Anonymous: Six Alchemical Sonnets from a Manuscript of the Biblioteca Laurenziana
The following six sonnets, of medieval origin, are taken from manuscript Riccardiano No. 946 of the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence. They were first published in 1930 in a booklet edited by M. Mazzoni, titled Sonetti alchemici-ermentici di Frate Elia e Cecco D’Ascoli, published by Società Editrice Toscana.
As far as we know, the publication was reprinted only once, in 1955, by Athanor.
The editor explicitly states that, although he is convinced of the attribution of these sonnets to Frate Elia da Cortona, he does not provide specific reasons for this claim, nor are there any indications or documentary evidence that can precisely identify the author or authors of these six sonnets. Furthermore, the publication lacks any codicological information about the manuscript in question.
From the booklet edited by Mazzoni—now almost impossible to find—I transcribe these six beautiful sonnets on the subject of alchemy.
Massimo Marra
1
You pilgrims who go into solitude,
seeking the most excellent science,
your servant goes with you on the journey,
a white monk he seems to those who do not hear.
But the king of the universal space
clothes his people in golden samite,
he encountered him—both mad and wise—
his sergeant, a choleric white.
And he is so kind to the one who kills him
that he brings light into the dark house
and turns sorrow into youthful vigor.
Whoever does this is of great boldness:
none other than he from the fourth circle,
placed in Hell under his own torment.
2
I am the true light that disperses
from the highest alchemy every coarse
and rustic soul; I am the one who, without deceit,
reveals what can be done with the art.
I am the one who, for those who wish to use me,
rescues from poverty and its bonds,
through art, rule, and method,
with its fine goal, with its equalizing force.
I dissolve the body and then remake a body,
removed from matter, and give it form,
always keeping an eye on the venomous scorpion.
I extract from its matter and shape it,
[one verse is missing]
coagulating with fire and by the rule.
It will never fade
from your intellect, if you have well understood
through these verses what I reveal to you.
3 – Geber
This is the great and blessed stone,
which was studied by Hermes and Gratian,
Elit, Rosir, Pandolfo, and Ortolano,
Pythagoras with all his sect.
This is not granted to nobility,
nor to beauty, nor to mere humanity;
every thought of obtaining it is in vain
for those who expect grace by their own virtue.
By special grace, received from God,
it accepts humble fare and modest living,
its dwelling is in a small house.
You who gaze upon the painted figure,
be content, and let it suffice to know
as much as the crossbow sends the arrow forth.
And in the love of God be joyful,
and do not seek to know what is forbidden!
4
This is the stone that is sought
by alchemists along every path,
by those whose souls are sincere,
but not by those who deal in deception.
To all such deceivers, I give warning,
for they are all impostors,
failing to recognize their own errors;
throughout the world, they set their traps.
With sulfur and mercury, I shall,
when I wish, complete all the art;
and with arsenic, the third component,
imbued with sal armoniac,
I shall unite them all together,
putrefying and then calcining them.
And thus a body is formed—
it is the perfect Elixir.
I tell you the truth, by blessed God!
5
O ungrateful alchemists, incredulous people,
more so than Thomas was in faith,
you keep sophisticating, yet none believe
the truth shown to you here.
Turn your minds to your hearts,
for, as Christ says, more blessed
is he who has not touched
the wound so painful with his finger.
This is the stone so brilliant,
which was studied by the great Turba Magna,
and is revealed to every understanding mind.
The beautiful Rose is surely drawn
from the writings of that same company,
which spoke so obscurely to all people.
The Sun with the Moon—understand my words!
And follow them with our Mercury.
6
Understand well and take note of what I say:
the soul does not enter except with its body,
into the place from which it was taken,
without a body—this is the truth, dear friend.
If one joins another to its enemy,
he works in vain and wastes his time,
for the other is not its brother,
and his labor will be worth nothing.
But when it is joined with its friend,
and the two form a perfect union,
within the belly of the lion you know,
then you may touch your navel and say:
“I am truly a master,
and no one else is worth a worm.”
It will be the perfect Elixir—on my faith!
And you will be able to fight the Saracens.