶茨冠，祂亲切地将这二个冠冕交给她选择。她选择了荆棘茨冠。

Then Jesus laid it lightly on her brow ; and she, putting up both hands, pressed it firmly down.

然后耶稣轻轻地把茨冠放在她的额头上，她却用双手把刺冠牢牢地按下去。

From that instant, she experienced inexpressible pains in her head.

从那一刻起，她的头就感到了难以形容的痛苦。

The apparition vanished, and Anne Catherine awoke from her rapture to hear the clicking of the sacristan's keys as He closed the church.

当她听到神圣净配关闭教堂时钥匙发出的咔嗒声，她从神魂超拔中醒来了。

Her companion was wholly unconscious of what had happened.

她的同伴克拉拉完全没有意识到发生了什么事。

 They returned home.

她们回到了家。

Anne Catherine, suffering acute pains in her forehead and temples, asked Clara if she could see anything.

安纳•加大利纳的前额和太阳穴剧烈疼痛，问克拉拉是否看到了什么。

The latter answered in the negative. But the next day, the forehead and temples were very much inflamed, although there was, as yet, no appearance of blood.

后者的回答是否定的。但是第二天，她的前额和太阳穴严重发炎了，虽然还没有出现血迹。

That began to flow only in the convent where she tried carefully to conceal it from her companions.

这事开始在修会里流传，但她总是小心翼翼地把这种迹像隐藏起来，不让她的同伴知道。

As St. Teresa in her waking moments saw herself adorned with the jewels, the ring, and the girdle, received in vision, so too on days dedicated to the Sacred Passion the Thorny Crown was visible to Anne Catherine.

正如圣女大德兰在清醒的状态下看到自已在异象中得到的珠宝、戒指和腰带一样。同样的，在奉献给“神圣苦难”的日子里，安纳•加大利纳也能看到“荆棘茨冠”。

She described it as composed of three different branches : the first was of white flowers with yellow stamens ; the second like the first, but with larger leaves ; the third was like the wild eglantine, or sweet-brier.

据她描述，茨冠由三根不同的枝条编成：第一根枝条开着白色的花，花蕊是黄色的；第二根枝条和第一根枝条一样，但叶子更大；第三根枝条像野生的鹅掌楸或甜蔷薇。

In the fervor of her prayer, she often pressed it down upon her head, and each time she felt the thorns penetrating more deeply.

在虔诚的祈祷中，她经常把茨冠按在头上，每次她都感到荆棘刺得更深了。

The wounds began to bleed in the convent and, at times, the red punctures were visible through the soaked bandages.

在修道院里，伤口开始流血，有时透过浸湿的绷带还能看到红色的刺痕。

The religious thought them mildew stains on the linen, and asked for no explanation.

修女们认为它们是亚麻布上的霉渍，并没有要求任何解释。

Once only did a sister surprise her wiping the blood from her temples, but she promised secrecy.

只有一次，一个修女惊讶地发现她在擦拭太阳穴上的血迹，但她答应保守秘密。

The moment was approaching for Anne Catherine to attain the long-desired end. The circumstances attending it were, in the sight of God, the most suitable termination to her persevering and laborious efforts, a proof of the fidelity with which the Bridegroom had waited for the bride.

安纳•加大利纳实现夙愿的时刻临近了，她即将成为一名修女，在天主看来，这种情况是她坚持不懈努力结出的果实，也是新郎等待新娘的忠诚的证明。

Some days before she bade adieu to the world, she repaired for the last time to Flamske to take leave of her parents.

在她告别世界入修会的几天前，她最后一次去弗拉姆斯克告别父母。

She thanked them with tears for their affection toward her, and begged their pardon and that of the rest of the family for the pain she gave them in following her vocation.

她哭着感谢他们对她的爱，她请他们原谅，也请其他家庭成员原谅，因为她在追随圣召时给他们带来了痛苦。

Her mother replied only by tears. Her father, usually so indulgent, was quite overcome at the prospect of losing his child.

