| Hymnus In Lucem. [Poemata Lat. 1668] PUlchra de nigrâ soboles Parente, Quam Chaos fertur peperisse primam, Cujus ob formam benè risit olim Massa severa! Risus ô Terræ Sacer et polorum! Aureus verè Pluvius Tonantis! Quæque de cœlo fluis inquieto Gloria rivo! O salus rerum, et Decus omne, salve; Vita Naturæ vigil actuosæ! 10 Omnium Mater bona cum Calore Juncta Marito! Unde, momento, quibus è Pharetris Tela per totum jacularis orbem? Præpotens, divésque Deíque Verbum Fassa paternum? Carceres ipsos simùl, atque Metam Linquis, attingísque, Animi Sagittis Ocyor strictis, rapidâ Angelorum Ocyor alâ. 20 Aureo Lunæ benè læta Curru Auream Astrorum peragrare Sylvam, et Vere nocturno reparata semper Visere prata, Regiam gaudens habitare Solis More in æternum Scythico vagantem, et Divitem Mundi redeunte gyro Ducere Pompam: Inter et tantos humilis Triumphos Vermium dignata animare caudas, 30 Pauperes dignata hilarare parvâ Lampade Vepres. Te fugit nigris comitata Pullis Nox, et adverso latitat sub Axe, Te fugit pennâ trepidans inerti Noctua somnus. Discolorato glomerans racemo Turba pictorum vaga Somniorum Avolat; mixtas sine more formas Trudit et urget. 40 Quin et obscœnas repetunt latebras Sœcla Serpentum malè consciorum, Nec tibi Natura pudens sinistrum Objicit Omen. Ad tuos quondam Dolor ipse vultus Fertur invitam recreasse frontem; Cura subrisit, pepulítque rugas Ore maligno. Ad tuos quondam Timor ipse vultus Excutit turpem genubus tremorem; 50 Pallor ignescit; capite insolenti Cornua vibrant. Inverecundi Dominator oris Te tamen testem metuit Cupido; Flamma cognatis rotat in Tenebris Sordida fumo. Tu, Dea, Eoi simùl atque cœli Exeris pulchrum caput è Rosetis, In tuas laudes volucrum canoris Personat hymnis 60 Aula gaudentis reserata Mundi; Spectra discedunt, Animæque noctis, Vana discedúntque Tenebrionum Monstra Deorum. Te bibens Arcus Jovis ebriosus Mille formosos revomit colores, Pavo cœlestis; variámque pascit Lumine Caudam. In Rosâ pallam indueris rubentem, In Croco auratam indueris lacernam, 70 Supparum gestas quasi nuda rallum Lilia complens. Fertilis Floræ sobolem tenellam Purpurâ involvis Violas honestâ Veste segmentata operis superbas Larga Tulippas. Igne concreto fabricata Gemmas Floreum immisces solidúmque fucum; Invidet pictus, fragilésque damnat Hortus honores. 80 Parcior fulvis utinam fuisses Diva largiri pretium Metallis! Parcior, quantis hominum allevasses Pectora curis! Mî quidem Solis nitor, et Diei Innocens fulgor magìs allubescit, Pars quota humani generis sed Aurum Non Tibi præfert! Ætheris gyros per inexplicatos, Aëris campos per et evolutos, 90 Æquoris per regna laboriosi Flumine vivo Lucidum trudis properanter agmen, Sed resistentum super ora rerum Lenitèr Stagnas, liquidóque inundas Cuncta Colore. At Mare immensum, Oceanúsque Lucis Jugiter Cœlo fluit Empyræo, Hinc inexhausto per utrumque Mundum Funditur ore. 100 |
Hymn To Light. [trans. DK] The lovely child of mother black, of Chaos firstborn, states the tale, whose comely form gave that stern mass first good cause for smiling! Mirific smile of earth and sky, the Thunderer's truly golden shower, glory that pours from heaven in one long shimmering effusion! Glory and health of all things, hail! Prolific Nature's wakeful life, 10 all things' good mother, matched with heat your husband to sire them! Say from what sudden quivers, whence the darts you launch throughout the world, mighty, abounding, showing that God's Word was your father? No sooner do you leave the gates than reach the goal, you, swifter than the soul's drawn arrows, swifter than the quick wing of angels, 20 glad in moon's golden car to course the golden forest of the stars and meadows ever freshening in the spring of the nighttime; pleased to attend the regal sun, forever wandering, Scythian-like, and in the world's revolving course to lead your procession; among such triumphs deigning too to light the humble tails of worms, 30 to brighten lowly brambles with their own little lantern. Night flees you with her whole black brood and hides in the Antipodes, and owl-like Sleep flees you alarmed, its slack wings aflutter. In parti-colored teeming swarm the wandering crowd of painted dreams flits off pell-mell, haphazard, shapes all rudely confounded. 40 The guilty serpents' race as well returns to its unwholesome lairs, and shamefast Nature guards from you the sinister omen. One time, on seeing you, Grief itself was, grudging, said to smooth its brow; Care smiled, and drove the creases from its ill-favored countenance. One time, on seeing you, Fear itself drove shameful trembling from its knees; 50 its pallor glowed; horns bristled on its brow unexpected. Cupid, the lord of shameless looks, still fears you as a witness, and his flame comes rolled in matching shadows, smutty and smoke-stained. Goddess, you raise your fair head from the rose-beds of the eastern sky; birds' tuneful hymns resound at once to your greater glory 60 all through the glad world's open court; ghosts and night-spirits go their ways; so do the empty figments of the gods that love darkness. On tippling you, Jove's drunken bow heaves up a thousand pretty hues, a sky-peacock, with light regaling its dapple plumage. In rose you wear a gown of red, in crocuses a cloak of gold, 70 but scanty linens, nearly nude, when you fill the lily. To fertile Flora's littlest brood you give their seemly violet dress and lavish on proud tulips state-robes covered with flounces. In solid fire you gems embud, with blush of flowers commingling fixed; the gaudy garden envious scorns its own fleeting honors. 