3901. On the inhabitants of [an earth in] the starry heaven
While I was copying the passages concerning the spirits of an earth in the starry universe, who progress even to the ninth use [3270 ff.], they were present with me, as well as their god overhead, as previously. They were speaking now and then, but very little, being of the reticent kind. They said they could speak, and were surprised that they were able to do so. But they said that the discourse they were carrying on with me here was extremely obscure, so that they hardly knew what they were saying, for thus their life was not in our speech, and they have speech in which their life is, which they derive from the ninth use, toward which they are progressing. So they have speech which could hardly be expressed in mental images like ours, and their speech would be just as obscure to us as ours is to them. For where there is life, there is speech, and there is light and understanding of the speech.
3901. CONCERNING THE INHABITANTS OF THE STARRY HEAVEN.
While I was engaged in writing the things (related) concerning the spirits of an earth in the starry universe, who advance to the ninth use, 1they were present with me as also their god above my head, as had been the case before. They spoke indeed, but very little, being inclined to silence. They said that they could speak and yet wondered at their ability to do so, observing that when they spoke with me, as on this occasion, the speech was very obscure to them, so that they scarcely knew what they said, forasmuch as their life was not in our speech; wherefore they have a speech in which their life is, which they derive from the ninth use, where unto they advance. They are thus endowed with such a speech as can scarcely be expressed by ideas similar to ours, and their speech would be as obscure to us as ours is to them; for where the life is, there is the speech, and there also is the light and the intellectual of speech.
Footnotes:
1. For an explanation of what is here meant by the "ninth use" the reader referred to the AC 10,709.
3901. De incolis coeli stelliferi
Cum exscriberem ea quae de spiritibus telluris in universo stellifero, qui progrediuntur ad nonum usum [3270 ff.], erant apud me, tum quoque deus eorum supra caput ut prius; ii passim loquebantur, sed parumper modo, nam tacentes erant, dicebant quod loqui possent, et mirati quod possent, sed dicebant quod loqui mecum sicut hic, esset iis perquam obscurum, ut vix scirent quid dicerent; nam sic quod non vita eorum esset in loquela nostra, quare iis est loquela, in qua vita eorum est, quam trahunt ab usu nono, ad quem progrediuntur, sic iis est talis loquela, quae vix per ideas nostris similes expressibilis esset, et foret eorum loquela tam obscura nobis, sicut nostra est iis, nam ubi vita ibi loquela, et ibi lux et intellectuale loquelae.