Canticle of Brother Fire: Text and Meaning
The Canticle of Brother Fire: A Hymn to the Light of the Night
There is a flame that does not consume, but illuminates; that does not divide, but unites. In the Canticle of Brother Fire, fire becomes the voice of wonder: it dances in the night, warms hope, and reminds us that even the most intense force can be a gift.
Through the eyes of St. Francis, every spark tells of the beauty of creation and invites us to cherish the light that dwells in the world and in the heart of each of us.
Praise to "Lord Brother Fire"
Umbrian Vernacular Version (Original Text)
Laudato sie, mi signore, per frate focu,
per lo quale ennalumini la nocte:
et ello è bello e iocundo
et robustoso et forte.
Modern English Version
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You give light to the night.
And he is beautiful and joyful,
and robust and strong.
The Thought of Francis according to the Legenda Antica
Francis, the Legenda Antica recounts, used to say:
"In the morning, when the sun rises, every man should praise God, who created it; through it our eyes are illuminated during the day. In the evening, when night falls, every man should praise God for Brother Fire, through whom our eyes are illuminated during the night."
We are all like the blind, and the Lord illuminates our eyes through these two creatures. For them and for the other creatures we use every day, we must always praise the glorious Creator.
With the Canticle of the Creatures, Francis expresses this praise of his life to the glorious Creator and proposes it to all men. It is a hymn of praise that springs from wonder.
"Francis never wanted to put out the candle, the lamp, or the fire... so great was the piety and affection he bore for this creature. Nor did he want a friar to throw away the fire or the smoking embers, as is usually done; but he recommended that they be gently placed on the ground in reverence for Him who created it."
Fire as a Symbol of Spiritual Elevation
The affective, mysterious, and disconcerting relationship of Francis with "Brother Fire" is a relationship that values fire as an authentic character that Francis "loves" with fraternal affection, to whom he speaks courteously as to one who is "noble and useful among the creatures of the Most High".
Brother Fire is the creature that illuminates the night: it does not drive away the night, as the splendor of the sun does, but it brings light within the night. It illuminates the night of man's house and illuminates the night of his eyes.
Fire is nourished by assimilation: through assimilation, nourishment becomes fire and flame. The flame is matter that rises upwards and becomes light. At the tip of the flame, fire consumes its materiality and becomes spirit.
The beauty of fire is the beauty of matter that rises upwards and becomes light, illuminating the night of the world and of man. For this reason, fire is the joy and the feast of the human heart.
In the flame, Francis contemplates the mystery of love that transforms the heart of man, elevating it above every fear and every doubt. To love is to live in the evidence of the heart.
That mystery of love, which is the inaccessible light in which the Creator dwells, reveals itself to Francis in all creatures, but above all in "Brother Fire", which transforms matter into a flame that rises upwards and becomes light.