Poetry Behind Painting and Music; the Poet as Borrower
Painting judges its harmony of members all at once; the poet borrows from other sciences like a merchant
This leaf presses the paragone against poetry: though poetry enters the seat of judgment through hearing like music, the poet cannot say different things at one and the same time, whereas painting presents the harmonic proportionality of its many members in a single instant, judged both as a whole and in its parts. Leonardo concludes that the poet lags far behind the painter in corporeal things and behind the musician in invisible ones. Borrowing the help of orator, philosopher, astrologer, and cosmographer, the poet is likened to a merchant carrying goods made by others at a fair. His proper office, Leonardo says, is nothing but that of a broker and a gatherer of things stolen from diverse sciences.
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Painting's harmony of members judged all at once
The poet cannot say different things at the same time, as painting's harmonic proportionality of diverse members does in one instant. Its sweetness is judged at once both in common, as to the intent of the whole, and in particular, as to the components of which the whole is composed.
The poet lags behind painter and musician alike
In the representation of corporeal things the poet remains far behind the painter, and in invisible things behind the musician. Only by borrowing from the other sciences can he appear at the fair like other merchants carrying goods made by several inventors.
The poet a broker of borrowed sciences
The poet borrows another's science, that of the orator, philosopher, astrologer, and cosmographer, sciences wholly separate from him. He is thus a broker who joins diverse persons to conclude a bargain, a mere gatherer of things stolen from diverse sciences.