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Facile difficile [94]


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De wech die nae Godt leijt, is effen Recht en slecht.
De vromen lustich gaet, de boos ghevallen Lecht.
Wat is hem jnde weech? sijn hoovaerdighe sotheijt
stoot aen een veseltge, en seijt dat daer een block-leijt.
Soo ondersoeckt de Schrift de boose mensch verhart,
Niet met begeerte dat Goodt eer verbreijdet wart:
Maer om vervullen eijgen Eersuchts groot verlangen
Door duijster woorden om d'eenvoudighe te vangen. translation

De Dieu la voye est droite et trespolie:
Le iuste y passe, et le meschant trebusche.
Qui fait cela? son orgueil & folie,
Qui d'vn festu fait vne lourde buche,
L'homme endurci les saints escrits espluche,
Non pour desir de gloire à son Dieu rendre,
Mais pour remplir sa sotte coqueluche
De mots obscurs pour l'innocent surprendre. translation

FACILE DIFFICILEtranslation

xciiij.
Plana via est, nullis salebris, non obsita spinis
Semita mortales quà iubet ire Deus:
Hac iustus pergit facilè, at mens impia nodum
Repperit in scirpo1, nec potis ire simul. translation

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Facsimile Images


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Translations

...
...
Easy. Difficult.
The road is smooth, without any potholes, the path
Along which God orders us to go is not beset by thorns.
Along this the just proceeds easily, but the godless mind
Finds knots in bullrush, and cannot go on at the same time.


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Literature

  1. Mentioned in: Henkel and Schöne, Emblemata, col. 983

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Sources and parallels


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    References, across this site, to this page:

    No references to this emblem or page found.

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    Iconclass

    The believer confidently walks towards God, the sinner stumbles and falls

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    Comments

    commentary

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    Notes

    1
    (Wikipedia: The term bulrush (or sometimes as bullrush) typically refers to tall, herbaceous plants that grow in wetlands. However, as a common name for a plant, bulrush can mean very different things in different parts of the world; 'To search for a knot in bullrush' is a proverb for 'finding difficulties where there are none'.