The Beautiful Weather: That Points Further
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: The Beautiful Weather: That Points Further
Scripture Reference:
- Psalms 23 (further images / scripture text)
Description: A young man walks barefooted under the trees along the water’s edge; on the water are several ducks and a rowboat. A village can be seen in the distance. The Dutch artist and poet Jan Luiken (1649–1712) was responsible for drawing this emblem and composed the poem that accompanies it. The etching was executed by Jan Luiken or his son Casper Luiken (1672-1708), who had used this image in an earlier work, which may be found in the Digital Image Archive under the call number 1699Weig. The attendant scripture text is Psalm 23:1-3.
Motto: The small View, is a small Part.
Poem:
When the nice weather readies itself,
And the remainder of the cold,
Is rubbed away with mildness,
To keep the Equator even:
While the clear celestial blue,
Not drawn over by a curtain of clouds,
Not too hot, nor too tepid,
Gives the sunshine from above,
Just as the green water’s edge,
Pleasant to softly walk along
And planted closely with beautiful trees,
Mirrors itself clearly, below:
What does it say? Who understands its language?
The Soul that rose out of dust
Aims for the essential matter,
Of the true enjoyment for human life:
That is a message of Eternal good,
And tells it what to enjoy,
From the noble Origin of this stream,
That emerges to flow into the visible.
Whereas the vain World’s child,
Inattentive because of his animal nature,
Consumes that balsam in his gift,
And with the cow walks through there;
So he comes to find through a higher desire,
A nobler pleasure,
Receiving that sweet fruit,
As if from the hand of his beloved.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)
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