Scene from "le misanthrope".
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That call for mending, but whate'er they be,
Like you I am not angry, rather willing
To take men as they are. To soft forbearance
I school my soul, and hold, in court and city,
My phlegm as philosophic as your bile.
Like you I am not angry, rather willing
To take men as they are. To soft forbearance
I school my soul, and hold, in court and city,
My phlegm as philosophic as your bile.
alceste.
Ay, but this phlegm, so good at argument,
Can nothing ruffle? If, perchance, a friend
Betray you; if a skilful net entrap
Your gold, or if some busy-body scatter
For you, the quick seed of prolific slander,—
Will it not move you?
Can nothing ruffle? If, perchance, a friend
Betray you; if a skilful net entrap
Your gold, or if some busy-body scatter
For you, the quick seed of prolific slander,—
Will it not move you?
philinte.
I do count these evils
You fret against, as vices that are part
Of human nature. It no more offends me
To see a man unjust, deceitful, selfish,
Than to behold vultures that scent the battle,
Malicious apes, or wolves that howl for rage.
You fret against, as vices that are part
Of human nature. It no more offends me
To see a man unjust, deceitful, selfish,
Than to behold vultures that scent the battle,
Malicious apes, or wolves that howl for rage.
