
AU NAVIRE AGITE
semble le jour de l’homme.
LEs vents impetueus, la tempeste, & l’horage
Piroüettent en mer ce Navire agité:
Icy des flots esmeus, là du ciel irrité,
Elle attend le danger d’un tout voisin n’aufrage [=naufrage]
.
Tandis que nous errons en la mondaine plage,
Le malheur nous assaut ainsi de tous costé:
Soit d’ennuis, de langueurs, de feu, de cruauté,
Et s’il est plus grand mal, contre nous il enrage.
Heureux qui ne nasquit, ou qui naissant n’a pas
Plustot veu le soleil que gousté le trespas:
Il depite en sa mort tout ce qui nous offence.
Mais plus heureux encor qui des maux au mylieu
Borne sa volonté du vouloir de son Dieu;
Et sans s’effaroucher s’exerce en patience.

Ad Titum Celsum Syracusanum.[1]
Humanae vitae conditio.
The state of human life
VIta haec est tanquam pelago commissa carina,
Instanti semper proxima navfragio.
Optima res homini est non nasci: proxima, si te
Nasci fata velint, quàm citò posse mori.
Just as this life is like a boat entrusted to the sea, always close to immediate shipwreck, so the best thing for man is not to be born; the next best, if the fates want you to be born, is to be able to die as quickly as possible.
1. Titus Celsus from Syracuse in Sicily, a poet.
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Relating to the image:
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Human Life represented by a ship [58B213] Search | Browse Iconclass
- lantern [41B33] Search | Browse Iconclass
- protective weapons (with NAME) [45C19(SHIELD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- rays of artificial light [22C21] Search | Browse Iconclass
- rowing facing backward, pulling [46C2322] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sailing-ship, sailing-boat [46C24] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sea (seascape) [25H23] Search | Browse Iconclass
- ships (in general) [46C21] Search | Browse Iconclass
- shipwreck [46C291] Search | Browse Iconclass
- storm at sea [26C32] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sun as celestial body [24A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sunbeams [24A81] Search | Browse Iconclass
- winds [26C] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Action; 'Operatione manifesta' (Ripa) [54D2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Adversity, Misfortune, Bad Luck; 'Fortuna infelice', 'Infortunio' (Ripa) [54FF11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- beach [25H133] Search | Browse Iconclass
- confinement, birth [42A2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Cruelty, Ferocity; 'Crudeltà', 'Ferocità' (Ripa) [57AA91] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Danger; 'Pericolo' (Ripa) [54DD51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Deity, God (in general) ~ Christian religion [11A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Fates, Parcae (Moirae) [92G1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- fire (one of the four elements) [21C] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Guidance [54E2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- life versus death [31E5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Mortality, Extinction of Life [58BB1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Patience; 'Patienza' (Ripa) [54A44] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Vicissitudes of Life [54F122] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Will; 'Volont?' (Ripa) [53A1] Search | Browse Iconclass
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