The Sonnets Of Michael Angelo Buonarroti And Tommaso Campanella Part 15

_AN EXHORTATION TO MANKIND._

_Abitator del mondo._

Ye dwellers on this world, to the first Mind Exalt your eyes; and ye shall see how low Vile Tyranny, wearing the glorious show Of n.o.bleness and worth, keeps you confined.

Then look at proud Hypocrisy, entwined With lies and snares, who once taught men to know The fear of G.o.d. Next to the Sophists go, Traitors to thought and reason, jugglers blind.

Keen Socrates to quell the Sophists came: To quell the Tyrants, Cato just and rough: To quell the Hypocrites, Christ, heaven's own flame.

But to unmask fraud, sacrilege, and lies, Or boldly rush on death, is not enough; Unless we all taste G.o.d, made inly wise.

VII.

_THE BROOD OF IGNORANCE._

_Io nacqui a debellar._

To quell three t.i.tan evils I was made,-- Tyranny, Sophistry, Hypocrisy; Whence I perceive with what wise harmony Themis on me Love, Power, and Wisdom laid.

These are the bas.e.m.e.nts firm whereon is stayed, Supreme and strong, our new philosophy; The antidotes against that trinal lie Wherewith the burdened world groaning is weighed.

Famine, war, pestilence, fraud, envy, pride, Injustice, idleness, l.u.s.t, fury, fear, Beneath these three great plagues securely hide.

Grounded on blind self-love, the offspring dear Of Ignorance, they flourish and abide:-- Wherefore to root up Ignorance I'm here!

VIII.

_SELF-LOVE._

_Credulo il proprio amor._

Self-love fools man with false opinion That earth, air, water, fire, the stars we see, Though stronger and more beautiful than we, Feel nought, love not, but move for us alone.

Then all the tribes of earth except his own Seem to him senseless, rude--G.o.d lets them be: To kith and kin next shrinks his sympathy, Till in the end loves only self each one.

Learning he shuns that he may live at ease; And since the world is little to his mind, G.o.d and G.o.d's ruling Forethought he denies.

Craft he calls wisdom; and, perversely blind, Seeking to reign, erects new deities: At last 'I make the Universe!' he cries.

IX.

_LOVE OF SELF AND G.o.d._

_Questo amor singolar._

This love of self sinks man in sinful sloth: Yet, if he seek to live, he needs must feign Sense, goodness, courage. Thus he dwells in pain, A sphinx, twy-souled, a false self-stunted growth.

Honours, applause, and wealth these torments soothe; Till jealousy, contrasting his foul stain With virtues eminent, by spur and rein Drives him to slay, steal, poison, break his oath.

But he who loves our common Father, hath All men for brothers, and with G.o.d doth joy In whatsoever worketh for their bliss.

Good Francis called the birds upon his path Brethren; to him the fishes were not coy.-- Oh, blest is he who comprehendeth this!

X.

_EARTHLY AND DIVINE LOVE._

_Se Dio ci da la vita._

G.o.d gives us life, and G.o.d our life preserves; Nay, all our happiness on Him doth rest: Why then should love of G.o.d inflame man's breast Less than his lady and the lord he serves?

Through mean and wanton ignorance he swerves, And wors.h.i.+ps a false Good, divinely dressed; Love cannot soar to what it never guessed, But stoops its flight, and the thralled soul unnerves.

Here too is man deceived. He yields his own To spend on others. Yet in vile delight G.o.d's splendour still s.h.i.+nes through love's earthliness.

But we embrace the loss, the lure alone Love fools us with. That glimpse of heavenly light, That foretaste of eternal Good, we miss.

XI.

_THE PHILOSOPHER._

_Gran fortuna e 'l saper._

Wisdom is riches great and great estate, Far above wealth; nor are the wise unblest If born of lineage vile or race oppressed: These by their doom sublime they ill.u.s.trate.

They have their griefs for guerdon, to dilate Their name and glory; nay, the cross, the sword Make them to be like saints or G.o.d adored; And gladness greets them in the frowns of fate:

For joys and sorrows are their dear delight; Even as a lover takes the weal and woe Felt for his lady. Such is wisdom's might.

But wealth still vexes fools; more vile they grow By being n.o.ble; and their luckless light With each new misadventure burns more low.

XII.

_A PARABLE OF WISE MEN AND THE WORLD._

_Gli astrologi antevista._

Once on a time the astronomers foresaw The coming of a star to madden men: Thus warned they fled the land, thinking that when The folk were crazed, they'd hold the reins of law

When they returned the realm to overawe, They prayed those maniacs to quit cave and den, And use their old good customs once again; But these made answer with fist, tooth, and claw:

So that the wise men were obliged to rule Themselves like lunatics to shun grim death, Seeing the biggest maniac now was king.

Stifling their sense, they lived, aping the fool, In public praising act and word and thing Just as the whims of madmen swayed their breath.