From our sordid utterly frail standpoint,

From our sordid utterly frail standpoint,
from the lowness of what we call reason,
from the sensual dreams which draw our flesh,
we measure how far we are from the soul's

divine aspiration. Inadequate
are reason's beginnings, means, ends: weak flesh
feels their strength and soundness; in the light of
eternity they are foolish and useless,

a phantom of the mind which embraces
this transitory earth and masters
the body but cannot see the proud urge

locked within. When you have what the world wants,
they'll leave you in peace, but inside you're
at war, strained by wrongs done, haggard from waste.
An image of the Italian text from Visconti's 1840 edition
Notes:
V CXXVII:287. From B S1, 148, 159; no MS's; Valgrisi 149. Key

Home
Amaro Lagrimar
Contact Ellen Moody.
Pagemaster: Jim Moody.
Page Last Updated 6 January 2003