Al zucchero, alla mula.
The sugar, candles, and the saddled mule,
Together with your cask of malvoisie,
So far exceed all my necessity
That Michael and not I my debt must rule,
In such a glassy calm the breezes fool
My sinking sails, so that amid the sea
My bark hath missed her way, and seems to be
A wisp of straw whirled on a weltering pool.
To yield thee gift for gift and grace for grace,
For food and drink and carriage to and fro,
For all my need in every time and place,
O my dear lord, matched with the much I owe,
All that I am were no real recompense:
Paying a debt is not munificence.
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Comments1Just finished reading that beautiful poem. Touched on feelings of gratitude and humbleness, the depth of appreciation that can't be repaid with material things. Shows the true value of the intangibles in life, how we owe more than we're often capable to give back. The last line gets you thinking, doesn't it!