Spanish fiction -- Translations into English; Spanish poetry -- Translations into English
'I cannot deny to you, Erastro,' replied Elicio, 'that all grief and
sorrow whatsoever springs from the want and lack of that which we
desire; but at the same time I wish to tell you that the quality of
the love with which I thought you loved Galatea has fallen greatly in
my estimation, for if you merely love her because she is fair, she
has very little to thank you for, since there will be no man, however
rustic he be, who sees her but desires her, for beauty, wherever it be,
carries with it the power of creating desire. Thus no reward is due to
this simple desire, because it is so natural, for if it were due, by
merely desiring Heaven, we would have deserved it. But you see already,
Erastro, that the opposite is so much the case, as our true law has
shown to us; and granted that beauty and loveliness are a principal
factor in attracting us to desire them and to seek to enjoy them, he
who would be a true lover must not count such enjoyment his highest
good; but rather, though beauty causes this desire in him, he must
love the one only because the desire is honourable, without any other
interest moving him, and this can be called, even in things of this
life, perfect and true love, and is worthy of gratitude and reward.
Just as we see that the Maker of all things openly and fittingly
rewards those who, not being moved by any other interest, whether of
fear, pain, or hope of glory, love Him, worship Him, and serve Him only
because he is good and worthy of being worshipped; and this is the last
and greatest perfection contained in divine love, and in human love,
too, when one does not love except because what one loves is good,
without there being an error of judgment, for ofttimes the bad seems to
us good, and the good bad, and so we love the one and abhor the other,
and such love as this does not deserve reward but punishment. I wish to
imply from all I have said, oh Erastro, that if you love and worship
Galatea's beauty with intent to enjoy it, and the goal of your desire
stops at this point without passing on to love her virtue, her increase
of fame, her welfare, her life and prosperity, know that you do not
love as you ought, nor ought you to be rewarded as you wish.'
Erastro would fain have replied to Elicio, and given him to understand
that he did not understand rightly concerning the love with which he
loved Galatea; but this was prevented by the sound of the pipe of
loveless Lenio, who also wished to be present at Daranio's wedding, and
to gladden the festivities with his song; and so setting himself in
front of the betrothed pair, whilst they were going to the temple, to
the sound of Eugenio's rebeck he went singing these verses:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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