Alchemical Latin - Michael Maier's Atalanta Fugiens

Atalanta Fugiens

The Flying Atalanta


EPIGRAMMA AUTHORIS.
Hesperii precium juvenis tulit impiger horti
Dante Deá pomum Cypride tergeminum:
Idque sequens fugientis humo glomeravit adora
Virginis, hinc tardas contrahit illa moras:
Mox micat is, micat haec mox ante fugacior Euris,
Alteratum spargens aurea dona solo,
Ille morabatur vestigia lenta puellae
Rursus at haec rursus dat sua terga fugae;
Tertia donec amans iterârit pondera, cessit
Victori merces hin ATALANTA suo.
Hippomenes virtus est sulphuris, illa fugacis
Mercurii, in cursu femina victa mare est.
Qui postquam cupido se complectuntur amore
In fano Cybeles corrigit ira Deam;
Pelle leonina vindex & vestiit ambos,
In de rubent posthac corpore, suntque feri.
Hujus ut exprimeret simulacra simillima cursus
Voce tibi ternâ dat mea Musa fugaes:
Una manet simplex pomúmque refert remorans vox,
Altera sed fugiens, tertia ritè sequens.
Auribus ista tuis, oculísque Emblemata prostent,
At ratio arcanas expetat inde notas:
Sensibus haec objecta tuli, intellectus ut illis
Illicibus caparet, quae preciosa latent.
Orbis quic quid opum, vel habet Medicina salutis,
Omne Leo geminus suppeditare potest.




The Author's Epigram
Three Golden Apples from the Hesperian grove.
A present Worthy of the Queen of Love.
Gave wise Hippomenes Eternal Fame.
And Atalanta's cruel Speed O'ercame.
In Vain he follows 'till with Radiant Light, }
One Rolling Apple captivates her Sight. }
And by its glittering charms retards her flight. }
She Soon Outruns him but fresh rays of Gold,
Her Longing Eyes & Slackened Footsteps Hold,
'Till with disdain She all his Art defies,
And Swifter then an Eastern Tempest flies.
Then his despair throws his last Hope away,
For she must Yield whom Love & Gold betray.
What is Hippomenes, true Wisdom knows.
And whence the Speed of Atalanta Flows.
She with Mercurial Swiftness is Endued,
Which Yields by Sulphur's prudent Strength pursued.
But when in Cybel's temple they would prove
The utmost joys of their Excessive Love,
The Matron Goddess thought herself disdained,
Her rites Unhallowed & her shrine profaned.
Then her Revenge makes Roughness o'er them rise,
And Hideous feireenesse Sparkle from their Eyes.
Still more Amazed to see themselves look red,
Whilst both to Lions changed Each Other dread.
He that can Cybell's Mystic change Explain,
And those two Lions with true Redness stain,
Commands that treasure plenteous Nature gives
And free from Pain in Wisdom's Splendor lives.




Emblem 1
Portavit eum ventus in ventre suo.
(The Wind carried him in his belly)

Epigramma 1
Embryo ventosâ BOREAE qui clauditur alvo
Vivus in hanc lucem si semel ortus erit;
Unus is Heroum cunctos superare labores
Arte, manu, forti corpore, mente, potest.
Ne tibi sit Coeso, nec abortus inutilis ille,
Non Agrippa, bono sydere sed genitus.

English'd thus:

If BOREAS can in his own Wind conceive
An offspring that can bear this light & live;
In art, Strength, Body, Mind He shall excell
All wonders men of Ancient Heroes tell.
Think him no Caeso nor Abortive brood,
Nor yet Agrippa, for his Star is good.

Emblem 2d
Nutrix ejus terra est.
(The Earth is his Nurse)

Epigram 2d
Romulus hirt a lupae pressisse, sed ubera caprae
Jupiter, & factis, fartur adesse fides:
Quid mirum, tener" SAPIENTIUM viscera PROLIS
Si ferimus TERRAM lacte nutrise suo?
Parvula si tantas Heroas bestia pavit,
QUANTUS, cui NUTRIX TERREUS ORBIS, erit?

