The Sun: How Much More Beautiful Is the Origin
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: The Sun: How Much More Beautiful Is the Origin
Scripture Reference:
- Psalms 104 (further images / scripture text)
Description: Seated in front of a house, a husband looks at the sun while shielding his eyes as the wife looks away from the sun. A dog lying in front of them looks at the couple. In the background the sun illuminates beautiful scenery, consisting of a lake, some islands, mountains, and a man and his dog walking along the lake. 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 104:2.
Motto: Seek a Sight, In the Eternal Light.
Poem:
The Sun conquers Darkness,
And ensures with its all-pervading giving,
That this World is inhabitable
For the growing and intelligent life:
How glorious must be the origin,
From which such a spark has risen,
That Divine Sunshine,
Whose eternal Praise should be sung.
In the Light everything is revealed,
What in Darkness remained hidden
From the Eye, as if it did not exist:
What glory uncovers the Morning!
Yet for a Blind person who does not see,
All that glory remains closed;
And it is for him as if it was not there,
Though beside him it is enjoyed:
O Man! If the Temporal Light is so good,
Raise thy senses when considering,
How the Light, that is God, must be,
Too bright for eyes and mind.
But if one’s soul were blind,
He would continue to exist in darkness,
Even though the Eternal Light fell upon him,
He could not view it,
As the Sun requires an eye,
So demands the Light of the eternal life
The eye, that rises from virtue,
To give Salvation to Life.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker).
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Rights Status: No Copyright - United States
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