Alexander Pope, one of the greatest English poets of the eighteenth century, was born on 21 May 1688. Considered a master of the heroic couplet (pairs of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter), he is best known for satirical and discursive poetry.
In 1717 he wrote “Eloisa to Abelard”, his artistic interpretation of the 12th-century story of Héloïse’s illicit love for philosopher Pierre Abélard, who was her teacher. Their secret marriage caused her family’s brutal vengeance when they castrated him.
The poem is a long verse epistle which explores the woman’s struggle to reconcile her desires for physical passion and spiritual contentment.
Here are some lines:
I view my crime, but kindle at the view,
Repent old pleasures, and solicit new;
Now turn’d to heav’n, I weep my past offence,
Now think of thee, and curse my innocence.
Of all affliction taught a lover yet,
‘Tis sure the hardest science to forget!
How shall I lose the sin, yet keep the sense,
And love th’ offender, yet detest th’ offence?
How the dear object from the crime remove,
Or how distinguish penitence from love?
Unequal task! a passion to resign,
For hearts so touch’d, so pierc’d, so lost as mine.
Ere such a soul regains its peaceful state,
How often must it love, how often hate!
How often hope, despair, resent, regret,
Conceal, disdain,—do all things but forget. (1)
The final lines of the poem are:
Such if there be, who love so long, so well;
Let him our sad, our tender story tell;
The well-sung woes will soothe my pensive ghost;
He best can paint ’em, who can feel ’em most. (2)
These lines almost seem to invite a response from others, and a lot of imitations and parodies were written by the end of the century, and later.
(1) Vedo il mio sbaglio , ma mi illumino alla sua vista,
e mentre mi pento dei vecchi piaceri e ne bramo di nuovi-
A volte, rivolta al cielo , piango la mia passata colpa,
altre invece penso a te e maledico la mia innocenza.
Di tutte le prove a cui è sottoposto un amante,
l’oblio quella più ardua.
Come eliminare il peccato se vivo il senso ne rimane?
E detestare l’offesa , se amo l’offensore?
Come separare dalla colpa il caro oggetto,
o distinguere la penitenza dall’amore?
Allontanare una passione: compito impari
per un cuore spezzato, trafitto, perduto come il mio.
Prima che un’anima simile ritrovi la smarrita pace,
quante volte deve amare, e quante odiare,
quante volte sperare, disperare, soffrire, rimpiangere,
nascondere, sdegnarsi, prima di poter dimenticare?
(2) Se c’è persona che sappia amare così a lungo e così tanto
racconti la nostra tenera e triste storia;
i dolori celebrati placheranno la mia ombra meditabonda;
ma solo chi li prova intensamente potrà dipingerli bene.
(L.Z.)
Image: Edmund Blair Leighton -1883 – Abelard and his Pupil Heloise
Languidi versi di un perduto amore (sapere della castrazione è raccapricciante 😬). 🌺💕
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Si dice che la loro tragica vicenda abbia ispirato Shakespeare per Romeo and Juliet 💜💜💜
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Wow, quanto sto imparando! Certo Romeo castrato sarebbe stato poco spendibile 😂
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…. povero, lui è morto prima…
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Senza consumare! 🙄😬
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Eh no, Romeo e Giulietta hanno consumato nella notte che era stata così bella che avrebbero voluto volevano tirar tardi. Infatti si dicevano che non era l’allodola che annuncia il mattino l’uccello che si era messo a cantare ma l’usignolo della notte😘😉
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l’usignolo della notte! non lo ricordavo! ️💞😁😎🤓
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eh sì, ne hanno discusso un po’ prima di decidersi di alzarsi perché Romeo era di fretta e doveva fuggire…
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me lo vado a rileggere 😀 💞
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👍🥰🥰🥰
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😉
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Brava Luisa! 🙂
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Grazie, lieta di sapere che il post ti è piaciuto
Buona serata, caro Alessandro
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Buona serata e buon weekenda anche a te, Luisa! 🙂
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I love Pope. You can miss him for years but always good to return. Great post.
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He was a great poet, your voice is always appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
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What a brutal story. Poor Eloise, ugh, poor Pierre!
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A tragic and brutal story indeed!
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I love your verse choices. Wish I could I could write like that.
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I love YOUR poetry, dear Pat
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You’re very kind as always. Some of my poems are decent but not transcendent
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🙏💜🙏
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You’re very kind as always. Some of my poems are decent but not transcendent
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😘😘😘😘😘
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Meravigliosi versi, così intensi e palpabili. Grazie come sempre.
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Come sono contenta che ti siano piaciuti, Augusta cara!
Buona serata 😘
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Sempre molto brava cara Luisa. Un abbraccio. Isabella
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Grazie Isabella carissima: un abbraccio a te e buon weekend 😘🌹😘🌹😘
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Ciao e buon pomeriggio. Ti abbraccio
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😘🙏🌺🙏😘
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Chissà perchè le storie più belle sono anche le più tragiche!!!!
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Hai ragione, forse perché è la tragedia che suscita i sentimenti più elevati 😘😘😘
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So interesting that this story dates to the same 12th century which saw the flowering of the poetry of the Courts of Love in French and English territory and especially around Eleanor of Acquitaine and her daughter.
Love as a choice of the heart, as with Heloise and Abelard, separated from the duty of marriage.
A development said by some to be the prerequisite step for the individualization of our choices in the matter of love, or what passes for love!, today. Love as a function of the human spirit rather than of human society.
Thank you, Luisa, for this reminder! Sarah
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Dear Sarah thank you for taking the time to read and adding your accurate reflection,
I really appreciate your kind comment and I am glad you liked it! Have a happy day 🌼
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Such a sad story.
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Oh my, you have such incredible shares Louisa. I read this and challenge myself to one day write this deep. 🧡🧡💜❤️
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Alexander Pope is considered one of the greatest English poets of the eighteenth century!!
Writers like him are true masters 🌺🌺🌺
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i totally understand. we do have to aim somewhere don’t we?
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Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 used to say: “The ideal is for us what is a star for the sailor. It cannot be reached, but remains a guide “
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very wise. i guess that’s what dreams are for. to reach where we ‘cannot’
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Great reflection!
🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏
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Thank you so much Luisa.
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Che bella storia d’amore, intensa e appassionata. A volte è davvero difficile capire dove fosse il peccato… l’amore è ingannevole, prende tutti i sensi e illude gli uomini… ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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Penso che il peccato sia stato attribuito alla passione perché è un sentimento incontrollabile … e bisognava in qualche modo avere il controllo delle coscienze!
Ma forse è un ragionamento poco ortodosso 🪁🦋🎈
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Luisa… hai colto in pieno!!! Ne avrei tanto da dire, ahimè…
💕💞💕🦋
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Un abbraccio, carissima 🤗
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👭💞💞💞💕
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una segreta storia d’amore fatta di passione e ammirazione che ha attratto molti artisti.
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Proprio così
Buona domenica 🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏
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sereno pomeriggio
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[…] Rossetti took up the subject of Alexander Pope’s “Eloisa to Abelard“ in her poem “The Convent Threshold” (written in 1858) which might be seen as a disguised […]
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[…] treatments of the Eloisa and Abelard story were published in 1961 and the situation was used as a weapon in the gender war.The author was […]
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[…] second treatments of the Eloisa and Abelard story written by Australian poet Gwen Harwood and published in 1961 under the male pseudonym of Walter […]
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[…] Alexander Pope: “Eloisa to Abelard” […]
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