545、为叫我了解天堂和天堂喜乐的性质和品质，主常许我长时间地感受天堂喜乐的种种快乐。我因通过亲身体验而获知它们，故的确能知道它们，却根本不能付诸于言语。然而，为了提供对它的某种概念，我可以这么说，天堂的喜乐是对无数快乐和喜乐的一种情感，这无数快乐和喜乐一起形成一个总的、所有人共享的喜乐。在这总的喜乐，也就是总的情感里面有无数模糊而非清晰地进入感知的和谐情感，因为感知是极其笼统的。即便如此，我仍被允许觉察到感知里面有无数事物以一种无法描述的方式被组织起来。这无数事物从存在于天堂的秩序中流出，这秩序决定了它们的性质。
这种秩序存在于情感的最小元素中，所有这些元素都照着感受这种情感的那个人的能力而一起呈现并被感知为一个整的总体。总而言之，每个总体喜乐或情感都有无数以最完美的形式组织起来的部分；每个部分都是活的，都影响我们，甚至影响我们至内在的事物，因为天堂的喜乐就来自至内在事物。我还发觉，喜乐和愉悦似乎来自我的心脏，并极其轻柔地渗透到我身体的所有至内在纤维，从而渗透到所有纤维束。这种至内在的快乐感觉似乎使得每根纤维仿佛完全由喜乐和愉悦，以及伴随喜乐和愉悦的一切感知和感觉构成。这些纤维似乎充满快乐。拿我们在肉体放纵中所感受到的喜乐与这些喜乐相比，如同拿粗糙刺鼻的灰尘与纯净而柔和的微风相比。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]545. In order to teach me about the existence and nature of heaven and heavenly joy, the Lord has given me the opportunity to perceive the pleasures of heavenly joy frequently and for extended periods. Because I have learned these things by actually experiencing them, I possess the knowledge but cannot possibly put it into words.
To offer just an idea of it: The countless pleasures and joys there, which come together to create a single experience shared by all, carry with them a certain emotion. Within that common experience, or that common emotion, are points of harmony among a boundless number of feelings. These individual points of harmony do not come clearly but only vaguely to our awareness, because our perception is extremely generalized. Even so, I was allowed to perceive that there were countless parts, organized in a way that can never be described. Those countless parts flow from the order that exists in heaven, which determines their nature.
[2] The smallest individual elements of an emotion are organized in such a way that they are presented and sensed only as a collective whole, according to the capacities of the person who feels the emotion. In a word, every whole has an unlimited number of parts, organized in the most perfect way; every one of the parts is alive; and every one of them affects us, all the way to our inmost recesses. For the inmost recesses are where heavenly joy comes from.
I also perceived that joy and pleasure seemed to come from my heart, gently permeating all the inmost fibers of my body and thus all the bundles of fibers.{*1} The sensation of this joy at the deepest levels made it seem as though each fiber was composed of nothing but joy and pleasure and all the perceptiveness and sensitivity that come with joy and pleasure. The fibers seemed alive with happiness.
The joy we feel in physical indulgence, compared to these joys, is like a coarse, stinging dust compared to the gentlest breath of pure air.
