THE GOLDEN MEAN.
Who founded firm and sure
Would ever live secure,
In spite of storm and blast
Immovable and fast;
Whoso would fain deride
The ocean’s threatening tide;–
His dwelling should not seek
On sands or mountain-peak.
Upon the mountain’s height
The storm-winds wreak their spite:
The shifting sands disdain
Their burden to sustain.
Do thou these perils flee,
Fair though the prospect be,
And fix thy resting-place
On some low rock’s sure base.
Then, though the tempests roar,
Seas thunder on the shore,
Thou in thy stronghold blest
And undisturbed shalt rest;
Live all thy days serene,
And mock the heavens’ spleen.
— Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Transl. by H. R. James, 1897
I remember reading him as a student (along with Cassiodorus and Isidore). What a depressing time to be alive; it frightens me to think their lives may become inspirational to ours.
Hello
I found your website in wikipedia and I have to say it’s very interesting. Yesterday I sent a comment about Boethius, but it wasn’t posted. It says it’s waiting moderation. I’m sorry to disturb you with such a petty thing, but I was very respectful, therefore I don’t understand the censorship. Maybe your blog has got some technical problem.
Here’s my comment, if you care to post it in my name.
“Boethius is fabulous. Those times erroneously known as the Dark Ages were in some places the Spiritual Golden Ages, above all in my country, England. The Anglo-Saxon civilization produced brilliant poets, like Caedmon, thinkers, like Cynewulf, historians, like Bede, biographers, like Asser, and the great king of culture, Alfred.
I would like to contribute with part of the Dream of the Rood, an anonymous poem of the 8th century, a real jewel of Christian poetry. If you want to read the entire poem and know a bit more about it, please go to:
http://www.dreamofrood.co.uk/
I selected the speech of victory of the Holy Cross::
Now you can hear, my beloved hero,
what work of the evildoers that I have experienced,
the painful grief. The time is now come
that men over the earth and all this illustrious creation
far and wide honour me,
they pray to this sign. On me, God’s son
suffered a time. Therefore, now I rise up
glorious under the heavens, and I am able to heal
each one of those who hold me in awe.
Formerly, I was the most fierce of torments,
most hateful to people, before I opened the right
path of life to them, the speech-bearers.
Lo, the prince of glory, the guardian of the kingdom of the heavens,
honoured me over all the trees of the forest! ”
…………………………………….
I apologise for any inconvenience.
Kind regards.
Philip