THOMAS AQUINAS INVENTED the LIMERICK

A. N. Wilkins:

Among those identified by the ingenious as authors of prelimericks are Aristophanes, Robert Herrick and Shakespeare. Surely, though, the person whom one would least expect to find in this brotherhood is St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, the Universal Doctor, the official philosopher of the Catholic Church. His contribution occurs, of all places, in the Breviary. Since the particular item is a prayer of thanksgiving to be recited by a priest after Mass, it is not surprising that the fan of the limerick who identified it was Msgr. Ronald A. Knox. He called attention to it in a review of Langford Reed’s The Complete Limerick Book published in English Life, February 1925:

Sit vitiorum meorum evacuatio
Concupiscentae et libidinis exterminatio,
Caritatis et patientiae,
Humilitatis et obedientiae,
Omniumque virtutum augmentatio.
Seeing such lurid words as concupiscentiae and libidinis, one longs for a translation... Ms. Irene Blase, who taught Latin at the high school I attended more than 40 years ago, provides the following:

Let it be for the elimination for my sins,
For the expulsion of desire and lust,
And for the increase of charity and patience,
Humility and obedience,
As well as all the virtues.
Thus, even if St. Thomas wrote what six or seven centuries later would be called a limerick and though he used words like desire and lust, he didn’t tarnish his halo.

Proposed rhymed translations by R. J. Winkler:

Extinguish concupiscent fires,
Eliminate lustful desires;
Give patience and love,
A plentitude of
What humble obeying requires.

O strengthen my efforts to rule
My passions and help me to cool
Attractions to sin,
Then help me begin
Considering virtue a jewel.

Oh Lord, I can prove intellectual,
A Doctor, profoundly effectual,
Whose teachings are sure
If Thou keepest me pure
With thoughts that are wholly asexual.

CONVERSION of ST. AUGUSTINE



Sequence by Adam of St. Victor:

Augustini praeconia 

Cuncti fideles personent! 

Spiritali laetitia 

Lingua, mens, vita consonent! 

Patris nostri solemnia,

Quae annuatim redeunt, 

Nos invitant ad gaudia 

Quae nullo fine transeunt. 

Hic instructus in artibus 

Quas liberales dicimus 

Et in Scripturis omnibus 

Quibus haerebat animus. 

Primo tumens inaniter 

Mundana sapientia, 

Volebat sensibiliter 

Scire invisibilia. 

Adhuc vivens gentiliter, 

Hoc errore decipitur, 

Ut crederet veraciter 

Ficum flere dum carpitur.  

Recessit a Carthagine 

Ut doceret rhetoricam: 

Romae vocabas, Domine, 

Hunc ad fidem Catholicam. 

Mediolanum veniens, 

Dei nutu, non proprio, 

Ambrosium inveniens, 

Ejus haesit consilio. 

Post, baptismum suscipiens 

A beato pontifice,  

Mundi pompam despiciens, 

Se mutavit mirifice. 

Scripturae sacrae litteris 

Suum impendit studium, 

Multorum legans posteris 

Scriptorum testimonium. 

Manichaeis opposuit 

Se murum invincibilem: 

In praedicando praebuit 

Se cunctis admirabilem.

Ut mater ejus Monica, 

Quae venerat ex Africa, 

Cognovit hoc de filio, 

Exsiluit [prae] gaudio. 

Nam videt quem pepererat, 

Quem Manichaeum noverat, 

Morem mutasse pristinum 

Et imitari Dominum. 

Nos, O pater egregie, 

Tuis instantes laudibus, 

Ab hujus mundi carie 

Tuis conserva precibus. 

Jesu, dulce refugium 

Ad te refugientium, 

Per patris nostri meritum 

Bonum da nobis exitum. Amen. 

Englished by Digby S. Wrangham:

Let all the faithful tell around 

Augustine's praises publicly; 

And tongue, heart, life, together sound 

In spiritual ecstasy! 

Our father's solemn festal rites,  

Returning to us year by year, 

Invite us to those pure delights, 

Which nevermore shall disappear. 

Well-learned in all those arts was he, 

Which "liberal" we account to be; 

And in all Scriptures equally, 

From which his thoughts were never free. 

At first, puffed up with earthly lore, 

Which neither end nor object knew. 

He wished unseen things to explore  

By light his senses on them threw. 

Whilst he was still a Gentile youth, 

He falls into that error's snares, 

Which would believe as very truth, 

That fig-trees, stripped of leaves, shed tears. 

When there from Carthage he had come 

To lecture upon rhetoric, 

Thou calledst him, O Lord! at Rome 

To the true faith, the Catholic. 

