 |
| The author received a framed copy of this painting in the early 1980s. Please pray for the soul of the donor: Esther Clark. R.I.P. |
The work is offered on behalf of my family to Our Blessed Lady, Regina Martyrum et Consolatrix afflictorum.
For EEKPTEE&EA.
👈The Tears of St Peter (1587-1596)
El Greco (Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos) 1541-1614
Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso, Mexico.
+ + +
- 49 -
Small gnats enforst th’ Egyptian king to stoupe,
Yet they in swarmes, and arm'd with pearcing stings; [290]
Smart, noyse, annoyance, made his courage droupe;
No small incombrance such small vermine brings:
I quaild at words that neither bit nor stung,
And those deliuered from a woman's tongue.
Pharao, mighty king of Egypt, was brought low by noisy swarms of tiny flies, each one was armed with a piercing sting. The torment and pain they caused made Pharao’s courage falter. These loathsome creatures were only little but caused no little trouble to the Egyptians.
My courage, on the other hand, quailed at the mere sound of words that could neither bite nor sting — and these words, moreover, came from the tongue of a woman.
Note. Small gnats...brings: This verse refers to the fourth of the ten plagues that the Lord God visited upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians:
The Lord also said to Moses: Arise early, and stand before Pharao: for he will go forth to the waters: and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Let my people go to sacrifice to me. But if thou wilt not let them go, behold I will send in upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy houses all kind of flies: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with flies of divers kinds, and the whole land wherein they shall be. . . And the Lord did so. And there came a very grievous swarm of flies into the houses of Pharao and of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt: and the land was corrupted by this kind of flies . . . So Moses went out from Pharao, and prayed to the Lord. And he did according to his word: and he took away the flies from Pharao, and from his servants, and from his people: there was not left so much as one. [Exodus viii.20-21, 24 & 30-31]
289. stoupe. Stoop. Of a person: To lower the body by inclining the trunk or the head and shoulders forward, sometimes bending the knee at the same time. To ‘bow’ to superior power or authority; to humble oneself, yield obedience. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Pronus Thou stoupest downe & drinkest water. 1555 R. Eden in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde Pref. sig. bjv Stoope Englande stoope, and learne to knowe thy lorde and master.
291. Smart. Sharp, often intense, physical pain, esp. such as is caused by an external agency (a blow, sting, etc.) a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) iii. f. CCiiiiv He suffred the sharpnes & smart of payne, ye suche as neuer was suffred.
droupe. Droop. To flag in spirit or courage; to become dejected, dispirited, or despondent. c1540 (▸?a1400) Destr. Troy 9447 Er I degh, or droupe in-to helle.
292. incombrance. Encumbrance. That which encumbers; a burden, impediment, ‘dead weight’; a useless addition; in stronger sense, an annoyance, trouble. 1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie ii. 8 The incomberaunces are..so great as it would bee vnpossible for vs to ouercome them if God assisted vs not.
vermine. Vermin. Applied to creeping or wingless insects (and other minute animals) of a loathsome or offensive appearance or character, esp. those which infest or are parasitic on living beings and plants; also occasionally applied to winged insects of a troublesome nature. 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum (at cited word) Vermyn, as flees, lyse, wormes, etc.
293. quaild. Quail. Of courage, †hope, †faith, etc.: to fail, give way, become faint or feeble. 1557 R. Pole in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) III. App. lxviii. 246 The Faythe of the Sacraments began to quayle yn so many Hartes.
a1577 G. Gascoigne Hundred Flowers in Wks. (1869) I. 43 Since courage quayles, and commes behind, Go sleepe.
+ + +
- 50 -
Ah, Feare! abortiue impe of drouping mind; [295]
Selfe-ouerthrow, false friend, roote of remorse:
Sighted, in seeing euils; in shunning blind:
Foil'd without field, by fancie not by force;
Ague of valour; phrensie of the wise;
True honour's staine; loue's frost, the mint of lies.[300]
What shall I say of Fear . . .? It’s the monstrous, still-born progeny of a dispirited mind; self-defeating, because it fights and overcomes itself; a seeming friend but in reality a traitor; a guaranteed way to later remorse.
When it comes to perceiving evils, it is clear-sighted enough; but it is strangely blind in perceiving ways to avoid them; fear brings about a defeat without even taking the field; fear is vanquished by the imaginary and not by any actual force; it is not courage but more like an emotional fever; it’s like someone in his right mind going crazy.
It is a stain on a man’s honour, truly so-called; love with no warmth, because frozen through; its currency is lies.
295. abortive. Of, relating to, or resulting from abortion or failure. Also: monstrous. OED quotes: 1595 R. Southwell St. Peter's Complaint 29 Ah feare, abortiue ympe of drouping mind: Selfe ouerthrow: false friend: root of remorce.
Failing to produce the intended result; coming to nought; unsuccessful; useless, wasted.
impe. 1. ‘child’, figurative and transferred. 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. viii. 179 Enuie cannot dwell ther, ne none of her impes.
Applied also to wicked men, and to petty fiends or evil spirits. 1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Rebellion iv, in J. Griffiths Two Bks. Homilies (1859) ii. 577 Those most wicked imps of the devil.
drooping. Droop. To flag in spirit or courage; to become dejected, dispirited, or despondent. c1540 (▸?a1400) Destr. Troy 9447 Er I degh, or droupe in-to helle.
296. roote. Route. early Middle English rute, Middle English– route, 1500s roote, A way or course taken in moving from a starting point to a destination; 1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. ii. 5 b The Captaine generall commaunded, that..they shuld every one make, and keepe, their roote or course to Cabo Verde.
297. shunning. Shun. To avoid (in modern prose use always to avoid persistently or habitually) from repugnance, fear, or caution; to keep away from (a person or his society, a place, etc.); to avoid encountering or exposing oneself to (dangers, conditions), using or having to do with (a thing); 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. i. 142 If you will patiently daunce in our Round,..goe with vs: If not, shunne me, and I will spare your haunts.
298. foil’d. Foil.To overthrow, defeat (an antagonist); 1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. clxixv If thei lacke actiuitie, euery creature be he neuer so base of birthe, shall foyle and ouerthrowe theim.
field. The ground on which a battle is fought; a battlefield. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 85 They haue vs'd Their dearest action in the tented field .
fancie. Delusive imagination; hallucination; an instance of this; = fantasy. 1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie II. 732 The righteous..may have their phancies; they may..conceive worse of their own estate than reason giveth.
In early use synonymous with imagination n. 1581 T. Howell Deuises (1879) 229 The flaming dartes, That Fancie quickly burne with quenchlesse fyre.
299. Ague. An acute or high fever; disease, or a disease, characterized by such fever. A state or bout of distress, fear, or other strong emotion; 1532 (▸?a1405) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 411 (MED) I was ful thursty in languisshyng; Myn ague was so feruent in his hete.
phrensie. Frenzy. Mental derangement; delirium, or temporary insanity; in later use chiefly the uncontrollable rage or excitement of paroxysm of mania. 1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. iii. 8 They thinke and do as it were in a phrensie they know not what.
Agitation or disorder of the mind likened to madness; a state of delirious fury, rage, enthusiasm, or the like; also, wild folly, distraction, craziness. 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream v. i. 12 The Poets eye, in a fine frenzy, rolling.
+ + +
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
No comments:
Post a Comment