I have said this to explain the stanza that follows, in which the soul replies to those who call in question its holy tranquillity, who will have it wholly occupied with outward duties, that its light may shine before the world: these persons have no conception of the fibres and the unseen root whence the sap is drawn, and which nourish the fruit.
Saint John of the Cross (2007). “The Collected Works of St John of the Cross: The Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ, the Liv”, p.340, Cosimo, Inc.
