Poems on love and despair

Today I want to share with you two poems, one in English, the other one in Spanish, both of them written in the decade of 1630.


THE GOOD MORROW
John Donne (English), 1633

I wonder by my troth, what thou, and I
Did, till we lov'd? Were we not wean'd till then?
But suck'd on countrey pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the seven sleepers den?
T'was so; But this, all pleasures fancies bee.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desir'd, and got, 'twas but a dreame of thee.

And now good morrow to our waking soules,
Which watch not one another out of feare;
For love, all love of other sights controules,
And makes one little roome, an every where.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,
Let Maps to others, worlds on worlds have showne, 
Let us possesse one world; each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appeares,
And true plaine hearts doe in the faces rest,
Where can we finde two better hemispheares
Without sharpe North, without declining West?
What ever dyes, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none doe slacken, none can die.


SONETO 126

Lope de Vega (Spanish)

Desmayarse, atreverse, estar furioso,
áspero, tierno, liberal, esquivo,
alentado, mortal, difunto, vivo,
leal, traidor, cobarde y animoso;

no hallar fuera del bien centro y reposo,
mostrarse alegre, triste, humilde, altivo,
enojado, valiente, fugitivo,
satisfecho, ofendido, receloso;

huir el rostro al claro desengaño,
beber veneno por licor süave,
olvidar el provecho, amar el daño;

creer que un cielo en un infierno cabe,
dar la vida y el alma a un desengaño;
esto es amor: quien lo probó lo sabe.


...In English...

To faint, to be bold, to be furious, 
 rough, tender, liberal, aloof, 
 courageous, mortal, dead, alive, 
 loyal, treacherous, coward, spirited. 

Not to find beyond the lover peace. 
To look happy, sad, humble, arrogant, 
angry, brave, fugitive, 
satisfied, offended, distrustful. 

To turn your face from clear proofs of deceit, 
To drink poison as if it were a soothing liquor, 
To disregard the gain, to love the suffering. 

To believe heaven can lie within a hell; 
To devote life and soul to a delusion; 
This is love; whoever tasted it, knows.