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Aucupium Amoris [16]


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32 ↓
Aucupium Amoris.translation
XVI.
Chrysost.
O Anima! in media laqueorum ambulas: la
queus superbia; laqueus cupiditas; laqueus
auaritia; laqueus diuitiæ; laqueus luxuria; laqueus
voluptates; laqueus honores: qua de causa tot la-
quei? ne deorsum volites sed superiora quaras:
etenim volatilia donec in altum aëra secant, non
facilè capiuntur: ita tu donec ad superiora respe-
xeris, nec laqueo, nec vllis alijs facilè capieris in-
sidijs. Venator est Amor mundi: fias igitur illius
calamis sublimior, in altum ascendens, non am-
plius vllam rerum humanarum admiraberis: sed
sicuti postquam in montium verticem ascenderi-
mus, parua nobis & vrbs, & mœnia esse videntur,
& formicarum more nobis viri super terram ire
cernuntur; sic postquam supra celsam Prophetæ
cogitationem ascenderis, nihil te terrenorum per-
cellere poterit, sed parua videbuntur omnia, &
diuitiæ, & honores, & potentia & gloria. illud
continuo ratiocinemur; sicut articulæ laqueo cap-
tæ vtilitas nulla, sed frustra & in cassum alas con-
cutit: ita tibi nulla rationum vtilitas, si ab impro-
bâ penitus cupiditate capta sis sed quantum-
cumque resilieris, capta es. ideo alæ sunt auiculis
vt fugiant laqueos; propterea rationes homini-
bus vt peccata fugiant. quam igitur veniam ha-
bebimus? quam vero defensionem, cùm auiculis
simus dementiores? auicula namque semel capta,
laqueo mox elapsa, eodem iterum difficile capie-
tur; nam cuique fit experientia cautelæ magistra,
nos sæpius eisdem capti, in eadem cadimus.translation

[32a] ↓

Volucrem sic decipit auceps. translation

La caille helas et l'Amant,
Ne s'attrappent myeux qu' au chant.

33 ↓
Oiselerie de l'Amour.
XVI.
Ame si tu n'estois, ladre, insensible, & lourde,
Dis moy, voyant cecy, ne serois tu pas sourde,
Aux appels de l'Amour, & à ses faux sifflets?
Ame ie t'aduertis, Ame ie te conseille,
De leur fermer les yeux, de leur boucher l'aureille,
Ou tu te verras tost prinse dans ses fillets.

Mirad alma à lo que traën
Los reclamos deste Amor
Porque escarmentis mejor.

De liefde met haer pijpen wint/
(Gelijck den quackel) die haer mint/

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32

[32a]

33

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Translations

The fowling of love.
Dear soul! You walk in the midst of snares: pride is a snare, desire is a snare, greed is a snare, wealth is a snare, luxury is a snare, sensual pleasures are snares, honours are snares. Why are there so many snares? Do not fly downwards, but search for what is higher. For winged creatures, as long as they cut air to attain hight are not easily caught. Just so, as long as you look up at matters more sublime, you will neither be caught by a snare, nor will you be ambushed by anything else. Love of the world is the hunter. You must rise therefore beyond the reach of his reeds1, and by gaining hight you will no longer admire any human matters. No, like a town looks small to us after we have climbed to the top of a mountain, as do its walls, and we see men covering ground as if they were ants, just so, after you have climbed the high thought of the prophet, no earthly affairs can astound you, but they all appear minor to you, riches, honours, power, glory, all of them. That is what we have to reckon with continually: just as snared limbs are useless, but the captive flaps its wings without effect, so using your brain power is useless if deep inside you are a captive of wicked desire. On the contrary, no matter how much you recoil, you remain a captive. For this reason birds have wings: to escape traps, for that reason man has rational thought: to escape sin. Therefore, what claim to forgiveness will we have? What will be our defence, when we are more mindless than birds? For once a bird is caught and soon after has escaped, it is difficult to catch in the same way. For experience is the mistress of caution to all, whereas we are caught more often by the same methods and fall into the same pits.
This is how the fowler catches the bird.

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Literature


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    Sources and parallels


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    References, across this site, to this page:


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    Iconclass

    Cupid is catching birds by imitating their singing; a boy puts his hand on the shoulder of a girl

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    Comments

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    Notes

    1
    Reeds, calamis: it is difficult to tell what is meant: pipes with which the fowler mitates bird song. Maybe it also refers to sticks covered with glue at the end.