Dolebat enim cum dolentibus et cum gaudentibus gaudebat

In the process of reading the vita of Saint Balthilde of France, I came across the phrase "dolebat enim cum dolentibus et cum gaudentibus gaudebat." In English: "For she mourned with the mournful, and with the joyful she rejoiced."

An elegant sentiment expressed elegantly, I thought. It stuck with me, and recently inspired this picture:

It began as a small ink drawing, and evolved on my laptop to the image you see here.

For those interested, the Vita Balthidis can be found in the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores Rerum Merovingicarum, vol.II, p.482-508. The above phrase is on page 497.

The text was originally written in the seventh century, probably shortly after Balthilde's death in 680. She was an interesting character, who began as a slave girl and ended as queen of France. The many enemies she made along the way proved no impediment to achieving sainthood.