Saturday, January 28, 2017

Latin Alchemy Daily Create: Tabula Smaragdina (1)

I am so grateful to Alan and Mia for prompting me to take up a new Latin project (something I honestly thought I was never going to do again), but this Latin alchemy thing has totally captivated me... and eventually it is going to turn into a Latin Alchemy Reader for Latin students and teachers (let's say before I turn 60 years old ha ha). As part of the #NetNarr adventure, instead of using the daily creates from the class (which are indeed very cool!), I'm going to try to do a Latin daily create so that I can start building up a body of stuff I can (re)use later. A big part of what I will need to be making are Latin vocabulary graphics, like animated gifs with Latin words that are going to be important for reading about alchemy, along with quote posters with memorable quotes, and so on.

One of those obvious quote sources will be the Tabula Smaragdina, which has a great Wikipedia article containing the Latin text plus two English translations... including Isaac Newton's translation, which is fun to see. So, I'll start my Latin Alchemy Daily Creates by doing some quote posters from the Tabula. Here is the first one:

Quod est inferius est sicut quod est superius.

Isaac Newton: That which is below is like that which is above.
Theatrum Chemicum: Whatever is below is similar to that which is above.



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TABULA SMARAGDINA

(Latin text via Wikipedia from Chrysogonus Polydorus, Nuremberg 1541):

Verum, sine mendacio, certum et verissimum:
Quod est inferius est sicut quod est superius, et quod est superius est sicut quod est inferius, ad perpetranda miracula rei unius.
Et sicut res omnes fuerunt ab uno, meditatione unius, sic omnes res natae ab hac una re, adaptatione.
Pater eius est Sol. Mater eius est Luna, portavit illud Ventus in ventre suo, nutrix eius terra est.
Pater omnis telesmi totius mundi est hic.
Virtus eius integra est si versa fuerit in terram.
Separabis terram ab igne, subtile ab spisso, suaviter, magno cum ingenio.
Ascendit a terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram, et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum.
Sic habebis Gloriam totius mundi.
Ideo fugiet a te omnis obscuritas.
Haec est totius fortitudinis fortitudo fortis, quia vincet omnem rem subtilem, omnemque solidam penetrabit.
Sic mundus creatus est.
Hinc erunt adaptationes mirabiles, quarum modus est hic. Itaque vocatus sum Hermes Trismegistus, habens tres partes philosophiae totius mundi.
Completum est quod dixi de operatione Solis.

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