About inward and outward matters [from Part I]
![About inward and outward matters [from Part I]](/woodcuts/1704Luik1/00033338.jpg)
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: About inward and outward matters [from Part I]
Scripture Reference:
- Romans 1 (further images / scripture text)
Description: The Soul, portrayed as a young woman in a long white dress, stands alone under a large tree in a luscious garden while looking up at the sky. The Dutch artist and poet, Jan Luiken (1649-1712) was responsible for drawing and etching this emblem and composing the poem that accompanies it.
Poem: The Soul envisions the Creator from the Created.
I saw the beauty and the loveliness of all things,
And spoke: what art thou lovely! Then my mind heard:
That we are indeed; but he from whom we received all this,
Is thousand times as beautiful, and thousand times as pleasant;
And that art thou, my Love, would I not desire thee!
Is here, on earth, a Lilly petal, so white and pure!
What must, Oh eternal Goods, Oh Lord of all things,
What must the whiteness of thy purity then be!
Is the Purple of Roses so beautiful too, of Roses that bloom here,
Bedewed with pearls, when the Morning sun greets them;
How the Purple of your Majesty must glow then!
Does a Violet smell here so lovely and so sweet;
When the West wind begins to blow through the Gardens,
Like I found it many a time in the cool morning,
What scent must then spread itself through Paradise,
So lovely flowing from thy friendly mouth!
Is here the Sun, risen like a Bridegroom,
So beautiful and shinning at noon?
How clear and bright thy face must be!
Oh God my most beautiful Love, if only I once would see thee!
God’s Answer:
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker and Clazien van den Bergh)
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