Poem, no date (1591), Raymund Minderer to Caspar Bulling
Scriptum à
Remvndo Minderer Augustano
Eloquentiæ Studioso.
Qvi cupit ornatum nancisci floribus hortum
Vrticas, filicem demetit atque rubos:
Infœlix lolium, tribulosq́ue excindit acutos,
Vt ferat auctumno munera plura Ceres:
Hunc tu, Pegasidum cultor, sectaris, amœna
Qui petis Aoniæ tangere tecta domus.
Namque tuam mentem varia nunc conseris arte,
Dum te plantarum cognitione polis.
Sic hortus Sophiæ, quo non formosior alter
Quotquot sunt horti, mens tua Caspar erit.
Nam cognoscendo si formas induit omnes
Mens: hortum fieri quid vetat ingenium?
Cùm stirpes, & tot magnæ virgulta parentis
Ingenerata sibi per simulacra refert.
translation
Epigram written to the same [Caspar Bulling] by Raymund Minderer, a student of eloquence from Augsburg.
The one who wishes to create a garden full of flowers must first remove the nettles, ferns, and brambles. He cuts away the unfortunate weeds and sharp thistles so that Ceres, the goddess of harvest, may bring forth many gifts in the autumn. Just like this gardener who tends the garden of the Muses, you, too, pursue knowledge, striving to reach the beautiful dwelling of the Aonian house (a metaphor for learning and poetry).
Now, as you improve yourself through the study of various arts, you are also enhancing your understanding of plants. In this way, your mind, Caspar, will become a garden of Wisdom, more beautiful than any other. For if the mind takes on the forms of everything it learns about, what could stop your intellect from becoming like a garden? As it reflects the plants and trees of its great parent, the Earth, through the images you acquire in your learning.