80 Ah goddess, would had bestowed less lavish lustrousness on gold; less lavish, hearts of men from what grief you might have guarded! The sunshine and day's guiltless glow for me, at least, hold more appeal; but what small part of mankind does not prize gold above you? Throughout the ether's mazy round and through the air's expansive reach 90 and through the churning sea's realm like an animate river, swiftly you thrust, a wave aglow, while on the face of things opaque you gently pool, and flood all things with luminous color, but from on high there always wells an ocean and vast sea of light, poured thence across worlds old and new in endless abundance. 100 |
Hymn. To light. [Works 1668] |1| First born of Chaos, who so fair didst come From the old Negro's darksome womb! Which when it saw the lovely Child, The melancholly Mass put on kind looks and smil'd, |2| Thou Tide of Glory which no Rest dost know, But ever Ebb, and ever Flow! Thou Golden shower of a true Jove! Who does in thee descend, and Heav'n to Earth make Love! |3| Hail active Natures watchful Life and Health! Her Joy, her Ornament, and Wealth! Hail to thy Husband Heat, and Thee! Thou the worlds beauteous Bride, the lusty Bridegroom He! |4| Say from what Golden Quivers of the Sky, Do all thy winged Arrows fly? Swiftness and Power by Birth are thine: From thy Great Sire they came, thy Sire the word Divine. |5| 'Tis, I believe, this Archery to show, That so much cost in Colours thou, And skill in Painting dost bestow, Upon thy ancient Arms, the Gawdy Heav'nly Bow. |6| Swift as light Thoughts their empty Carriere run, Thy Race is finisht, when begun, Let a Post-Angel start with Thee, And Thou the Goal of Earth shalt reach as soon as He: |7| Thou in the Moons bright Chariot proud and gay, Dost thy bright wood of Stars survay; And all the year dost with thee bring Of thousand flowry Lights thine own Nocturnal Spring. |8| Thou Scythian-like dost round thy Lands above The Suns gilt Tent for ever move, And still as thou in pomp dost go The shining Pageants of the World attend thy show. |9| Nor amidst all these Triumphs dost thou scorn The humble Glow-worms to adorn, And with those living spangles gild, (O Greatness without Pride!) the Bushes of the Field. |10| Night, and her ugly Subjects thou dost fright, And sleep, the lazy Owl of Night; Asham'd and fearful to appear They skreen their horrid shapes with the black Hemisphere. |11| With'em there hasts, and wildly takes the Alarm, Of painted Dreams, a busie swarm, At the first opening of thine eye, The various Clusters break, the antick Atomes fly. |12| The guilty Serpents, and obscener Beasts Creep conscious to their secret rests: Nature to thee does reverence pay, Ill Omens, and ill Sights removes out of thy way. |13| At thy appearance, Grief it self is said, To shake his Wings, and rowse his Head. And cloudy care has often took A gentle beamy Smile reflected from thy Look. |14| At thy appearance, Fear it self grows bold; Thy Sun-shine melts away his Cold. Encourag'd at the sight of Thee, To the cheek Colour comes, and firmness to the knee. |15| Even Lust the Master of a hardned Face, Blushes if thou beest in the place, To darkness'Curtains he retires, In Sympathizing Night he rowls his smoaky Fires. |16| When, Goddess, thou liftst up thy wakened Head, Out of the Mornings purple bed, Thy Quire of Birds about thee play, And all the joyful world salutes the rising day. |17| The Ghosts, and Monster Spirits, that did presume A Bodies Priv'lege to assume, Vanish again invisibly, And Bodies gain again their visibility. |18| All the Worlds bravery that delights our Eyes Is but thy sev'ral Liveries, Thou the Rich Dy on them bestowest, Thy nimble Pencil Paints this Landskape as thou go'st. |19| A Crimson Garment in the Rose thou wear'st; A Crown of studded Gold thou bear'st, The Virgin Lillies in their White, Are clad but with the Lawn of almost Naked Light. |20| The Violet, springs little Infant, stands, Girt in thy purple Swadling-bands: On the fair Tulip thou dost dote; Thou cloath'st it in a gay and party-colour'd Coat. |21| With Flame condenst thou dost the Jewels fix, And solid Colours in it mix: Flora her self envyes to see Flowers fairer then her own, and durable as she. |22| Ah, Goddess! would thou could'st thy hand withhold, And be less Liberall to Gold; Didst thou less value to it give, Of how much care (alas) might'st thou poor Man relieve! |23| To me the Sun is more delightful farr, And all fair Dayes much fairer are. But few, ah wondrous few there be, Who do not Gold preferr, O Goddess, ev'n to Thee. |24| Through the soft wayes of Heaven, and Air, and Sea, Which open all their Pores to Thee; Like a cleer River thou dost glide, And with thy Living Stream through the close Channels slide. |25| But where firm Bodies thy free course oppose, Gently thy source the Land oreflowes; Takes there possession, and does make, Of Colours mingled, Light, a thick and standing Lake. |26| But the vast Ocean of unbounded Day In th' Empyræan Heaven does stay. Thy Rivers, Lakes, and Springs below From thence took first their Rise, thither at last must Flow. |