The Goat: Not So
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: The Goat: Not So
Scripture Reference:
- Zechariah 10 (further images / scripture text)
Description: A he-goat and a she-goat, in the foreground of the image, stand next to a rocky outcropping; in the background a shepherd and a helper are herding their flock. 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 adapted this image from one used in an earlier work, which may be found in the Digital Image Archive under the call number 1699Weig. The attendant scripture text is Zechariah 10:3.
Motto:
Forsake the nature of the Goats,
That way thou art beloved and worthy.
Poem:
So that we in the great separation
Of the highest judgment day,
Not end up placed with the Goat on the left side,
Till woe and alas!
So let us stay with the sheep,
Which listen to the heavenly Lamb,
That came with us so helpfully to the right track,
In the wilderness and the woods,
How is the field so full of goats!
That wide and broad world’s field!
Each one should tear away from his way of life,
Whose desire was directed to the good Shepherd.
No horned goats should,
Keep company with the Lamb;
The little sheep are chosen,
To be in the meadow, where no goat ever came.
O Lamb, O holy Lamb of the Lord,
That is even the Lord of Lords,
Let thy staff govern our heart,
So we are fed for Salvation.
Mayst thou help us away from the scapegoat,
Thou art the wisdom and the power,
So that our heart will be,
A little sheep that awaits thy favor:
And we, at the end of the World’s meadow,
(When thy great shepherd’s staff,
Will separate the whole mixed flock,
The goats from the sheep,)
Also among the number of the pious,
(Before the entrance to the blessed land,)
May come, so very happy,
At thy venerable right hand;
And further, anointed with thy blessing,
We may go to the very blissful meadow,
Where the end will never come,
Where it will bloom forever.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)
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