When, by God's will and not his own, 

He comes to Milan to reside, 

To Ambrose there becoming known, 

He straightway takes him for his guide. 

When afterwards he was baptized 

By that blest prelate, throughly he  

The pomp of this poor world despised, 

And changed his life most wondrously. 

He, whilst his studies he directs 

Towards the words of Holy Writ, 

The witness for all time collects  

Of many a writer touching it. 

He 'gainst the Manichaean sect 

Proved an insuperable wall; 

And by his preaching a respect 

Most wonderful obtained from all.  

When Monica his mother, who 

Had come from Africa, first knew 

Of the conversion of her boy, 

Her heart within her leaped for joy. 

For she beholds that very son, 

Once as a Manichaean known, 

Converted from his former state, 

Seeking his Lord to imitate. 

Illustrious pastor! us, we pray, 

Who now thine endless praise declare,  

From this world's ruin and decay 

Preserve thou by unceasing prayer. 

Jesu! sweet refuge, where those slake 

Their griefs, who refuge with Thee take! 

Grant us for this our father's sake 

A good departure hence to make. Amen. 

TWO PAINTINGS by GIUSEPPE ARCIMBOLDO

INVENTION of the HOLY CROSS



The story, according to James of Voragine. 

Sequence by Adam of St. Victor: 

COVER to the UTA CODEX

OUR LADY in MAJESTY ~ SIMONE MARTINI

PIUS XI on COMMUNISM

Divini Redemptoris:

Hence We wish to expose once more in a brief synthesis the principles of atheistic Communism as they are manifested chiefly in Bolshevism. We wish also to indicate its method of action and to contrast with its false principles the clear doctrine of the Church, in order to inculcate anew and with greater insistence the means by which the Christian civilization, the true civitas humana, can be saved from the satanic scourge, and not merely saved, but better developed for the well-being of human society.

The Communism of today, more emphatically than similar movements in the past, conceals in itself a false messianic idea. A pseudo-ideal of justice, of equality and fraternity in labor impregnates all its doctrine and activity with a deceptive mysticism, which communicates a zealous and contagious enthusiasm to the multitudes entrapped by delusive promises. This is especially true in an age like ours, when unusual misery has resulted from the unequal distribution of the goods of this world. This pseudo-ideal is even boastfully advanced as if it were responsible for a certain economic progress. As a matter of fact, when such progress is at all real, its true causes are quite different, as for instance the intensification of industrialism in countries which were formerly almost without it, the exploitation of immense natural resources, and the use of the most brutal methods to insure the achievement of gigantic projects with a minimum of expense.

The doctrine of modern Communism, which is often concealed under the most seductive trappings, is in substance based on the principles of dialectical and historical materialism previously advocated by Marx, of which the theoricians of Bolshevism claim to possess the only genuine interpretation. According to this doctrine there is in the world only one reality, matter, the blind forces of which evolve into plant, animal and man. Even human society is nothing but a phenomenon and form of matter, evolving in the same way. By a law of inexorable necessity and through a perpetual conflict of forces, matter moves towards the final synthesis of a classless society. In such a doctrine, as is evident, there is no room for the idea of God; there is no difference between matter and spirit, between soul and body; there is neither survival of the soul after death nor any hope in a future life. Insisting on the dialectical aspect of their materialism, the Communists claim that the conflict which carries the world towards its final synthesis can be accelerated by man. Hence they endeavor to sharpen the antagonisms which arise between the various classes of society. Thus the class struggle with its consequent violent hate and destruction takes on the aspects of a crusade for the progress of humanity. On the other hand, all other forces whatever, as long as they resist such systematic violence, must be annihilated as hostile to the human race.

Communism, moreover, strips man of his liberty, robs human personality of all its dignity, and removes all the moral restraints that check the eruptions of blind impulse. There is no recognition of any right of the individual in his relations to the collectivity; no natural right is accorded to human personality, which is a mere cog-wheel in the Communist system. In man's relations with other individuals, besides, Communists hold the principle of absolute equality, rejecting all hierarchy and divinely-constituted authority, including the authority of parents. What men call authority and subordination is derived from the community as its first and only font. Nor is the individual granted any property rights over material goods or the means of production, for inasmuch as these are the source of further wealth, their possession would give one man power over another. Precisely on this score, all forms of private property must be eradicated, for they are at the origin of all economic enslavement .

