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| Please pray for the soul of Esther Clark. R.I.P. She gave a framed copy of this painting to the author in the 1980's. |
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.
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O Turtle twins! all bath'd in virgins milke,
Upon the margin of full-flowing banks:
Whose gracefull plume surmounts the finest silke, [435]
Whose sight enamoureth heaven's most happy rankes,
Could I forsweare this heauenly payre of doves,
That cag'd in care, for me were groning loues!
Christ’s eyes are like those turtle-doves described by Solomon, bathed in white like the very purest milk and sitting at the waters’ edge of streams. The beautiful elegance of their plumage exceeds even the finest of silks; one look is enough to enchant the ranks of the blessed in heaven.
When I denied Christ at the time when He was suffering as a bound prisoner and His heart was reaching out in love for me, it was as if I was repudiating this heavenly pair of doves who, suffering confinement in a cage, were nevertheless calling out their yearning love.
433. Turtle twins. The verse begins with an image recalling chapter v. in the Canticle of Canticles where “Christ calls his spouse, she languishes with love, and describes him by his graces.” (Douay-Rheims header-note)
“His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams.” [Cant. v. 12]“His eies as doues vpon the litle riuers of waters, which are washed with milke, and fitte befide the moft ful ftreames.”[Douay-Rheims Bible, 1610]
It may also be worth recalling that the Redeemer was redeemed by His parents in the Temple by a pair of turtledoves.
“And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb. And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons:”1 [Luke ii. 21-24]
all bath'd in virgins milke. The Latin Vulgate version of verse v. from the Canticles makes clear that it is the doves who are washed with milk (Oculi ejus sicut columbae super rivulos aquarum, quae lacte sunt lotae). RS follows this with his image of the turtledoves bath'd in . . . milke. Some commentators read this imagery as follows: the irises and whites of Christ’s eyes are like twin turtle doves bath’d in virgins milk.
virgins milke. If the turtle twins are images of the eyes of Christ, then the possible readings here include: a) Virgin’s milk, a reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary who nourished Christ, despite her perpetual virginity. b) virgins’ or virgin’s milk, where the word is used to emphasise the purity of the milk. It is worth noting that lactation is not observed in virgins. c) milk white, emphasizing the colour of the doves, white as the purest milk.
434. full-flowing banks. These words mirror the text from Scripture: “the moft ful ftreames” (Douay,-Rheims) 1610.
banks. Cf. supra: 379. and 382. O pooles of Hesebon . . . Whose banks make eccho to the angels’ quires;
435. plume. Feathers collectively, plumage; 1580 T. Churchyard Pleasaunte Laborinth: Churchyardes Chance f. 19v The Peacocke prides hym in his plume.
surmounts. Surmount. transitive. To rise above, go beyond, surpass. In quality, attainment, etc.: To excel, be superior to.1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. X4 The famous auncestryes Of my most dreaded Soueraigne..By which all earthly Princes she doth far surmount.
436. Whose sight. There are two possible readings: a) the sight of which (referring to the turtle twins / Christ’s eyes); b) whose look /glance /gaze. (see OED: Perception by means of the eyes; a look, glance)
enamoureth. Enamour. transitive. To inspire or inflame with love. To charm, delight, fascinate.
437. forsweare. Forswear. To deny or repudiate on oath or with strong asseveration. 1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 603/2 Peter..sinned not deadly at the time when he forswore Chryst. To swear (something) falsely; to break (an oath); to forsake (sworn allegiance). a1586 [implied in: Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxii. sig. Dd2 Plexirtus, mingling forsworne excuses with false-meant promises.
payre. Pair.
438. cag’d. Cage. To confine in, or as in, a cage; to imprison. 1577 W. Harrison Descr. Eng. (1877) ii. xiv. 265 To be caged vp as in a coope.
care. Mental suffering, sorrow, grief, trouble. 1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas sig. D.iij In my glasse..I can perceiue, how kingdomes breede but care.
groning. Groan. To express earnest longing by groans; to yearn or long, as if with groans;
There seem to be two possible readings of cag’d in care:, a) as referring to Peter, imprisoned by his fears; b) as referring to the payre of doves / Christ’s eyes / Christ, a prisoner bound at the time He glances at Peter and their eyes meet. The word caged perhaps seems better suited to doves.
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Twise Moses' wand did strike the stubborne rock,
Ere stony veynes would yeeld their crystall blood; [440]
Thine eyes' one looke seru'd as an onely knocke,
To make my hart gush out a weeping flood;
Wherein my sinnes, as fishes, spawne their frie,
To shew their inward shames, and then to die.
Moses struck the stubborn rock twice with his rod before the rock poured forth its life-giving streams of crystal water. I was struck by only one glance from Thine eyes and this was all it needed to make me weep floods of tears from my heart. As when fishes spawn their fry, the tears from my heart brought forth multitudinous feelings of guilt which were to pass away.
Note. This verse refers to texts in Scripture concerning Moses and the striking of the rock. These include the following:
“And Moses cried to the Lord, saying: What shall I do to this people? Yet a little more and they will stone me. And the Lord said to Moses: Go before the people, and take with thee of the ancients of Israel: and take in thy hand the rod wherewith thou didst strike the river, and go. Behold I will stand there before thee, upon the rock Horeb: and thou shalt strike the rock, and water shall come out of it that the people may drink. Moses did so before the ancients of Israel:” [Exodus xvii. 4-6]“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink. Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him, And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock? And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank.” [Numbers xx. 7-11]
439. Twise. Twice.
440. Haydock’s Commentary on verse 11. in Numbers xx. reads: “[11] "The rock": This rock was a figure of Christ, and the water that issued out from the rock, of his precious blood, the source of all our good.”
veynes. Veins.
443. spawne. Spawn. Of fish, etc.: To cast spawn: the minute eggs of fishes and various other oviparous animals.
frie. Fry. Young fishes just produced from the spawn. Applied to the young of other creatures produced in very large numbers 1607 S. Hieron Ruine Gods Enemies in Wks. (1620) I. 442 They come from the sea of Rome..to beget a new spawne and frie of catholikes.
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Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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