The Queen of Sheba. From the manuscript "Bellifortis" by Conrad Kyeser, ca. 1402-05. Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen, 2 Cod. Ms. Philos. 63, Cim., fol. 122r.
Sum regina Sabba clarior ceteris et venusta
Pulchra sum et casta stat speculum pectore sculptum
In quo contemplantur juvenes quecumque volunt
Et in visu tacta fune retro follis absconsa
Per aerem subito movet fuliginem ore
Astans nisi similis pelle colore stabit
I am the Queen of Sheba, more famous than others, and attractive:
I am beautiful and chaste. There is a mirror in my chest,
In which young men may behold whatever they wish.
While one of them views it, he pulls a rope, the bellows are compressed,
And darkness suddenly bursts forth from my mouth into the air:
Then he stands before me with a similar skin, similar in color.
Source: Conrad Kyeser, Bellifortis (originally 1402-1405 but with later revisions), Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen, 2 Cod. Ms. Philos. 63, Cim., fol. 122r., trans. by Astrid Khoo.
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Captions
A Middle-Ages rendering of The Queen of Sheba from the manuscript Bellifortis.
Середньовічний малюнок Королеви Шеби з рукописа «Беліфортис».