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Muscipula Amoris [34]
Muscipula Amoris.
XXXIV.
Cat.
Ah! quoties falsæ nos lædit imaginis error:
Mus sibi dum fingit prandia, carcer adest.
Et vorat, & capitur, nec erit mihi dicere promptum,
Quid prius eueniat, num sapor, anne dolor?
Mus peccator homo est, quisquis mala gaudia carpit,
Corpore, quod pectus mordeat intus habet.
Pæna voluptatis comes est, dolor ipsa voluptas;
Impurus numquam gaudia pura tulit.
Cat.
Ah! quoties falsæ nos lædit imaginis error:
Mus sibi dum fingit prandia, carcer adest.
Et vorat, & capitur, nec erit mihi dicere promptum,
Quid prius eueniat, num sapor, anne dolor?
Mus peccator homo est, quisquis mala gaudia carpit,
Corpore, quod pectus mordeat intus habet.
Pæna voluptatis comes est, dolor ipsa voluptas;
Impurus numquam gaudia pura tulit.
Plaut1.
AMoris artes eloquar, quemadmodum expe-
diant? numquam Amor quempiam nisi cu-
pidum hominem postulat in plagas conijcere: cu-
pit, eos consectatur, subdolè blanditur, ab re con-
sulit, blandiloquentulus Harpago.
AMoris artes eloquar, quemadmodum expe-
diant? numquam Amor quempiam nisi cu-
pidum hominem postulat in plagas conijcere: cu-
pit, eos consectatur, subdolè blanditur, ab re con-
sulit, blandiloquentulus Harpago.
Fit spolians spolium.
Qui chasse au parcq d'Amour a bien dessein de prendre
Mais las! va prisonnier, sans penser de s'y rendre.
Mais las! va prisonnier, sans penser de s'y rendre.
Attrappe de l'Amour.
XXXIV.
Il seroit bon pour toy, que tu vins pour apprendre,
Mais ie crains qu' en effect, cest pour te laisser prendre
Sans auoir plus des sens que n'ont eu ces souris.
Garde toy de l'Amour, garde toy de sa forçe,
Car si tu veux l'appas, si tu mords à l'amorçe,
Tu n'en prendras iamais, que tu, n'en sois repris.
XXXIV.
Il seroit bon pour toy, que tu vins pour apprendre,
Mais ie crains qu' en effect, cest pour te laisser prendre
Sans auoir plus des sens que n'ont eu ces souris.
Garde toy de l'Amour, garde toy de sa forçe,
Car si tu veux l'appas, si tu mords à l'amorçe,
Tu n'en prendras iamais, que tu, n'en sois repris.
Translations
|
Mousetrap of love. |
|
Ah, how often does not the mistake of believing a false image hurt us! While the mouse believes there is a meal for him, a prison is waiting. He eats. And he is caught. I would not find it easy to say what happened first: was it the pain, or was it the taste? Sinful man is the mouse:, whoever reaps evil joys has something inside his body such as to bite his breast. Punishment is the mate of lust, lust itself is pain. Someone unclean never carries pure joys. |
|
I'll begin by exposing the arts of love and their procedure: love never hopes to have anyone come dashing into his nets except
men of loose desires: it is those that he himself desires, those he dogs. He gives them sly, disastrous counsel, he is wheedle-tongued
and predacious2 |
|
It catches3 and at the same time it is caught itself. It is its own punishment. |
|
While gathering spoils it becomes spoils itself. |
Literature
Sources and parallels
-
Same copperplate, slightly altered, in: De liefde vangt ons door haare lok-aazen [26] (in: Willem den Elger, Zinne-beelden der liefde (1703))
[Compare
![[compare]](/static/images/compare2.gif "Compare")
]
-
Cat in a mousetrap, same motto underneath the pictura, in:Fit spolians spolium. [11] (in: Jacob Cats, Proteus (1618))
[Compare]
-
Porteman 1975, 204. The rhyme of the French subscriptio on page 69 was probably inspired by Cats rhyme (also page
69). Fit spolians spolium. [12] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627))
[Compare]
-
Porteman 1975, p. 212. Mouse in a mouse trap, motto is same as title of Latin subscriptio, in: Fit spolians spolium. [12] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627))
[Compare]
References, across this site, to this page:
- Fit spolians spolium. [11] (in: Jacob Cats, Proteus (1618))
- Fit spolians spolium. [12] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627))
- Fit spolians spolium. [12] (in: Jacob Cats, Sinne- en minnebeelden (1627))
- De liefde vangt ons door haare lok-aazen [26] (in: Willem den Elger, Zinne-beelden der liefde (1703))
Iconclass
Cupid points at a mouse in a mouse trap; a girl gestures defensively in the direction of the trap- rodents: mouse (+ animals used symbolically)
[25F26(MOUSE)(+1)]
- arm stretched sidewards (+ keeping off)
[31A2513(+9231)]
- index finger forwards, pointing, indicating
[31A25552]
- adolescent, young woman, maiden
[31D13]
- mouse trap
[34D111]
- catching animals
[43C1151]
- archer's weapons: bow
[45C15(BOW)]
- archer's weapons (with NAME)
[45C15(QUIVER)]
- Freedom, Liberty; 'Liberté' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept)
[51E11(+4)]
- Restriction, Limitation (+ emblematical representation of concept)
[51EE11(+4)]
- (personifications and symbolic representations of) Love; 'Amore (secondo Seneca)' (Ripa) (+ clothed with wings)
[56F2(+1131)]
- (personifications and symbolic representations of) Love; 'Amore (secondo Seneca)' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of
concept)
[56F2(+4)]
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT)
[86(MUSCIPULA AMORIS)]
- attributes of Cupid (with NAME)
[92D18(BOW)]
- attributes of Cupid (with NAME)
[92D18(QUIVER)]
Comments
commentaryNotes
Plaut. Trin. 235-238.
The translation is from the Loeb ed. P. Nixon. The text and the division in verses of the Loeb edition is:
Amoris artes eloquar, quem ad modum expediant.
numquam Amor quemquam nisi cupidum hominem
postulat se in plagas conicere:
eos cupit, eos consectatur,
subdole ab re consulit,
blandiloquentulus harpago ...
Amoris artes eloquar, quem ad modum expediant.
numquam Amor quemquam nisi cupidum hominem
postulat se in plagas conicere:
eos cupit, eos consectatur,
subdole ab re consulit,
blandiloquentulus harpago ...
'It catches ...': i.e., love.