Refusing to human life any sacred or spiritual character, such a doctrine logically makes of marriage and the family a purely artificial and civil institution, the outcome of a specific economic system. There exists no matrimonial bond of a juridico-moral nature that is not subject to the whim of the individual or of the collectivity. Naturally, therefore, the notion of an indissoluble marriage-tie is scouted. Communism is particularly characterized by the rejection of any link that binds woman to the family and the home, and her emancipation is proclaimed as a basic principle. She is withdrawn from the family and the care of her children, to be thrust instead into public life and collective production under the same conditions as man. The care of home and children then devolves upon the collectivity. Finally, the right of education is denied to parents, for it is conceived as the exclusive prerogative of the community, in whose name and by whose mandate alone parents may exercise this right.

ILLUSTRATION REPORT ~ APRIL 2010

Recently Completed Drawings

Now here is something unlike anything I've drawn previously. This ink and gouache drawing of St. Michael fighting the devil was commissioned by a priest of the Maryknoll Missionaries, an order with a long history of missionary activity in Japan. He asked whether I thought it possible to create an image of the archangel in the style of traditional Japanese art without the result being kitsch.

I was certainly willing to make an attempt. While inculturation is not something that I have consciously attempted in the past, I was eager to explore some of the illustrative ideas in Japanese woodblock printing. Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of my favorite artists, provided most of the inspiration here.

I was also curious to see how successfully I could maintain the western iconographic traditions in the content and arrangement of religious pictures while using an eastern style of illustration.

I am pleased with the result - enough that I plan to issue a limited-edition giclee art print of the drawing soon. Please e-mail me if you are interested in purchasing one; the response will help me to decide the size of the edition.

I am also thinking about making more religious drawings in this style, showing major events in the history of Japanese Christianity - the arrival of Francis Xavier, the martyrdoms at Nagasaki, et cetera.

I also experimented for the first time with authentic gold leaf, using it for Michael's halo.





I also finished another of my large butterfly drawings. Click on the images above to see more biological illustrations.

Voice Recital by Michelle Mitsui

My wife is a classical singer, most often heard at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, where she sings in five of the choirs. As a fundraiser for the parish music program, she will be giving a recital of art songs (all written in 1910 by French composers) on June 5th.

Trois ballades de François Villon ~ Claude Debussy
La Chanson d'Ève ~ Gabriel Fauré
Chants populaires ~ Maurice Ravel

See this web page for more information.

The recital will be performed at least once again later in the summer, at a different location.

Limited-Edition Art Prints

St. Columba of Iona
Image size: 8 1/2" x 11 1/9"
Paper size: 9" x 12"
Limited edition (1-6) giclee art print
$120 + shipping

I have issued a print of my drawing of St. Columba. This drawing was made with colored inks and gouaches, in the style of early mediaeval illuminated manuscripts from Northumbria and Ireland. A detailed explanation of its imagery can be read here. The edition is limited to only six prints, one of which has already been sold.


Crucifixion
Image size: 8" x 11"
Paper size: 9" x 12"
Limited edition (1-100) giclee art print
$120 + shipping

I consider this Crucifixion drawing my finest work to date. A detailed explanation of its imagery can be read here.


Tree of Life and Death
Image size: 5 1/4" x 7"
Paper size: 8" x 10"
Limited edition (1-50) giclee art print
$96 + shipping

This drawing of the Tree of Life and Death is based on an illumination in a 15th century Missal owned by Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr of Salzburg.

Christmas Cards

Tree of Jesse
Card size: 5" x 7"
Blank inside
$1 per card + shipping
Envelopes included
Minimum order of 10


Annunciation to the Shepherds
Card size: 4" x 5"
Blank inside
$1 per card + shipping
Envelopes included
Minimum order of 10

See this page for more information.

Printed Universal Bookplates

Olives


Critters


Maze

Size of printed bookplates: 3" x 4"
Digital prints on white acid-free paper
50 cents each + shipping
Minimum order of 20

Visit my main web site to see more of my artwork and e-mail me (danmitsui [at] hotmail [dot] com) if you are interested in buying or commissioning anything, licensing an image, or selling my work in a store.

RUSSIAN CHAPEL at DARMSTADT

OUR LADY of MONTSERRAT



Song from the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat:

O Virgo splendens, hic in monte celso
Miraculis serrato fulgentibus ubique,
Quem fideles conscendunt universi.
Eia pietatis oculo placato
Cerne ligatus fune peccatorum
Ne infernorum ictibus graventur
Sed cum beatis tua prece vocentur.

English translation:

O resplendent Virgin, here on the high mountain,
Glowing with miraculous wonders,
where the believers from everywhere ascend.
Ah, with thy gentle loving eye
Behold those caught in the bonds of sin,
To let them not suffer the blows of Hell,
But let them be with the blessed by thine intercession.