她的母亲只是流下了眼泪。她的父亲一向很宠爱孩子，一想到要失去他的孩子，简直不知所措。

When she humbly asked a little money for her journey, he answered bitterly: " Were you to be buried tomorrow, I should willingly defray the expenses of your funeral; but you shall get nothing from me to go to the convent."

当她谦卑地向父亲要一点路费时，父亲痛苦地回答道 ：「如果你明天就下葬，我愿意支付你葬礼的费用；但你去修道院，我什么也不会给你。」

In tears, poor, despoiled of everything, but interiorly joyful, she quitted Flamske to follow the call of God.

她泪流满面，穷困潦倒，一无所有，但内心充满喜悦，她离开了弗拉姆克，去追随天主的召叫。

Next day she and Clara were to start for Dulmen some leagues distant from Coesfeld. But, at the last moment, fresh difficulties arose.

第二天，她和克拉拉要出发往离科斯菲尔德很远的杜尔门去，但在最后一刻，新的困难又出现了。

The organist Soentgen needed ten dollars and he could get the loan of this sum only on condition of Anne Catherine's going his security.

管风琴师索恩根需要10元钱，他只能在安纳•加大利纳的担保下才能借到这笔钱。

He explained his embarrassment to her and ceased not his importunities until she, trusting to Divine Providence, gave her signature for the required amount.

他向安纳解释了他的尴尬处境，直到安纳相信这是天主的旨意，给了他所需金额担保的签名，索恩根才停止了他的切切恳求。

She had no money and only what was absolutely necessary in the way of clothing.

她没有钱，只有衣服之类绝对必需的东西。

This with her scanty bedding was packed in a wooden chest into which her mother had secretly slipped a piece of linen for her beloved child.

这些衣服和她简陋的床上用品装在一个木制的箱子里，她母亲偷偷地把一块亚麻布塞进里面，给她心爱的孩子。

When the latter discovered it, she would not keep it, but gave it to Clara Soentgen in gratitude for her admission to the convent.

当安纳发现这块亚麻布时，她不愿保留它，而是把它送给了克拉拉，她没有忘记自己被修会录取的原因是因为修会在接受一名管风琴修女(克拉拉)时，也附带接受了她。(译注:管风琴师索恩根先生不允许女儿克拉拉加入没有安纳•加大利纳的修会；最后，奥斯定修会勉强同意接纳安纳)。

This generous act was richly rewarded.

这种慷慨的行为得到了丰厚的回报。

The mysterious book of prophecies was restored to her, and she took it with her to Dulmen.

那本神秘的预言书又回到了她的手上，她带着它去了杜尔门。

Never since its foundation had there entered this convent a maiden so poor in earthly goods, so rich in spiritual treasures.

自这座修道院成立以来，从未有一位少女在世俗生活中如此贫乏，却在精神宝藏上如此富有。

She humbly begged the Reverend Mother to receive her as the last and least in the house and to employ her in whatever she saw fit; but her gentle and retiring manners could not calm the general discontent at the reception of a subject so poor and, besides, in bad health.

她谦卑地恳求院长嬷嬷把她当做修会里最末一个来对待，让她做院长嬷嬷认为合适的工作；但她温和隐忍的举止，无法平息人们对接纳一个如此贫穷而且健康状况不佳的人进入修会，而引起的普遍不满情绪。

The very fact of her asking such a favor proved, as was thought, her audacity.

正如人们所认为的那样，她要求进入修会的请求本身，就证明了她的胆大妄为。

Agnetenberg, the Augustinian convent of Dulmen, founded toward the middle of the fifteenth century had received its first religious from the convent of Marienthal.

阿格尼滕贝格的杜尔门奥斯定修会，建于十五世纪中叶，从玛利撒尔修道院接受了第一位修道者。

It remained up to the time of its suppression, under the spiritual direction of the Augustinian Canons of Frenchwomen, and toward the last it was under the Canons of Thalheim, near Paderborn.

