The Spiritual Deer and the Single Desire

As the deer longs for the springs of water, so my soul longs for you, O God (Psalm 42:1). This animal is said to be a destroyer of serpents. And when it has killed the serpents, it becomes thirsty from their venom and hastens to find a spring of water, so that it may wash away the thirst and be cleansed; for it is said that as the serpents are torn apart by this animal, they cover the face of the deer with blood and other things, and so it goes away to wash itself, so that the impurity brought upon it from the destruction of the serpents may be washed away.

And something else is said about this animal: that when it grows old and sheds its antlers, it eats serpents and is renewed. The eating of serpents makes it new again. But of what kind of serpents? All the kind of venomous ones, of all the serpents or even of the whole genus. And this too: when it casts off its horns from old age, it dwells in a den until it grows horns again and becomes strong; for one without horns is vulnerable; for they are its weapons and its defenses. Therefore, when they pass through the woods, their horns are seized and thus they are torn away; so a proverb like this appears: 'Woe to deer without horns.' And this proverb alludes to this: woe to the helpless man who does not have the power to help himself.

The other thing of those signified here is shown by the saying: 'In the same way that a deer longs for the springs of water, so my soul longs for you, my God' (Psalm 42:1); he compared the longing toward God to the longing of the deer for the springs; for God is a spring, and His word is a spring: 'You have left the spring of wisdom' (Job 28:12). 'For with you is the spring of life' (Psalm 36:9). And again: 'You have left me, a spring of living water,' God says (Psalm 119:172). And the Holy Spirit is a spring, if indeed all the gifts flow from Him and from Him they have their beginning.

In the same way that the sensible deer longs for the springs of water, so our soul, becoming a deer and a destroyer of harmful things, longs for you, O God. Those who 'are ready to avenge all disobedience' (Hebrews 10:29) are deer, destroying the serpents of injustice. And those having received 'authority to tread...'

The serpents and the scorpions are deer. These deer also pursue the high things. Just as they pursue the springs of waters, so too the high things; for 'mountains are the high things for the deer'. And again the same: 'He who prepares my feet like a deer' (Ps 103:6), so that having been prepared, they pursue the intelligible things.

And since I have often said that the intelligible things seem to be different and different things according to each and every different thought, even though they are the same in substance, the springs of waters which the spiritual deer seeks, and high mountains, are the same. Insofar as they are lifted up and given from above, they are high things; but insofar as they water and give birth to rivers in the plains, they are called springs.

Therefore, it must be said and it is morally right: the serpents are pleasures; for pleasure is diverse. And 'being led by various pleasures and desires'. He speaks concerning the faults of women whom the heterodox capture as captives. These therefore diverse deer do not long to find God; they do not seek one single desire. But one desire is the Savior and our Lord himself. Just as he is called wisdom and truth and light and righteousness, so also he is desire.

Furthermore, the bride in the Song of Songs, inquiring about the bridegroom, where she can find him, the doorkeepers whom she inquired of, say: 'What is your brother more excellent than your brothers, the beautiful among women?' (Song 1:9). Say tell me your own, the other, among the many brothers. And he says: 'My brother is white and ruddy' (Song 4:1), he is not one, he is man and God. Then, passing through his praises, he says at the end: 'His throat is sweet, all desire' (Song 4:16). His word is sweet.

You know that some desirable things are not entirely so, but they have something unpleasant mixed in; for example, the drinking of sweet wine has something desirable. But when it is taken to excess, it works a drunkenness and is not entirely desire. Again, the sun seen is sweet. But when its flame descends, it has something unpleasant. Therefore, regarding the discourse concerning the marriage, nothing is unpleasant, it is entirely desire, it is entirely love, according to the one saying: 'My love is crucified' (Song 8:6). But the loves of others have something bitter mixed in. Just as 'all desire' is, so also 'all love' is, and for this reason the soul longs.