German Text on engraving from Basil Valentine. - Alchemy Symbolism and Imagery - Alchemical Symbolism and Imagery


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adammclean
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Can anyone translate this short sentence from an engraving in a work of Basil Valentine ?

[Sun] [Moon] und [Mars] mit [Jupiter] Tagen [Saturn] muss die garne fragen Stellt [Mercury] recht dem Wind. So wirdt gefangen Fraw [Venus] Kindt.

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Paul Ferguson
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adammclean wrote:
Can anyone translate this short sentence from an engraving in a work of Basil Valentine ?

[Sun] [Moon] und [Mars] mit [Jupiter] Tagen [Saturn] muss die garne fragen Stellt [Mercury] recht dem Wind. So wirdt gefangen Fraw [Venus] Kindt.

I read it as a hunting analogy, thus:

[Sun] [Moon] und [Mars] mit [Jupiter] Jagen
[Saturn] muss die garne tragen
Stellt [Mercury] nach recht dem Windt
So wirdt gefangen Fraw [Venus] Kindt.

My very rough first effort:

The Sun, the Moon and Mars are hunting with Jupiter,
Saturn must drag the snares.
If Mercury heads straight towards the wind
So will Lady Venus's child be caught.

Alexander Guthrie Stewart
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The three black animals look like dogs to me, and the brown ones in the middle look like hares. Any symbolism with that or does it just re-inforce the hunting poetry?

Paul Ferguson
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Alexander Guthrie Stewart wrote:
The three black animals look like dogs to me, and the brown ones in the middle look like hares. Any symbolism with that or does it just re-inforce the hunting poetry?

Quite a lot on the three hares motif on the web, see here:

http://www.threehares.net/

"The theory of the Ancients that the hare was hermaphroditic and could procreate without a mate led to the belief that it could give birth to young without loss of virginity." Significant in an alchemical context?

Also in Wiki, with an interesting distribution map:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares

And here, under 'Widecombe in the Moor'.

http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/bshm/zingaz/W.html

Radio interview with Dr. Tom Greeves:

http://cropfm.at/past_shows.htm

Interesting French blog:

http://trois-lievres.skyrock.com/

Attached Image (viewed 1726 times):

hares 2.png

Last edited on Wed Jun 2nd, 2010 01:14 pm by Paul Ferguson

Alexander Guthrie Stewart
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I don't know much about late 16th/ 17th century alchemy, but I wonder if the hare symbolism would be a relic from the days when they said all you needed was mercury to make the elixir.

Johann Plattner
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Here's slighty a different translation:

Sonne] [Mond] und [Mars] mit [Jupiter] jagen]

[Saturn] muß die Garne tragen]

stellt [Merkur] recht nach dem Wind]

so wirdt gefangen Frau [Venus] Kind.]

[Sun] [Moon] and [Mars] are hunting with [Jupiter]

[Saturn] has to carry the yarns

put [Mercury] rightly to the wind

thus is caught lady [Venus] child

Carl Lavoie
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Then and now.

(Hello... Hold on please: Bill, it’s for you. It’s a guy from the insurance company.)
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