"Giace l'alta Cartago; appena i segni Dell'alte sue ruine il lido serba. Muojono le città, muojono i regni; Copre i fasti e le pompe arena ed erba; E l'uomo d'esser mortal par che si sdegni: O nostra mente cupida e superba!"
— Torquato Tasso

January 1, 1970

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LGBT peopleCatholics from ItalyPoets from ItalyEpic poetsPlaywrights from Italy
Original Language: English

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Great Carthage low in ashes cold doth lie, Her ruins poor the herbs in height scant pass, So cities fall, so perish kingdoms high, Their pride and pomp lies hid in sand and grass: Then why should mortal man repine to die, Whose life, is air; breath, wind; and body, glass? — Canto XV, stanza 20 (tr. Fairfax)