After trying many years, and then
near death, the able man may know
an image living in the alpine stone.
If at all, the high and new come slowly,
and, for us, they do not last so long.
Oh my beloved! nature's like that too,
who tried for beauty times untold
until she triumphed, and made you.
Yet by that token she is old
and almost at the end of her career.
So terror, which is always near
to beauty, feeds desire strange food.
My mind falls silent and no longer says
if joy or pain be more: the sight
of you calls forth the End of Days,
yet gives me great delight.
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Comments
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What a disservice that one must discover this aspect of Michelangelo!
I had to check the bio twice to make sure the listed poet was really THE Michelangelo! I don't ever remember this side of his life taught in any class...I am blown away by the mass numbers of his poetry that is available to be read. This particular poem is so moving (to me) because it incorporates his mastery of finding beauty in a stone (seeing what can become of the stone was it is chiseled), his love of someone that is aging and his declaration that life is short for us.
This revelation about Michelangelo's poetics just again confirms why this site Oldpoetry is of such value.
Thank you for all of your hard work in making the public aware of these beautiful poetic masters. -
Thrilling poem!
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Was this poem written about Vittoria? I like,
Oh my beloved! nature's like that too,
who tried for beauty times untold
until she triumphed, and made you. -
So did William Shakespeare have the same effect on me. I have read this poem about 20 times now and get more each time. Thanks for you comment!
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i like that...it's got a philosophical look to life. there is an end, but it's something to look forward to
its about people. and living. and just...mysterious. the more times you read it the more you become unsure as to what the author is really trying to say about life. do they embrace it or scoff at it? i like the pieces that make me think
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He said, according to experts, that the statue was in the stone and all he had to do was chip away and reveal it. I wrote this after reading some of the commenters above who I think are very young! And then he compares the marble to mother nature who also makes beautiful people! Please accept these comments as loving inspiration.
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I am always a late bloomer and also a little backwards. So it is so inspiring to find out, at this late age, that he also is also known for his poetry! BUT What a find, and what a glorious 2005 gift! So here I am, late in my life, reading what he wrote, late in his life, and loving it, loving it, loving it! Thank you Old Poetry and Happy New Year!
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i liked this poem, like Hollow Echo i have absolutely no idea what it means but i need the points
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Like Xtc... i have no clue what it means... but i feel like a prat just saying very good, if i dont know what it menas... i did like it though... the ideas it seemed to convey and the language
Good write
Ryan
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i really liked that poem.....very nice!
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This is a fascinating poem. I am trying to discern the meaning but even now I am caught up in its mystery. I will certainly read more here.
Katie -
That was a great old poem from michelangelo Buonarroti. I don't know why it is, but i feel so difficult reading the old poem...i should reduce my speed, read the same line thrice and then i can draw something. Am not like that always with other poems. Guess what..i feel hungry reading old poems..he he. Whatever. 'After trying many years' is a beautiful poem, love to the nature clearly reflected, and isn't something like darkness also prevailing within? The ending lines are superb..
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i really liked this poem.... i thought it was wonderfully written!
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this is really amazing!
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wow, i really like it, it really makes you feel like you were living back then, you did an awesome job and the imagery was awesome, i really loved the last line, it ended the poem so perfectly it's awesome
gina -
i like it.
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i Don't understand it
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good good! I really liked this
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Very good!
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very good
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I don't know about the whole oblique-reference-to-mistress-thing, but once I got past my overwhelming desire to understand this poem (and summarize it into three paragraphs for english class nonetheless) it seemed pretty good. I think what he means is that the same thing that is slowly leading him to death is also the main source of beauty or happiness in his life.
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Yeah, that's pretty cool. Are you sure it was written back in the old days, though? It definitely isn't very formal like I expected. It's very well-thought. Good poem.
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this poem is beautiful. I especially like the line, 'oh beloved' I love using lines like that in contemporary poetry to try and contrast with the newer style. Although I find this style a bit trying overall, it still is a clearly beautiful piece of poetry.
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This is a beautiful, perfect poem. I actually have some slightly philosophic crud similar to it, so this type of thing really attracts me. I love it!
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Wow that was such a good poem. Sometimes it takes forever to reach what you need, sometimes it takes a whole lifetime, but it's worth it.
Abby
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GOOD JOB!
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Here I think Michelangelo is saying that it can take a man whole lifetime to learn how to carve a good statue – and if you are lucky you will see beauty ( in your work ) near the end of your life. He often considered the plight of a mountain or rock that was millions of years old that after being worked on was still old as a stone - but although the material was old – it had in fact become new and young as a statue. And after all the work you put in as a craftsman it has worn your life away - but at the end of your life you are able to see the skill and beauty you have created so it is a balance and it is worth giving your life to see such beauty in return. Albert
Edited on May 18, 5:01 p.m. because ''. -
I like this poem too. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it understand it. I especially like the lines:
nature's like that too,
who tried for beauty times untold
until she triumphed, and made you.
It's true you try and try and by the time you succeed you're near your own demise. -
I really like that poem i give it 2 thumbs up
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well im not a very expirened poet and i am very young whichis probley why i didnt really understand this poem. its kinda hard to relete to it, it confused me
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As beautiful as his artwork. A well rounded artist in all aspects of creativity. It would have been an honor to meet him and hear his ideas.
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this is really good i never thought i would like this but i did it is really great
alison
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