Emblem 3d
Vade ad mulierem lavantem pannos,
tu fac similiter.
(Go to the Woman Washing Clothes
& do after the same Manner.)

Epigram 3d
Abdita quisquis amas serutari dogmata, ne sis
Deses, in exemplum, quod juvet, omni trahas:
Anne vides, mulier, maculis abstergere pannos
Ut soleat calidis, quas superaddit, aquis?
Hanc imitare, tuâ nec sic frustraberis arte,
Namque nigri faecem corporis lavat.


Emblem 4th
Conjunge fratrem cum sorore
& propina illis poculum amoris:
(Join the Brother & the Sister
& drink to 'em in the Bowl of Love.)


Epigram 4th
Non hominum foret in mundo nunc tanta propago,
Si fratri conjunx non data prima soror.
Ergo lubens conjunge duos ab utroque parente
Progenitos, ut sint faemina masque toro.
Praebibe nectareo Philothesia pôcla liquore
Utrisque, & faetus spem generabit amor.


Emblem 5th
Appone mulieri super mammas bufonem,
ut ablactet eum, & moriatur mulier,
sitque bufo grossus de lacte.
(Put a Toad to the Woman's breast,
that she may suckle him 'till she die,
& he become gross with her milk.)

Epigram 5th
Foemineo gelidus ponatur pectore Bufo,
Instar ut infantis lactea pocla bibat.
Crescat & in magnum vacuata per ubera tuber,
Et mulier vitam liquerit aegra suam.
Inde tibi facies medicamen nobile, virus
Quod fuget humano corde, levétque luem.

Emblem 6th:
Seminate aurum vestrum in terram albam foliatam
[Sow Your Gold in the white foliate Earth.]


Epigram 6th:
Ruricolae pingui mandant sua femina terrae,
Cum fuerit rastris haec foliata suis.
Philosophi niveos aurum docuere per agros
Spargere, wui folii se levis instar habent:
Hoc ut agas, illus bene respice, namque quod aurum
Germinet, ex tritico videris, ut speculo.

Emblem 7th
Fit pullus à nido volans, qui iterùm cadit in nidum.
(A young eaglet attempts to fly out of its own nest
& falls into it again.)

Epigram 7th
Rupe cavâ nidum Jovis ALES struxerat, in quo
Delituit, pullos enutriítque suos:
Horum unus levibus voluit se tollere pennis,
At fuit implumi fratre retentus ave.
Inde volans redit in nidum, quem liquerat, illis
Junge caput caudae, tum nec inanis eris.

Emblem 8th
Accipe ovum & igneo percute gladio.
(Take an Egg & smite it with a fiery sword.)

Epigram 8th
Est avis in mundo sublimior omnibus, Ovum
Cujus ut inquiras, cura sit una tibi.
Albumen luteum circumdat molle vitellum,
Ignito (ceu mos) cautus id ense petas:
Vulcano Mars addat opem: pullaster & inde
Exortus, ferri victor & ignis erit.


Emblem 9th
Arborem cum fene concludein rorida domo,
& comedens de fructu ejus fiet juvenis.
(Shut up the Tree with the Old Man in a
House of Dew, & eating the fruit thereat
He will become Young.)

Epigram 9th
Arbor inest hortis Sophiae dans aurea mala,
Haec tibi cum nostro sit capienda sene;
Inque domo vitrea claudantur, roréque plenâ,
Et sine per multos haec duo juncta dies:
Tum fructu (mirum!) satiabitur arboris ille
Ut fiat juvenis qui fuit ante senex.

Emblem 10th
Da ignem igni, Mercurium Mercurio,
et sufficit tibi.
[Give Fire to fire, Mercury to Mercury,
and you have enough.]

Epigram 10th
Machina pendet ab hac mundi connexa catena
Tota, SUO QUOD PAR GAUDEAT OMNE PARI:
Mercurius sic Mercurio, sic jungitur igni
Ignis & haec arti sit data meta tuae.
Hermetem Vulcanus agit, sed penniger Hermes,
Cynthia, te solvit, te sed, Apollo, soror.