I
At night, sitting in secret study.
Quiet and lonely, in the bronze chair;
Meager flame appearing from solitude
Prosper what should not be believed in vain.
Prosper what should not be believed in vain.
Original
Estant assis de nuict secret estude,
Seul repos sur la selle d'aerain;
Flambe exigu sortant de solitude
Fait prosperer qui n'est croire vain.
Flambe exigu sortant de solitude
Fait prosperer qui n'est croire vain.
Here there is not much to say. Nostradamus shows he is seated in a bronze chair in his studio room, and he is very quiet and alone and that the room is barely illuminated by a candle and helps (“prosper”) the views or at least the psychological state, previous to the prophetic visions.
II
Rod in hand among the priests of Apollo
By the wave washed the fringe and the foot:
A fear and a voice vibrating through the sleeves:
Divine splendor. The divine sits next to me.
Original
La verge en main mise au milieu de BRANCHES
De l'onde il moulle & le limbe & le pied:
Un peur & voix fremissant par les manches:
Splendeur divine. Le divin pres s'assied.
De l'onde il moulle & le limbe & le pied:
Un peur & voix fremissant par les manches:
Splendeur divine. Le divin pres s'assied.
The quatrain includes the element translated "priests of Apollo", no as one arbitrary meaning. Just because “Branches” is a word that derives from Branco. The cult of Apollo was controlled by the Brancidas, a priestly family of descendants of the hero Branco, son of Apollo and famous for its art of divination.
The image is more than clear. The rod in hand is certainly his small crook and by saying "between the priests of Apollo" he is referring to the prophetic oracles. Remember that Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun, the truth and prophecy. In this last aspect the priests were the wise custodians of the power of the predictions. Recall that Nostradamus was famous in that aspect. And it stands to reason that in some way he felt part of that ancient fraternity.
Then, if we gather "wave washed the fringe and the foot" we will assume he is referring to a source with water for washing feet and he has them inside. Water begins to shake ("wave"). This further intensifies when he addes "A fear and a voice vibrating through the sleeves", this means, he is afraid because something happens in the space where he is. Remember in the previous quatrain verse that says "Meager flame appearing from solitude", this means, he is alone and almost in shadow. Suddenly a voice speaks to him.
By "vibrating through the sleeves" he is reinforcing the idea that the voice comes not from behind or in front of him. The voice comes from one side as he is seated washing his feet or at least one foot on a water source. Then he turns to look at that side and faces to that voice and then begins to flow a kind of intense light that dazzles him. If this light had been less intense, he had never compared it to God. And although we could explain that he was almost in dark in his study, his eyes accustomed to a low light and if light intensity increases suddenly can see an effect of glare and can perfectly associated it with a "splendor Divine ".
Let`s move. He is astonished faced to this light or glare and he can interpret it as being the side of God or "Divine" as he calls it. To say who or what was is just a matter of mere assumptions. We hypothesize that it was indeed the divine or God, we can say that extraterrestrial forces or just a time traveler. The fact that in all cases something or someone was with him when he began to have their future visions.
Basically the first two centuries tell of how the phenomenon presented with his visions. Here we find that the correlation between the first and second quatrain should not be thinking that the next or the other had something that makes them fit someway or how they are arranged. The following quatrain, the third, will start in the prophecies.
III
When the litter by the whirlwind overturned.
And their faces covered by their cloaks.
The Republic victimized by the new people,
Then red and white will judge backwards.
Original
Quand la licture du tourbillon versee,
Et seront faces de leurs manteaux convers:
La republique par gens nouveaux vexe,
Lors blancs & rouges jugeront l'envers.
"When the litter by the whirlwind overturned " here litter is a bunk bed and the bed is where you sleep, where there is peace. But the word litter is the name of simple and narrow beds, used in boats, trains, barracks, and prisons, which are generally placed one above the other to save space. It is noteworthy that not synonymized with the word bed. Litters, as noted above there are in prisons as well. If we take both elements, Litter and Prison we can conclude that he predicts a riot at a prison, this means, he speaks of an insurrection in prisons. The storming of the Bastille is what comes closest to this symbolism.
The idea makes sense with the next verse, "And their faces covered by their cloaks." Cloak was a trend that emerged from the medieval period but had its resurgence in the old nineteenth century. That age, in a strictly historical character, is set between the period from 1789 of the French Revolution to 1914, the year of the First World War. It is also named as the "long XIX century". Historiography considers the century as the definitive start of the contemporary age. The third line is more eloquent in historical context where Nostradamus is.
He speaks of "The Republic victimized by the new people” in circumstances that in his time the concept Republic is purely historical (Rome). Recall that Nostradamus time is ruled by kings and nobility. At the time of the Prophet there was no republic in the world. And by the way this concept was first used with great force from the French Revolution. The idea related with " victimized by the new people ", refers to people who until then were unknown as Robespierre and other leaders of the revolution who began the humiliation or rather the period of terror in France.etc. Now if this is so, it is the year 1789, not negligent data which should be maintained in the mind. La fecha:14 de JulioDate: July the 14th.
But why Nostradamus used colours to define groups of people in the following verse: Simple. The colours are often used to represent, as long as such representations are universal. So the verse "red and white will judge backwards" is pure symbolism without space for other interpretations. The French flag has three colors. The white symbolizes the king and defaults to the nobility and the red and blue to the people of Paris. In general, terms it is the mob. So to say "red and white will judge backwards" is not saying anything but noble and the people will face with in opposing positions. They will be in opposite positions. Thing actually happened in the French Revolution.
IV
There will be a monarch for the Universe
Who will not be a long time in peace and with life:
Then the fishing boat will be lost.
face to the greatest disaster.
Original
Par l'univers sera faict un monarque,
Qu'en paix & vie ne sera longuement,
Lors se perdra la piscature barque,
Sera regie en plus grand detriment.
Qu'en paix & vie ne sera longuement,
Lors se perdra la piscature barque,
Sera regie en plus grand detriment.
This quatrain follows the pattern of the third. He talks the French Revolution again but this time with other characters and continues the foretold story.
When he says "There will be a monarch for the universe" is referring to a new king will be proclaimed and obviously one will die. The words "for the Universe" he is emphasizing more the concept king. The only monarchy that was symbolized with the sun, was the French and especially because the sun was the center of the cosmos or the universe.
Obviously if we continue in the French Revolution we conclude that Nostradamus is talking about the death of King Louis XVI that took place on January the 21st, 1793 and the proclamation of his son from monarchist groups, such as the new King Louis XVII of France. And when he says "who will not be a long time in peace and with life" refers to the concrete fact of the brevity of his reign. So, he is talking about Louis XVII who was kept in prison in unhuman conditions by the revolutionaries and died in Temple Prison on the 8th June, 1795. He reigned exactly for two years.
By saying "Then the fishing boat will be lost" he is symbolizing the Catholic Church because Catholic Church has always been represented with the idea of fishing boat of men or the boat of Peter. By saying "will be lost" he is deepening in the conflict of division that the Catholic Church faced with the republic due to the defense Catholic Church did for the defense of the monarchical state in France.
Remember that in 1790 some perks the clergy had been removed to impose taxes on their authority to crops. Catholic He property was confiscated and they lost their privileges, the quatrain concludes with the verse "will face with the greatest disaster". And of course, Nostradamus was right since the revolutionary years were years of harsh repression for the clergy, being common the prison and massacre of priests throughout France.
