Nosce te ipsum

Cum propriam vidit speciem Narcissus in undis,
Ardere insano cœpit amore sui:
Scilicet hoc homines vitio plerumque laborant,
Vt placeat nimium quilibet ipse sibi.

Kent u zelven.

Narcissus als hy sach zijn eyghen schoonheyts stralen,
Wert hy van ongheneught en eyghen Liefde blieck:
Hoe menich zietmen in haer selfs behaghen dwaalen:
Want meest een yder mensch gaet an dat evel zieck.

Cognoy toy mesme.

Narcisse qui te fait avoir la coleur blesme?
C'est que ie ayme moy mesme.
Puis que tu as de quoy te contenter,
Qui te fait tourmenter?
C'est que ie porte en moy la flamme & le tourment,
Et l'aymé & l'aymant.
Encor pourrois tu faire quelque grace,
Las ie brusle en ma face
Et ces eaux qui m'ont fait recognoistre si beau,
Me servent d'un tombeau.

31[b] ↓

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31[a]

31[b]

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Translations

Know yourself.

When Narcissus saw his own image in the waves,
He began to burn with mad love for himself.
Of course, people in general suffer from this illness,
So that anyone, no matter who, has too high an opinion of himself.

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Literature

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Sources and parallels

Parallel for the Dutch motto (in another context), in:Kent u zelven [35] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709)) [Compare]

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Kent u zelven [35] (in: Jan van Hoogstraten, Zegepraal der goddelyke liefde (1709))

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Narcissus, gazing in a fountain, falls in love with his own reflection

forest, wood [25H15]
utilitarian, public pump or water fountain [44E14]
archer's weapons: bow [45C15(BOW)]
quiver [45C23]
proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(NOSCE TE IPSUM)]
Narcissus, gazing in a fountain, falls in love with his own reflection; possibly the nymph Echo peeps at the scene [95A(NARCISSUS)21]

Nosce te ipsum [29]

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Translations

Literature

Sources and parallels

References, across this site, to this page:

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Comments

Notes