Honey
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: Honey
Scripture Reference:
- Psalms 119 (further images / scripture text)
Description: As a woman adds honey to the pot, a child holds out his hand in the hope of a taste. Just so sweet are the words of God to his people (Psalm 119:103). In his poem for this etching, Luiken refers to the sugar bush. If only, the poem observes, humans would enclose the right sweets from heaven’s hope in their hearts, then they would be able to endure life’s hardships and sufferings. Suffering would then change into enjoyment. The Dutch artist and poet, Jan Luiken (1649–1712), whose initials are at the lower right, was responsible for drawing and etching this emblem and wrote the accompanying poem.
Motto: Hope is comfort for suffering.
Poem:
The Honey is prepared,
To turn all that’s tart and sour,
Into sweetness,
And conquer its power with mildness.
If Man kept so the true sweetness,
Of Heaven’s hope enclosed in the Heart,
For the Household of his Soul,
Then good food would be enjoyed.
For all trouble and sorrow,
A daily bread, of earthly life,
Would not be so sour, or bitter,
If it were mixed with sugar:
Yes, it even serves to taste good;
When sour and sweet come together,
Grief turns into pleasure,
According to the ancient witness of the pious.
O Sugar, of upright Virtue,
And hope in God, the Only Good,
Thou dost feed the Soul and Spirit with joy,
Of those who feed from thy Riches.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)
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