salms which before thou said'st. Then
must thou be long over a few psalms. Then, thou wilt think death sweeter
than honey, for then thou art full of sighs to see Him whom thou lovest.
[Then mayst thou boldly say "I languish for love."] Then mayst thou say
"I sleep, and my heart wakes."

In the first degree, men may say "I languish for love," or "I long in
love." And in the second degree also: for languishing is when men fail
for sickness, and they who are in these two degrees fail from all the
covetousness of this world, and from lust and liking of sinful life, and
set their will and their heart to the love of GOD--therefore they may
say "I languish for love," and much more that are in the second degree
than in the first. But the soul that is in the third degree is all
burning fire, and like the nightingale that loves song and melody, and
fails for great love: so that the soul is only comforted in praising and
loving GOD; and till Death come, is singing ghostly to JESUS, and in
JESUS, and JESUS; not crying bodily with the mouth--of that manner of
singing I speak not, for both good and evil have that song. And this
manner of song have none unless they be in this third degree of love: to
the which degree it is impossible to come, but in a great multitude of
love. Therefore, if thou wilt wot what kind of joy that song has, I tell
thee, that no man wots, save he or she who feels it, who has it, and who
loves GOD singing therewith. One thing tell I thee, it is of heaven, and
GOD gives it to whom He will, but not without great grace coming before.
Who has it, he thinks all the song and all the minstrelsy of earth
naught but sorrow and woe (compared) thereto. In sovereign rest shall
they be who get it. Wanderers and brawlers, and keepers of comers and
goers early and late night and day, or any who are seized with any sin
witfully and willingly, or who have delight in any earthly thing, they
are also farther therefrom than heaven is from earth. In the first
degree, are many: in the second degree are full few; but in the third
degree are scarcely any: for aye the greater is the perfection the fewer
followers it has. In the first degree, men are likened to the stars, in
the second to the moon, in the third to the sun. Therefore says S. Paul:
"Others of the sun, others of the moon, others of the stars," so it is
of the lovers of GOD. In this third degree, if thou mayst win thereto,
thou shalt know of more joy than I have told thee