Volume 3 — From the Same
Reading edition
Translated 1805?—Published 1807
One of the "Miscellaneous Sonnets."—Ed.
The Poem
text variant footnote line number
No mortal object did these eyes behold When first they met the placid light of thine, And my Soul felt her destiny divine, And hope of endless peace in me grew bold: Heaven-born, the Soul a heaven-ward course must hold; Beyond the visible world she soars to seek (For what delights the sense is false and weak) Ideal Form, the universal mould. The wise man, I affirm, can find no rest In that which perishes: nor will he lend His heart to aught which doth on time depend. 'Tis sense, unbridled will, and not true love, That kills the soul: love betters what is best, Even here below, but more in heaven above. Contents—From the Italian of Michael Angelo Main Contents 1 2 5 10
Variant 1:
1807
When first saluted by the light of thine, When my soul ... MS. letter to Sir George Beaumont.
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1827
Which ... 1807
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Contents—From the Italian of Michael Angelo Main Contents