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EMBLEMA XIX.
Facundia difficilis.
Eloquence is hard
Antidotum Aeaeae medicata in pocula Circes,
Mercurium hoc Ithaco fama dedisse fuit.[1]
Moly vocant, id vix radice evellitur atra,
Purpureus sed flos, lactis & instar habet.
Eloquii candor facundiaque allicit omnes:
Sed multi res est tanta laboris opus.
According to the story, Mercury gave to the man from Ithaca this antidote to the poisoned cup of Aeaean Circe. They call it moly. It is hard to pull up by its black root. The plant is dark, but its flower is white as milk. The brilliance of eloquence and readiness of speech attracts all men, but this mighty thing is a work of much labour.
Das XIX.
Wolberedt ist schwer.
Ulyssi als
die sage was
Soll Mercurius geben das
Wider der Circe buler trenck
Diß gegen Artzney zu eim gschenck
Ein kraut so wirt Moly genannt
Mit einr schwartzen Wurtzel bekannt
Die man schwerlich auß dem grundt reist
Darauff ein purpurfarb Blumb gleist
Ist innwendig wie die Milch weiß
Also wol reden behelt den preiß
Und reitzet jederman zu ir
Aber es braucht vil müh und gir.
1. See Homer, Odyssey, 10.270ff. for the story of the encounter of Ulysses (the man from Ithaca) and his crew with the sorceress Circe on the island of Aeaea. The plant moly is described ibid, 302-6. See Emblem 85 ([A67a085]), for the effect of Circe’s poisoned cup. Cf. Erasmus, De Copia (Loeb edition, 1.91 D), where moly is interpreted as wisdom rather than eloquence. Cf. Coustau, ‘In herbam Moly, ex Homero’ ([FCPb073]).
Related Emblems
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Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
Relating to the text:
- fabulous plants and herbs (with NAME) (+ flowers, blossom, blossoming) [25GG4(MOLY)(+32)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- 'Rhetorica', 'Eloquentia' (~ trivium); 'Rettorica' (Ripa) [49C113] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Eloquence; 'Eloquenza', 'Fermezza & Gravità dell'Oratione' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52D3(+4):54DD4(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Industriousness, Assiduity; 'Assiduità', 'Industria', 'Zelo' (Ripa) [54A11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- attributes of Mercury: moly [92B58(MOLY)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Ulysses on the island of Circe (Homer, Odyssey X) [94I16] Search | Browse Iconclass
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