Il mal mi preme, & mi spaventa il peggio [20]
20. Il
mal mi preme, &1 mi spaventa il peggio.
Als ick in liefde ben/ dan ben ick als ghebonden/
Als ick daer buyten ben/ dan ben ick gantsch gheschonden/
Wat doe ick doch aldus? ontbonden wil ick zijn/
Soo ick ontbonden ben/ so meerdert doch mijn pijn/
Soo ick dus langhe blijf/ ick moet mijn vreuchden derven/
Soo ick dus niet en blijf/ zoo moet ick doch wel sterven.
Soo ick ghesloten blijf/ zoo blijf ick inden noot/
Soo ick ontsloten word’ zoo gae ick inde doot.
Als ick daer buyten ben/ dan ben ick gantsch gheschonden/
Wat doe ick doch aldus? ontbonden wil ick zijn/
Soo ick ontbonden ben/ so meerdert doch mijn pijn/
Soo ick dus langhe blijf/ ick moet mijn vreuchden derven/
Soo ick dus niet en blijf/ zoo moet ick doch wel sterven.
Soo ick ghesloten blijf/ zoo blijf ick inden noot/
Soo ick ontsloten word’ zoo gae ick inde doot.
Translations
Het kwaad bedrukt me, het ergste schrikt me af. |
Evil pursues me, and fear of worse haunts me. |
De kat wacht af terwijl de muis de kooi open doet. Zo staat ons, wanneer we kwaad vermijden, het ergere te wachten. |
The cage releases the mouse, the cat is waiting. Thus worse awaits us when we avoid evil. |
Literature
- Henkel and Schöne, Emblemata, col. 591
- Porteman, Inleiding tot de Nederlandse emblemataliteratuur, pp. 46-47
- Praz, Seventeenth-Century Imagery, p. 97
- Luijten, Gezien of gelezen?, pp. 48-49
Sources and parallels
- Source for the motto: Petrarca, Canzoniere, poem. 186, 1
- Source for the motto: Petrarca, Canzoniere, poem. 244, 1
- Source for the motto: Junius, Emblemata [web], embl. 39
- Source for the pictura and entire emblem: Scève, Délie, embl. 33
- Parallel in the 1616 edtion (motto and subscriptio the same, pictura is mirrored): Il mal mi preme, & mi spaventa il peggio. [44] (in: Daniël Heinsius, Ambacht van Cupido, from: Nederduytsche poemata (1616)) [Compare]
- Parallel (and probably adaptation) for the pictura and entire emblem: Voor vryheyt vaylicheyt [28] (in: Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft, Emblemata amatoria (1611)) [Compare]
- Parallel (probably adaptation) of the pictura in: Fit spolians spolium. [12] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627)) [Compare]
- Partial parallel (adaptation?) for the pictura in: Ut capias, capiare prius. [18] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627)) [Compare]
- Parallel in the 1608 edition: Il mal mi preme, & mi spaventa il peggio [20] (in: Daniël Heinsius, Emblemata amatoria (1607/8)) [Compare]
References, across this site, to this page:
- Fit spolians spolium. [12] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627))
- Ut capias, capiare prius. [18] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627))
- Voor vryheyt vaylicheyt [28] (in: Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft, Emblemata amatoria (1611))
- Il mal mi preme, & mi spaventa il peggio [20] (in: Daniël Heinsius, Emblemata amatoria (1607/8))
- Il mal mi preme, & mi spaventa il peggio. [44] (in: Daniël Heinsius, Ambacht van Cupido (1613))
- Il mal mi preme, & mi spaventa il peggio. [44] (in: Daniël Heinsius, Ambacht van Cupido, from: Nederduytsche poemata (1616))
Iconclass
From behind a wall Cupid is looking at a cat who is watching a mouse leaving the trap where he was captured yet safe- rodents: mouse (+ animal(s) being hit, shot, caught) [25F26(MOUSE)(+621)]
- spying on someone (+ variant) [31A314(+0)]
- cat and mouse [34B121]
- mouse trap [34D111]
- archer's weapons: arrow [45C15(ARROW)]
- archer's weapons: bow [45C15(BOW)]
- Curtailment (+ emblematical representation of concept) [51EE12(+4)]
- Danger; 'Pericolo' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54DD51(+4)]
- Pain, Sorrow, Sadness; 'Dolore', 'Dolore di Zeusi' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [56BB1(+4)]
- (personifications and symbolic representations of) Love; 'Amore (secondo Seneca)' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [56F2(+4)]
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(IL MAL MI PREME, ET MI SPAVENTA IL PEGGIO)]
- other non-aggressive activities of Cupid [92D156]
- attributes of Cupid (with NAME) [92D18(ARROW)]
- attributes of Cupid (with NAME) [92D18(BOW)]
Notes
In het motto onder de pictura staat: et
i.p.v. &.