Collections on Ethics for All People

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future, where every minute was golden, every worry unknown! Now nature’s Elysium original: "Elisien." In Greek mythology, Elysium or the Elysian Fields was a paradise for the virtuous; here it describes the protagonist's former state of happiness. has been transformed into a wasteland, and the fields of bliss original: "Wonnegefilde." A poetic term common in 18th-century literature to describe an idealized, joyful landscape. into wilderness. — Unhappy delusion! — Contempt instead of honor — grief instead of delight — despair instead of hope; that was my harvest, that was my lot; thus sighed Arcinde — and the compassionate nightingale, who listened to her laments from the high branches, was the only sharer of her pain; just as the wildflower wilts through the heat of the burning midday and sinks sadly down, so Arcinde’s head sank upon the turf, which her tears had soaked.

The dawn paled, the dew lay gleaming on the bushes — and already the green expanse shimmered with a thousand manifold rays — the flowers raised themselves from their slumber, but Arcinde still lay stretched upon the earth, insensible to the charms of nature reviving once again.