修道院被镇压之前，修会团队是在法国奥斯定修会神修指导之下，一直持续到它被镇压的时候，最后是由帕德博恩附近的撒海姆的奥斯定修会的会规指导。

It had always been in very straitened circumstances, and during the Seven Years' War it was in great distress.

这个修会一直处于非常贫困的境地，在七年战争中，它处于极大的困苦之中。

（评注：七年战争：七年战争发生在1756年—1763年。当时欧洲上的主要强国均参与了这场战争，其影响覆盖了欧洲，北美，中美洲，西非海岸，印度和菲律宾群岛。这场战争由欧洲列强之间的对抗所驱动。英国与法兰西和西班牙在贸易与殖民地上相互竞争。同时普鲁士，这个日益崛起的强国与奥地利正同时在神圣罗马帝国的体系内外争夺霸权。这次战争在欧洲以攻城战，对城镇的纵火，以及造成惨重损失的野战而著称。战争总共造成了约900,000至1,400,000人死亡。）

The community would have been forced to disperse, were it not for the alms of the people of Dulmen.

如果不是因为杜尔门人的救济，这个修会团体就会被迫解散。

Their circumstances did not improve with time.

她们的情况并没有随着时间的推移而改善。

The convent was never again able to provide for the wants of its inmates, or to restore community life in its perfection.

修会再也无法满足它成员的需要，也无法恢复修道团体生活的完美。

The religious supported themselves individually, some by their dowry, others by their labor.

修道者各自养活自己，有的靠自己的入会费，有的靠自己的劳动。

They who had not these resources, or who received no help from strangers, fared badly enough.

那些没有这些资源的人，或者没有从陌生人那里得到帮助的修女，就更贫困了。

Under the spiritual direction existing at the time of Anne Catherine's entrance, the convent of Agnetenberg shared the same fate as most of the poor female cloisters throughout the whole country of Munister at that period.

阿格尼滕堡修道院与当时整个明斯特全区的大多数贫穷的女修道院有着同样的命运。

The Rule was no longer punctually observed, in truth, it was almost forgotten.

会规已不再被修女们准确遵守，事实上，它几乎被遗忘了。

The cloister, once so rigorously closed, was now thrown open to all visitors without distinction ; the peace and silence of a religious house no longer reigned.

修院禁地曾经如此严格地对外界关闭，现在却毫无保留地向所有的访客开放；修道院的安宁与静默已不复存在。

The Sisters lived as persons whom chance had thrown together, each as best she could, rather than as members of a religious community strictly bound by vows and rules to a life of perfection.

这些修女们的生活都好像是偶然凑在一起的，她们都尽其所能过好自已的生活，而不是作为一个修会团体的成员，被圣愿和会规严格约束在完美的修道生活中。

Custom and necessity indeed still kept up a certain order and regularity ; but it was the habit alone and not the spirit of religion that distinguished the inmates from their fellow- Christians in the world.

惯例和需要确实保持了一定的秩序和规则；但这只是习惯，而不是使修道者与世上的其他基督徒区分开来的修道精神。

Anne Catherine was introduced by Almighty God into the midst of this relaxation that she might attain the highest religious perfection ; but these unfavorable surroundings were to be no more an obstacle to that end than the fruitless attempts she had hitherto made to effect her entrance.

安纳•加大利纳是由全能的天主引入到这种会规松懈的环境中的，天主的旨意是让她在这不利的环境中走上全德之路，不利的环境，并没有成为她的障碍，就像她为进入修会所做的种种看似艰难而又徒劳的尝试、并没有能阻止她加入修会一样。

Her expiatory mission had this one peculiar characteristic : all that might be for another an occasion of sin and damnation, became for her a means of proving her fidelity to God.

