Pindar.
SPES AMORIS NVTRIX OPTIMA.

Spes est quæ foueat, spes est quæ pascat amantem:
Quidlibet hæc perfert leniùs ac leuius,
Susceptumque semel constanter seruat Amorem.
At miser est verè, spe sine quisquis amat.

Hope feedeth.

Hope is the nurs of loue, and yeildeth sweet relief,
Hope ouercomes delayes and easeth lingring smarte,
Hope in the louers brest maintaynes a constant harte,
For hopelesly to love is but a cureles grief.

La speranza nutrisce.

La speme ê del’ Amor l’alma nutrice,
Tien viuo il foco, soffre, non si sdegna,
d’Acquistare, e godere il modo insegna.
Senza speranza amar tropp’ è infelice.

Hope voedt.

Liefds beste voester is de hoop’ tot allen tijden/
De hoop is Liefdes troost/ de hoop verlicht de smert/
De hoop den minnaer maeckt dat hy in Liefd’ volhert.
’t Beminnen sonder hoop is ’t alderswaerste lijden.

Espoir nourrit.

l’Espoir est de l’Amour la nourrice meilleure,
l’Espoir nous entretient, l’espoir nous fait souffrir,
l’Espoir poursuiure fait, iouyr & acquerir.
Aimer sans nul espoir est mourir à toute heure.

59 ↓

Back to top ↑

Facsimile Images

58, LEI:

58, LDF:

58, LIF:

59, pictura:

Back to top ↑

Translations

Pindarus

De hoop is de beste voedster van de liefde.

Pindarus

Hope is the best nurse of love.

De hoop voedt de minnaar en behoedt hem, ze verdraagt alles zachter en lichter, en ze bewaart voortdurend de liefde die ze eenmaal heeft opgevat. Maar iedereen die zonder hoop liefheeft is echt ongelukkig.

Hope is the nurse of the lover and hope is his herd, she bears everything more softly and lightly, and she constantly preserves the love once conceived. But everyone who loves without hope is really unhappy.

Back to top ↑

Literature

Sebastiàn, Lectura crítica, p. 25

Back to top ↑

Sources and parallels

The anchor: , embl. 76
The idea of the motto and subscriptio inspired Bredero in: Amantes spes alit [4] (in: anonymous, Thronus cupidinis (1620)) [Compare]

Back to top ↑

References, across this site, to this page:

Amantes spes alit [4] (in: anonymous, Thronus cupidinis (1620))
Animæ spes optima nutrix [30] (in: Otto Vaenius, Amoris divini emblemata (1615))

Back to top ↑

Iconclass

A cupid suckled by a woman (Hope); a farmer sowing

flowers: lily [25G41(LILY)]
cultivated land [25H18]
nursing, suckling [42A31]
archer's weapons: bow [45C15(BOW)]
quiver [45C23]
sowing [47I131]
Necessity of Mutual Co-operation (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54E11(+4)]
Hope; 'Speranza', 'Speranza delle fatiche' (Ripa) (+ partially clothed) [56D1(+112)]
Hope; 'Speranza', 'Speranza delle fatiche' (Ripa) (+ two or more personifications pursuing one aim) [56D1(+21)]
(personifications and symbolic representations of) Love; 'Amore (secondo Seneca)' (Ripa) (+ two or more personifications pursuing one aim) [56F2(+21)]
proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(SPES AMORIS NUTRIX OPTIMA)]
other non-aggressive activities of Cupid [92D156]
attributes of Cupid (with NAME) [92D18(BOW)]
attributes of Cupid (with NAME) [92D18(QUIVER)]

Back to top ↑

Comments

Back to top ↑

Spes amoris nutrix optima [30]

Facsimile Images

Translations

Literature

Sources and parallels

References, across this site, to this page:

Iconclass

Comments

Notes