Nathan Albineus (Aubigné de la Fosse) – The Golden Poem
(Translated by P. Clemente, from Commentarium No. 2-3, 1911)
Nathan Albineus, Doctor of Medicine
The Golden Poem to Janus Cusinus
To Janus Cusinus
Janus Cusinus, for you, we have resolved to write, in a friendly poem,
briefly and playfully, all the mysteries of Nature and Art,
to snatch them from the deep night
and bring them into the full light of the sun.
Therefore, come, and with keen mind, prudently extract
hidden meanings from clear expressions.
At the beginning of the world, an inert mass filled the empty region,
devoid of motion, form, and heat,
spreading darkness widely across the entire expanse.
Then, by the omnipotent will of the Creator,
pure light was assigned its highest place—
the radiant vault of the heavens,
the restless sea, and the solid mass of the earth
sprang forth when Chaos was commanded to turn into order.
Then the earth, enriched by the other elements,
above and below the ground, through various distinctions of things,
brought forth countless forms for our use.
Here, the blackening lead and the ringing veins of tin,
the silver shining with lunar whiteness,
the hard iron, and the reddening copper—kindred metals—
and, at last, the gleaming gold,
all took their beginnings.
For whatever moist body is conceived
in the nourishing womb of the earth
arises from the sacred seed of light
and from the delicate essence of the heavens,
fertilized by the monthly flow of inconstant water.
First formed in distinct species and grades,
metals are arranged in order,
of which gold is both the highest and final perfection.
It alone lacks nothing,
except that, confined in the depths,
it does not raise itself, living, into the upper air,
but remains forever barren in hidden places,
unless the hand of the artisan,
through skilled and gentle labor,
liberates the living metal from its crude mass
and elevates it from intermediate stages,
not yet worthy of the name of gold,
to enrich itself for noble use.
THE GOLDEN POEM TO JANUS CUSINUS
By Doctor Nathan Albineus
O Janus Cusinus, I have resolved, for amusement,
to write, in a brief and friendly poem,
all the mysteries of nature and art,
and, drawing you out from the deep night,
to lead you into the midday light of the Sun.
Come then, with your mind intent on every single thing,
prudently extract hidden meanings from simple words.
At the beginning, the empty space of the world was filled
with a sluggish mass, devoid of motion, form, and heat;
and everywhere, across the entire expanse, deep darkness loomed.
Then, at the omnipotent command of the Creator,
pure light sprang forth and took its supreme place,
along with the radiant expanse of the heavens,
the undulating sea, and the massive weight of the earth;
thus, Chaos was commanded to transform into the world.
From that moment, without ceasing, the earth,
impregnated with all the other elements,
both above and below the soil,
brought forth countless species of things,
variously different from one another, for our use.
From it came the darkening lead
and the silver, shining with lunar whiteness;
from it came the hard iron, the reddening copper,
the related metals, and finally,
from it arose the gleaming gold.
For whatever body is conceived
in the moist womb of the nourishing earth
emerges from the sacred seed of light
and from the midst of the rarefied essence of the heavens,
fused in the fertile menstrual flow of the shifting waters.
First, metals were distinguished by species and rank,
and among them, gold is the most important and the ultimate perfection.
It lacks only in this: that in the mines,
it does not reveal itself as reproducing at the earth’s surface,
but remains eternally barren, sluggish in the deep recesses,
until the hand of the artisan, skilled in its delicate craft,
purifies it from its dense matter,
extracts the living metal from the intermediate stages—
until then unworthy of the name of gold—
and makes it fertile for rich and noble uses.
Now, you must understand that Nature subjects the entire world
to those very laws by which it was itself created;
so that the origins of things remain hidden in darkness,
lying in heavy torpor before any of them
begins to exist in the real world.
Know also that the elements are subject to Art,
and that nothing new can be generated
except what Nature has already placed in the seeds of creation.
And freedom to bring forth anything else
is not granted until the first compound undergoes putrefaction.
Remember, too, that after death, all things are reborn
in a state far superior to their former selves.
Once their principles have separated and purified themselves,
they return to their essence in a nobler form.
Only those with unwavering minds and wise intellects—
who pursue this work with steady and diligent study—
are permitted to penetrate the secret depths of hidden truth.
For this work, long undertaken with humble beginnings,
through many trials and labors,
is at last brought to its highest perfection.
For everything that Mother Nature brings forth,
she also causes to grow according to a certain and constant law of time.
Once the seed has been enclosed in the maternal womb,
do you not see that seven or nine months are required
before the child is finally born alive?
To me, there is no example more fitting than this.
Let no one, moreover, meddle in our art
without first being taught through experience
how light and heat are gradually produced,
and how, in the course of years, generation follows in due order.
