THE ART OF PAINTING. TRUE Poetry the Painter's power displays; 5 10 DE ARTE GRAPHICA. UT Pictura Poesis erit; similisque Poesi 5 Quod fuit auditu gratum cecinere Poetæ ; Quod pulchrum aspectu Pictores pingere curant: Quæque Poetarum numeris indigna fuêre, Non eadem Pictorum operam studiumque merentur. 1 16 From you, blest pair! Religion deigns to claim Her sacred honours; at her awful name High o'er the stars you take your soaring flight, And rove the regions of supernal light; Attend to lays that flow from tongues divine, Undazzled gaze where charms seraphic shine; Trace beauty's beam to its eternal spring, And pure to man the fire celestial bring. 20 Then round this globe on joint pursuit ye stray, Time's ample annals studiously survey;: And from the eddies of Oblivion's stream Propitious snatch each memorable theme. Thus to each form, in heaven, and earth, sea, That wins with grace, or awes with dignity, and 25 10 Ambæ quippe sacros ad religionis honores Sydereos superant ignes, aulamque tonantis Ingressæ, divûm aspectu, alloquioque fruuntur; Oraque magna Deûm, et dicta observata reportant, Cœlestemque suorum operum mortalibus ignem. Inde per hunc orbem studiis coëuntibus errant, Carpentes quæ digna sui, revolutaque lustrant 15 Tempora, quærendis consortibus argumentis. Denique quæcunque in cœlo, terrâque, marique Longius in tempus durare, ut pulchra merentur, To each exalted deed, which dares to claim Fate, 30 Such powers, such praises, heaven-born Pair, belong To magic colouring, and creative song. But here I pause, nor ask Pieria's train, 35 Nobilitate suâ, claroque insignia casu, Dives et ampla manet Pictores atque Poetas 20 Materies; inde alta sonant per sæcula mundo Nomina, magnanimis heroibus inde superstes Gloria, perpetuoque operum miracula restant: Tantus in est divis honor artibus atque potestas. Non mihi Pieridum chorus hic, nec Apollo vo candus Majus ut eloquium numeris, aut gratia fandi Dogmaticis illustret opus rationibus horrens : 25 Enough if there the fluent numbers please, Nor shall my rules the artist's hand confine, 40 45 *Tis Painting's first chief business to explore, What lovelier forms in Nature's boundless store 50 Cum nitidâ tantùm et facili digesta loquellâ, 31 Nec mihi mens animusve fuit constringere nodos Artificum manibus, quos tantùm dirigit usus; Indolis ut vigor inde potens obstrictus hebescat, Normarum numero immani, Geniumque moretur : Sed rerum ut pollens ars cognitione, gradatim Naturæ sese insinuet, verique capace Transeat in Genium; Geniusque usu induat artem. +Præcipua imprimis artisque potissima pars est, 35 *I. Of the Beautiful. + I. De Pulchro. |