Vulnus Amoris.

XX.

Rusbroch.
DEus erga dilectam animam instar venatoris
sese gerit, anima vero instar feræ. sicut enim
venator fugientem feram vulneribus confodit
quo capere illam queat; ita & Deus fugientem
quodammodo animam & deserentem primum
feruorē, sua gratia vulnerat, vt eam sibi advniat.
porro quemadmodum feræ illæ, quæ ferociores
sunt, cum vulneratas se sentiunt velocissimo con-
tra ferientem irruunt cursu, fugam ipsam magno
impetu cōuertentes in eum quem dilaniare con-
tendunt. ita & anima tunc certè ardentius ad
Deum conuertitur, tuncqueue studiosius diuinum
inquirit verbum, cum primum ab illo vulnerata,
languorem, doloremque sentit ipsorum vulne-
rum: non quidem vt instar ferarum, illud inimico
dilaniet ore, sed vt amico potius deuotionis id
osculetur osculo, vtque ipsum complectatur amā-
tissimo charitatis affectu. Nihil potest hoc amo-
ris vulnere sentiri suauius. hoc vulnere affici cer-
tissimum est sanitatis consequendæ indicium.

[126a] ↓

Tetendit arcum suum, et posuit me quasi signum ad sagittam. Thren. 3.

Sus donc Amour, mon coeur esbresche,
Bande ton arc, tire ta flesche.

127 ↓

Playe de l'Amour.
XX.
Qui ne diroit, que cest amant me blesse;
Mais ie vous dis, plustost, qu' il me caresse,
Et que ces traicts, sont la mesme douçeur.
Vous n'entendéz, que c'est que ce mystere:
C'est vn secret que l'Amour seul opere:
Qui bande, tire, & blesse sans douleur.

O que bien que tira Amor
Pues apunta tan derecho
Que haze suertes en el pecho.

Schiet schutter vry/ het hert is bloot/
Doorschiet mijn siel/ sy heuets noot.

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Facsimile Images

126

[126a]

127

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Translations

The wound of love.

God behaves towards the beloved soul like a hunter, on the other hand the soul like a wild animal. For like the hunter transfixes the wild animal with many wounds so that he can catch it, so also God wounds the soul with His grace while it is trying to flee from Him in some way or another and is losing its vigour. He does this to unite it with Himself. Further, like when the more ferocious type of beasts notices that it is wounded it runs at the utmost speed into the one who is striking it, and turns its flight with great force towards the one it strives to tear apart, so also the soul then, in any case, turns more ardently towards God, and then searches with so much more effort after the word of God, when after it has received its first wound from Him, notices that it is weakening and is feeling the pain of the wounds itself; now, however, the result is not that it, like the beasts, searches to tear its foe apart with hostile jaw, but rather searches to kiss it with the friendly kiss of devotion, and that it embraces Him with the friendliest feelings of love. Nothing can be sweeter than to feel this wound of love. To be affected by this wound is the most certain sign of attaining health.¹

He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.²

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Literature

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Sources and parallels

Possibly based on, not mirrored, background landscape and an inscription tablet on the cross added, in: Vulnus amoris. [22] (in: anonymous, Amoris divini et humani antipathia (1628)) [Compare]
Parallel for the pictura (exact copy), the same Latin bible quote and French epigram in:'t Geeft een nieuw leven [8] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709)) [Compare]

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References, across this site, to this page:

Vulnus amoris. [22] (in: anonymous, Amoris divini et humani antipathia (1628))
't Geeft een nieuw leven [8] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709))
Pectus meum amoris scopus [77] (in: Otto Vaenius, Amorum emblemata (1608))

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Iconclass

Through a small hoop held by an angel, sacred love shoots an arrow in the chest of the soul, who is leaning against a cross

God's perfections [11A23]
the cross ~ symbols of Christ [11D12]
angel(s) with other object(s), e.g. weapons (+ angels floating in the air) [11G1926(+31)]
radiance emanating from persons or things [22C31]
adult woman [31D15]
violent death by arrow(s) - EE - death not certain; wounded person [31EE23461]
Love torturing lover [33C97]
target (~ sharpshooting) (+ variant) [43C424(+0)]
archer's weapons: arrow [45C15(ARROW)]
archer's weapons: bow (+ handling of weapons) [45C15(BOW)(+63)]
quiver [45C23]
Pleasure, Enjoyment, Joy; 'Allegrezza', 'Allegrezza da le medaglie', 'Allegrezza, letitia e giubilo', 'Diletto', 'Piacere', 'Piacere honesto' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [56B1(+4)]
(personifications and symbolic representations of) Love; 'Amore (secondo Seneca)' (Ripa) (+ clothed) [56F2(+123)]
(personifications and symbolic representations of) Love; 'Amore (secondo Seneca)' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [56F2(+4)]
proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(VULNUS AMORIS)]

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Comments

commentary

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Notes

¹

[Rusbroch.] 'Nihil potest hoc amoris vulnere sentiri suauius. hoc vulnere affici certissimum est sanitatis consequendae indicium' : it will still have to be checked where exactly the quotation of (or allusion to) Ruusbroec begins and ends. Ruusbroec was translated into Latin (pers. info Herman Brinkman)

²

'Tetendit arcum suum, et posuit me quasi signum ad sagittam.' Thren. 3. = Lamentat. 3:12 'He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow': the translation is from the King James Version.

Vulnus Amoris [62]

Facsimile Images

Translations

Literature

Sources and parallels

References, across this site, to this page:

Iconclass

Comments

Notes