Social Commentaries

Sonnet VII: The Brood of Ignorance

by Tommaso Campanella 1568–1639

Translated by John Addington Symonds (1878) · From Sonnets (trans. Symonds, 1878)

Social Commentaries

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!

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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