''The Treasure of the Humble'' (french: Le Trésor des humbles) is a collection of thirteen deeply reflective mystical
essays
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...
by the Belgian
Nobel Laureate
The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...
. The work is dedicated to
Georgette Leblanc
Georgette Leblanc (8 February 1869, Rouen – 27 October 1941, Le Cannet) was a French operatic soprano, actress, author, and the sister of novelist Maurice Leblanc. She became particularly associated with the works of Jules Massenet and w ...
.
Essays
* "Le Silence" ("Silence")
* "Le Réveil de L'Ame" ("The Awakening of the Soul")
* "Les Avertis" ("The Pre-Destined")
* "La Morale Mystique" ("Mystic Morality")
* "Sur Les Femmes" ("On Women")
* "Ruysbroeck L'Admirable"
* "Emerson"
* "Novalis"
* "Le Tragique Quotidien" ("The Tragical in Daily Life")
* "L'Étoile" ("The Star")
* "La Bonté Invisible" ("The Invisible Goodness")
* "La Vie Profonde" ("The Deeper Life")
* "La Beauté Intérieure" ("The Inner Beauty")
English translations
''The Treasure of the Humble'' was translated into English by
Alfred Sutro
Alfred Sutro OBE (7 August 1863 – 11 September 1933) was an English author, dramatist and translator. In addition to a succession of successful plays of his own in the first quarter of the 20th century, Sutro made the first English translation ...
with an introduction by
A. B. Walkley in 1897. The English-language version does not include the essays on
Ruysbroeck
John van Ruysbroeck, original Flemish name Jan van Ruusbroec () (1293 or 1294 – 2 December 1381) was an Augustinian canon and one of the most important of the Flemish mystics. Some of his main literary works include ''The Kingdom of the D ...
,
Emerson, and
Novalis
Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...
.
References
* Maeterlinck, Maurice (1900). ''The Treasure of the Humble.'' New York: Dodd, Mead & Company/London: George Allen, Ruskin House.
* Maeterlinck, Maurice (1907). ''Le Trésor des Humbles.'' Paris: Société du Mercure de France.
External links
Chapter X of Edward Thomas' ''Maurice Materlinck'', entitled "First Essays: 'Le Trésor des Humbles'; 'La Sagesse et la Destinée'"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treasure of the Humble
Books by Maurice Maeterlinck
1896 non-fiction books
Essay collections