Love
Sonnet XXXIII: My tongue goes as grief guides it, and I stray
Translated by J. H. Wiffen (1823) · From The Works of Garcilasso de la Vega (1823)
My tongue goes as grief guides it, and I stray
Already in my grief without a guide;
We both must go, howe'er dissatisfied,
With hasty step in an unwished-for way.
I, but companioned by the dark array
Of images that frenzy does create,
And that, as forced along by grief to state
A thousand things it never wished to say.
The law to me is most severe--it knows
My innocence, yet makes not mine alone,
But others' faults, my torturers! why should I
Smart for the madness of my tongue, when woes
Beyond endurance lift the lash on high,
And Reason trembles on her tottering throne?
Cite this poem
MLA
Vega, Garcilaso de la. “Sonnet XXXIII: My tongue goes as grief guides it, and I stray.” Translated by J. H. Wiffen. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/garcilaso/43/.
Chicago
Vega, Garcilaso de la. “Sonnet XXXIII: My tongue goes as grief guides it, and I stray.” Translated by J. H. Wiffen. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/garcilaso/43/.
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