Torquato Tasso Quotes

Principe invitto, disse, il cui gran nome
Sen vola adorno di sì chiari fregi;
Chè l’esser da te vinte, e in guerra dome
Recansi a gloria le provincie e i Regi.

Now spread the night her spangled canopy,
And summoned every restless eye to sleep;
On beds of tender grass the beasts down lie,
The fishes slumbered in the silent deep,
Unheard were serpent's hiss and dragon's cry,
Birds left to sing, and Philomen to weep,
Only that noise heaven's rolling circles kest,
Sung lullaby to bring the world to rest.

Mankind's great adversary.

Dagl'interni avoltoj, sdegno e dolore.

For love she wist was weak without those arts,
And slow; for jealousy is Cupid's food;
For the swift steed runs not so fast alone,
As when some strain, some strive him to outgone.

This is truly the age of gold,
since only gold wins and gold reigns.

Oh che sanguinosa e spaziosa porta
Fa l'una e l'altra spada ovunque giugna,
Nell'arme e nelle carni! E se la vita
Non esce, sdegno tienla al petto unita.

Felice e cotal morte e scempio, Via più ch' acquisto di province e d'oro.

Foolish is he who builds an empire where
the sole foundation is of worldly clay

You know the world delights in lovely things,
for men have hearts sweet poetry will win,
and when the truth is seasoned in soft rhyme
it lures and leads the most reluctant in.

So might we die, not envying them that live;
So would we die, not unrevenged all.

Oh, such a gentle entreaty
this fool has found,
reminding me of my youth,
of pleasures past and present woes!

Black was this queen as jet, yet on her eyes
Sweet loveliness in black attired lies.

O Musa, tu, che di caduchi allori
Non circondi la fronte in Elicona,
Ma su nel Cielo infra i beati cori
Hai di stelle immortali aurea corona;
Tu spira al petto mio celesti ardori,
Tu rischiara il mio canto, e tu perdona
S'intesso fregj al ver, s'adorno in parte
D'altri diletti, che de' tuoi le carte.

Egualmente apprestato ad ogni sorte, Si prometta vittoria, e sprezzi morte.