Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Sacrificium Deo Cor Contribulatum

Here is today's emblem and distich by Gabriel Rollenhagen, Book 1.65, with an English rendering by George Wither. Here is the final stanza of Wither's poem inspired by the emblem:
With many other such like Sacrifices
Men come to God: but, he such gifts despises:
For, neither gifts, nor workes, nor any thing
(Which we can either doe, or say, or bring,)
Accepted is of God; untill he finde
A Spirit-humbled, and a troubled-minde.
A contrite Heart, is that, and, that alone,
Which God with love, and pitie, lookes upon.
Such he affects; therefore (Oh Lord) to thee;
Such, let my Heart, and, such, my Spirit bee.
Compare the words of Psalm 50: Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus; cor contritum et humiliatum. As we've seen before in Rollenhagen, the tetragrammaton is used as a visual sign of the presence of God.

Sacrificium Deo Cor Contribulatum
Hostia grata Deo mens vero attrita dolore;
Cum delicta premunt, hostia sacra Deo.


The Sacrifice, God loveth best
Are Broken-hearts, for Sin, opprest.


Here is the vocabulary:

sacrificium - sacrifice
deus - God
cor - heart
contribulo - crushed, bruised
hostia - victim, sacrificial animal
gratus - welcome, pleasing
mens - mind
vero - truly
attero - rub, grind, wear out
dolor - grief, pain
cum - when
delictum - fault, crime, sin
premo - press, press down
sacer - sacred, holy