她的赎罪使命有一个独特的特点：不利的环境，对别人来说可能是犯罪和诅咒的机会，对她来说却成了证明她忠于天主的机会。

The decadence of conventual discipline, the loosening of the bond of obedience, the absence of enlightened direction, in a word, all the miseries of communities at this period, miseries which called down the sentence of universal suppression upon them, became for Anne Catherine so many means of reaching perfection ; they did but arouse her zeal in the service of her God.

修会纪律的荒废，服从约束的松懈，启蒙指导的缺乏，总之，这一时期修会团体的一切苦难，这些苦难使所有修会团体受到普遍镇压，对安纳•加大利纳来说，这种可悲的境况为她提供了很多达到完美圣德的方法，这样只能激起她为天主服务的热诚。

We now turn to a new page in her prophetic book.

我们现在转向她的预言书的新一页。

The vision of the espousals familiar to her from her sixteenth year and by whose direction she labored at her spiritual dowry, takes a new character.

从她十六岁起，她所熟悉的婚礼的神视异象，以及她在灵性嫁妆上所遵循的工作方向，都有了新的特点。

She sees herself in the house of the Bridegroom or, as she was accustomed to express it, in the Nuptial House, and thither also her bridal out-fit was removed.

她看到自己在新郎的家里，就像她习惯表达的那样，在婚房里，她的新娘的装束也在那里卸下了。

She entered the convent with an empty purse and a scanty wardrobe, and her poverty, though dear to God, drew upon her the contempt of the nuns at large, who little knew that by this very treatment they were opening for the poor peasant-girl the door of the inner chamber of the Spouse.

她带着空空的钱包和简陋的衣服进入修道院，虽然她的贫穷是天主看为贵重的，但却招致了修女们的蔑视，她们不知道，她们这样对待这个可怜的农家女，却为这个可怜的农家女孩打开了天堂净配内室的门。

She no longer lives in the symbolical pictures which hitherto guided her, but really in a house of God, a religious house, in the midst of which He Himself dwells in the Most Holy Sacrament.

她不再生活在迄今为止一直引导她的象征性的画面中，而是真正生活在天主的家里，在修道院里真实地度过每一天，天主自己住在修道院至圣的圣事中。

From the tabernacle He calls upon the religious to serve Him by day and by night, in the holy Office and ceremonies of the Church ; thence He regulates by the monastic constitutions not only their various practices of piety and mortification, but even their daily occupations.

天主从圣体龛里召叫修道士们昼夜在教会的日课经和礼仪中事奉祂。天主还通过修会团体的会宪，来管理他们虔诚和克己的神操，甚至规范他们的日常起居和工作。

（注：holy Office（Breviary）：日课；日课经；大日课；每日颂祷；时辰颂祷；本分经：是教会的公共祈祷，亦即圣职人士、修会会士和热心教友每日（七次）祈祷时所用的法定经书，藉此履行领洗时所接受的王者司祭职；主要由圣经、圣咏和圣人训诲组成。）

He notes every step, every look, every gesture, in a word, their whole life, upon which He stamps the seal of consecration to His service.

天主记下了修道者们的每一个脚步、每一个眼神、每一个手势，一言以蔽之，在修道者们整个生命上，都被盖上了献身于天主服务的印记。

Anne Catherine saw all this most clearly.

安纳•加大利纳清楚地看到了这一切。

The higher her estimation of the incomparable dignity of such a life, the more sensitive was she to each infraction of the Rule, every indication of indifference, indolence, or worldliness ; and in corresponding proportion did she deem herself unworthy of so great a dignity.

她越尊崇这种无比尊贵的修道生命，她就越是敏感地注意到每一种违反会规的行为，每一种漠不关心、懒惰或世俗的表现，相应地，她也认为自己配不上享有这样崇高的尊严。

She indulged in no figure of speech when, on her entrance, she asked the Superioress to be treated as the last and least of all.

她不善词藻，她一入会就请求女院长把她当作最末和最不重要的人来对待。

We shall see that, by Almighty God's permission, her petition was fully granted.

我们将看到，在全能天主的允许下，她的请愿全部得到准许。