Dante Petrarch Camoens Author:Dante Alighieri Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: XXX (48) How far accumulating years extend The travel of my weary pilgrimage ! How swiftly my allotted span of age Shortens apace, and haftens to its en... more »d ! Anguish augments; life less and less doth lend ; The remedy I had I loft; and, sage By schooling, with miftruftful heart presage Falsehood when Fortune feigneth to befriend. I chase a bliss I may not overtake, Loft to my sight ere half the race be run; Thousand times thrown, I faint upon the slope : In lieu of slackening feet I hurry on My eyes, and by their witness knowledge take That the wide prosped: holds nor Bliss nor Hope.XXXI (177) Bending upon the Past reverted eyes, No room for aught but rue do I discern ; Squandered the time now gone beyond return, Essayed in evil hour each enterprise : What worft was, beft appeared to me unwise ; What moft was to be sought, I moft did spurn; Moft lessoned, moft reludlant ftill to learn, Fondling unto the last Hope's flatteries. Thought built me caftles soaring from the ground, That ever, when the cope-ftone should be laid, Crumbled and lay upon the earth in duft. Fancy's vain fool no more will I be found : For Death and Disenchantment all was made : Woe unto all that hope ! to all that truft ! XXXII (4) When that I was condemned by Love's decree Ills made for many in one breaft to bear, To Fortune he consigned me, to forbear Feigning, when nought remained for cruelty. She, for desire that all the world should see That terrible as his her torments were, Anguish she willed my fellow men to spare Invented for my single misery. Now, scattering my music as I pass, The world I range, example unto all Whose necks beneath these tyrants' yoke are bent, And set my sorrow to vain verse. Alas For him whose scope of pleasure...« less