Thus, once you have made three from one,
so that from three you may form one again,
imitate nature in the act of creation,
and by similar degrees, apply the heat beneath
until, through keen discernment,
you perceive the sequence of colors,
which at last resolve into the fixed colors of white and red.
This is more than sufficient.
For why should I reveal further the secret of weights?
There are three principles and seven metals in our subject.
First, the sublime spirit rises,
then draws forth the soul of the fixed body
and, with light wings, carries it through the heavens.
And from the three, there are only two,
and one and ten,
from which, in ordered succession,
seven brothers emerge.
Thus, once you have learned, through constant study and long practice,
the movements and laws of Nature, the great teacher,
do not hesitate—
subject to the works of art the power of the untested fire,
the mine of the richest gold,
in which the spark of latent life remains intact,
and which, more abundantly than a confined cavity,
will bring forth celestial gifts.
From this, extract the living sulfur,
shining with bright clarity under the auspices of Saturn,
and with skillful art,
immerse it, purified, into the gleaming mercury.
Then, place this compound within a clear crystal vessel.
Next, expose it to a slow external fire,
gradually increasing it as the feeble inner fire requires;
for it first needs to be kept warm
with another fire of similar nature,
and as it grows, it will require ever greater nourishment.
Then, suddenly—marvelous to say—
you will witness all things return to the original chaos,
plunged once more into silent darkness,
as if swallowed by the black night.
Do not lose heart!
For after the darkness,
radiant light will gather the scattered parts,
and summon the world to a new beginning, restored.
Then, even the confined earth, made purer,
will receive into its depths the celestial dew,
so that it may create mines without impurity—
where not silver itself will grow,
but the very seeds of silver,
and instead of gold,
the gold-bearing earth will yield golden germs.
Nevertheless, this is not the end of the operations, nor the goal of your labors,
for if you attempt, with the powder of projection,
to transform impure metals into silver or gold,
you will, as is often the case, find the whole effort frustrated,
a vain hope that leads to disappointment.
Therefore, first, take care to unite the stones with the fixed metals,
through the use of mercury.
By heating these three together in a continuous fire,
you will finally succeed in obtaining the desired fruits.
O sweet fruits placed at the summit of the mountain,
to which the labyrinthine path leads,
a rarely tread road!
The mountain is exceedingly high,
with jagged stones on every side.
Its root is submerged in the secret depths of dark Tartarus,
while its summit triumphs in the glory of the sun,
and in the middle, the moon shines with silvered horns.
These are the colors that dominate all things in the art,
and, as if guiding the artisan by the hand,
they lead him from one to another,
following the same order as he completes each work of art.
If this is not enough, add what you desire most:
take, at last, those things that, hidden in the emerald green,
Hermes Trismegistus, interpreter of the arcane wisdom,
long ago placed there for the later generations to translate.
Though you observe that the heavy body lies at the deepest depths,
while the light gases wander through the vast emptiness,
nevertheless, both these and that derive from the One.
Indeed, everything is by nature one,
no matter what it is or how it moves in a different place.
Just as it happens with everything visible in the sky,
and with what lies beneath the sky on the earth or in the sea,
everything was created from a single mass by divine power.
This singular thing had for parents the sun and the moon,
was carried in the womb by the air, and nurtured by the earth;
and if, through the constant work of the artisan,
it is transformed into earth, flourishing by perfect virtue,
it performs miracles.
Decompose the compound of nature,
and with great discernment, gradually separate the elements
that were marvelously joined.
It rises with light wings into the heights,
and in the meantime draws great forces from the sky.
Then it falls back to the earth and retreats into the vast emptiness,
drawing lower forces from the earth.
From here arises the glory that excels above all,
which banishes wandering ailments throughout the body,
hard poverty, and the deceptive ignorance of things.
Be well, O Janus, and smile upon my poem,
in which the golden art is hidden, veiled by light coverings.
Certainly, to one who is truly watchful,
destined is that golden ring, gently swelling with the green-set emerald,
which last night, deceived by the pleasing image of a prophetic dream,
you dreamed was given to you.
The Enigma of Nathan Albineus
At my sacred baptism, I received the name,
which expressed in three Greek letters,
the first is Nu, the second Alpha, and the third Theta,
which together provide three signs and as many secrets of the wise.
For, first, in the first letters, which seem deficient,
you need only the equivalence or the proportion to supply what is lacking:
If you have doubts, these geometric concepts will be taught to you
in the first and sixth books of the true Euclid's Elements.
Indeed, that noble name, derived from the given name,
marks the same art with a greater number;
for when one precedes twenty-four,
and another follows,
the thing becomes more precious than gold,
where three lights, to the practical practitioner of Kabbalah and magic,
show the movements and steps of nature.
N. A. θ Here is the solution