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Desiderium Amoris [66]
Desiderium Amoris.
XXIV.
L. Iustin.
Idem.
AMor desiderijs nutritur, desideria autem ab a-
more tanquam calor ab igne prodeūt. & sunt
veluti ignita iacula quæ cor amantis in amatum
sagittat, quare absque magnâ remunerationis
mercede esse non poterit quisquis sancto deside-
riorum ardore accensus extiterit. parum quippe
operatur, quamuis multa agat, qui non amplius
agit affectu quam actu. non meruit secreta scire
cælestia, Propheta Daniel, quia ieiunauit, sed quia
concupiuit, dicente Angelo, ego autem veni vt in-
dicarem tibi, quia vir desideriorum es. & quis po-
test verbis propalare sanctorum desideria? soli ex-
perti norunt amantium affectus, quam sæpe desi-
derio patiuntur, dilaniantur, vruntur, occumbunt.
quod si liceret, non segnius sustinerent actu, quam
desiderijs concupiscant. immensa est Amoris vis,
& nullo abbreuiata fine, quæ sicut nutritur de se,
ita dilatatur in se, non alieno indiget adminiculo,
sibi ipsi sufficit, dum virtutem suam exercere
valet.
AMor desiderijs nutritur, desideria autem ab a-
more tanquam calor ab igne prodeūt. & sunt
veluti ignita iacula quæ cor amantis in amatum
sagittat, quare absque magnâ remunerationis
mercede esse non poterit quisquis sancto deside-
riorum ardore accensus extiterit. parum quippe
operatur, quamuis multa agat, qui non amplius
agit affectu quam actu. non meruit secreta scire
cælestia, Propheta Daniel, quia ieiunauit, sed quia
concupiuit, dicente Angelo, ego autem veni vt in-
dicarem tibi, quia vir desideriorum es. & quis po-
test verbis propalare sanctorum desideria? soli ex-
perti norunt amantium affectus, quam sæpe desi-
derio patiuntur, dilaniantur, vruntur, occumbunt.
quod si liceret, non segnius sustinerent actu, quam
desiderijs concupiscant. immensa est Amoris vis,
& nullo abbreuiata fine, quæ sicut nutritur de se,
ita dilatatur in se, non alieno indiget adminiculo,
sibi ipsi sufficit, dum virtutem suam exercere
valet.
Desir de l'Amour.
XXIV.
Que ne peut elle pas ceste flame diuine,
Qui au fond de mon cœur, au sein de ma poictrine,
Sans la pouuoir cacher, s'y est ouuert le iour?
Combien est il heureux, celuy qui la desire,
Et mourant comme moy, en son ardeur expire,
Essayant ce que peut l'embrassement d'Amour.
XXIV.
Que ne peut elle pas ceste flame diuine,
Qui au fond de mon cœur, au sein de ma poictrine,
Sans la pouuoir cacher, s'y est ouuert le iour?
Combien est il heureux, celuy qui la desire,
Et mourant comme moy, en son ardeur expire,
Essayant ce que peut l'embrassement d'Amour.
Translations
|
Desire of love. |
|
Love is nourished by desires; now desires result from love like heat from fire, and they are as it were ignited arrows, that
the heart of the lover shoots towards the beloved. This is why it will be impossible for anybody to become inflamed by the
sacred heat of desire if the costs are not compensated by a great reward.2 For he who operates less out of passion than out of action3 indeed achieves very little, although he acts a lot. The prophet Daniel did not deserve to remain ignorant of the secrets
of heaven because he fasted, but because he desired, for the angel said "now I have come to show to you, because you are a
man of desires".4 And who can make fully known in words the desires of the saints? Only those who have experienced these feelings know those
of lovers; how often through desire they suffer, are tortured, burnt, die. If they could, they would be as quick to hold their
own through action, as they are now prone to lust through their desires. The power of love is immense and is not stopped short
by any bound; just as it feeds of itself, so it expands in itself; it does not need another's support, it is self-sufficient,
so long it can exercise its power. |
|
Lord, all my desire is set before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You.5 |
Literature
Sources and parallels
-
Remake of image, in: Domine ante te omne desiderium meum (in: Justus de Harduwijn, Goddelycke wenschen (1629))
[Compare
![[compare]](/static/images/compare2.gif "Compare")
]
-
Similar pictura in: Quarles, Emblems, divine and moral
, embl. 3.0
-
Arrows of love directed at the sun in: Voor u alleen, en anders geen [19] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709))
[Compare]
-
Arrows directed at the sun in:'t Verlokte oog misleid den Boog [1] (in: Pieter Huygen, Beginselen van Gods Koninkrijk (1689))
[Compare]
-
Porteman 1975, p. 212. Same pictura and same quote in the poem Pia Desideria starts with: Hugo, Pia desideria, bk/poem. 1/1
-
Parallel for the pictura (exact copy), the same Latin bible quote and French epigram in:Voor u alleen, en anders geen [19] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709))
[Compare]
-
Similar pictura (church in the background added, no figure of sacred love) and the same Latin bible quotation in:
[Titlepage] (in: Jan Suderman, De godlievende ziel (1724))
[Compare]
References, across this site, to this page:
- Domine ante te omne desiderium meum (in: Justus de Harduwijn, Goddelycke wenschen (1629))
- Voor u alleen, en anders geen [19] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709))
- Voor u alleen, en anders geen [19] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709))
- 't Verlokte oog misleid den Boog [1] (in: Pieter Huygen, Beginselen van Gods Koninkrijk (1689))
- [Titlepage] (in: Jan Suderman, De godlievende ziel (1724))
Iconclass
The soul opens her dress for an arrow leaving her heart; sacred love points at her and at three arrows that are flying upwards- Christ as youth
[11D26]
- 'Desiderio verso Iddio' (Ripa)
[11Q02]
- radiance emanating from persons or things
[22C31]
- meadow, pasture
[25H17]
- eyes
[31A2212]
- ears
[31A2213]
- index finger forwards, pointing, indicating
[31A25552]
- sitting on the ground - AA - female human figure
[31AA2351]
- looking upwards
[31B6211]
- looking downwards
[31B6212]
- adolescent, young woman, maiden
[31D13]
- violent death by arrow(s) - EE - death not certain; wounded person (+ variant)
[31EE23461(+0)]
- dress, gown (+ undressing, taking off clothes)
[41D211(+6)]
- archer's weapons: arrow
[45C15(ARROW)]
- archer's weapons: bow
[45C15(BOW)]
- quiver
[45C23]
- banderole
[49L73]
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT)
[86(ACH)]
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT)
[86(HEU)]
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT)
[86(UTINAM)]
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT)
[86(DESIDERIUM AMORIS)]
Comments
commentaryNotes
Not Ps. 34, but 37(38):10.
'This is why ... by a great reward': the meaning of the Latin is quite obscure, and the translation is given exempli gratia.
'less out of passion than out of action': the somewhat punning use of actus and effectus in the Latin ('what one does' and
'what is done to one' respectively) is based on the idea that lovers operate a lot of things, but in fact they are mainly
operated on, manipulated, viz., by love, and the beloved.
'a man of desires', 'vir desideriorum': the standard translation of 'desideriorum', 'much loved', would not make much sense
in this context. 'Man of desires' is a literal translation of the Hebrew original, meaning "a much beloved man", which is
the translation found in vernacular versions of the Bible. E.g.: "I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved" (KJV).
'Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee' KJV (in KJV Ps. 38:9).