Social Commentaries
Sonnet VII: The Brood of Ignorance
Translated by John Addington Symonds (1878) · From Sonnets (trans. Symonds, 1878)
To quell three Titan 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 basements 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, lust, 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!
Cite this poem
MLA
Campanella, Tommaso. “Sonnet VII: The Brood of Ignorance.” Translated by John Addington Symonds. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/campanella/6/.
Chicago
Campanella, Tommaso. “Sonnet VII: The Brood of Ignorance.” Translated by John Addington Symonds. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/campanella/6/.
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