Footnotes:
{*1} Swedenborg's use of the term fiber here is specific for individual nerve fibers. Like other scientists of his day, he was aware of the bundling of these into fascicles, and of fascicles into nerves, and he reserves the use of the term "nerve" to these tertiary bundles of fibers, as would a scientist today. See Dynamics of the Soul's Domain (Swedenborg [1740-1741] 1955), part 1, 157: "A fiber is a unit of the first order, a fascicle of fibers a unit of the second order, and a nerve a unit of the third order." For Swedenborg's descriptive anatomy and derivation of this system, see his posthumously published manuscript Draft on the Fiber (Swedenborg 1976a) 1-327. [RPB]
Potts(1905-1910) 545
545. But in order that I might know the nature and quality of heaven and of heavenly joy, for long and often I have been permitted by the Lord to perceive the delights of heavenly joys, so that as I know them from actual experience I can indeed know them, but can by no means describe them. However, in order to give some idea of it I may say that heavenly joy is an affection of innumerable delights and joys that form one general simultaneous joy, in which general joy, that is, in which general affection, there are harmonies of innumerable affections that do not come distinctly to perception, but obscurely, because the perception is very general. Yet I was permitted to perceive that there are things innumerable within it, in such order as can never be described, these innumerable things being such as flow from the order of heaven. Such order exists in every least thing of the affection, all of which together are presented and perceived as a very general one according to the capacity of him who is the subject of it. In a word, in every general joy or affection there are illimitable things ordinated in a most perfect form, and there is nothing that is not alive or that does not affect even the inmost things of our being, for heavenly joys proceed from inmost things. I perceived also that the joy and deliciousness came as if from the heart, and very softly diffused themselves through all the inmost fibers, and so into the congregated fibers, with such an inmost sense of delight that the fiber is as it were nothing but joy and deliciousness, and the whole derivative perceptive and sensitive sphere the same, being alive with happiness. In comparison with these joys the joy of bodily pleasures is like gross and pungent dust as compared with a pure and gentle breeze.
Elliott(1983-1999) 545
545. To enable me to know what heaven and heavenly joy are, and the nature of them, the Lord has allowed me frequently and for long periods to perceive the delights that accompany heavenly joys. From my actual experience therefore I can know them but in no sense describe them. However, so that people may have a rough idea of it, let me say this: It is the affection accompanying countless joys and delights which product one general and simultaneous joy. That general joy, or general affection, consists of harmonious bands of countless affections, none of which focus clearly in one's perception, but only indistinctly, because one's perception is very general. Nevertheless I have been allowed to perceive that it contains countless things whose ordering defies description. Those countless things are such as flow from the order of heaven itself.
[2] This order extends to the smallest individual areas of the affection, which present themselves and are perceived simply as one very general whole. They present themselves and are perceived according to the capacity of the person subject to them. In a word, every general affection contains innumerable parts ordered into a perfect form. No part is devoid of life or fails to affect. This applies to the inmost parts in particular, for heavenly joys stem from things that are inmost. I have also perceived that the joy and delight went out as it were from the heart and very gently spread themselves through every inmost fibre, and from there into every cluster of fibres, doing so with such an interior sense of delight that a fibre was so to speak nothing but joy and delight; and all resulting perceptivity and feeling in like manner was alive with happiness. In comparison with those joys, the joy that accompanies the desires of the flesh is as thick choking smog to a pure and very gentle breeze.
Latin(1748-1756) 545
545. Sed ut scire possem quid et quale caelum et caeleste gaudium, saepe et diu, a Domino datum est percipere jucunditates gaudiorum caelestium; quare quia ab experientia viva, possum scire sed nusquam describere: ast ut solum idea ejus habeatur; est affectio jucunditatum et gaudiorum innumerabilium, quae commune quoddam simultaneum sistunt, in quo communi, seu in qua communi affectione, sunt innumerabilium affectionum harmoniae, quae distincte non perveniunt ad perceptionem sed obscure, quia communissima perceptio; usque percipere datum quod innumerabilia inessent, ita ordinata ut describi nusquam possint; innumerabilia illa, qualia ex caeli ordine fluunt. [2] Talis ordo est in affectionis singulis et minimis, quae modo ut communissimum unum sistuntur et percipiuntur secundum capacitatem ejus qui est objectum; verbo, indefinita in ordinatissima forma insunt cuicumque communi, et nihil non vivit et afficit, et quidem intima, nam gaudia caelestia ab intimis procedunt. Perceptum quoque, quod gaudium et delicium sicut a corde veniret, se diffundens mollissime per omnes fibras intimas, et inde in fibras congregatas, cum tali jucunditatis intimo sensu ut fibra sit quasi nihil nisi gaudium et delicium, et omne perceptivum et sensitivum inde similiter vivens ex felicitate: voluptatum corporis gaudium ad illa gaudia est sicut crassus et pungens grumus respective ad puram et lenissimam auram.