Adonis Diaries

Of Love and other demons

During Europe Middle Age, over 50,000 women were burned alive as witches. Mainly women were submitted to be exorcised.

In “De l’amour et autre demons” by late Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the 12 year-old girl Sierva Maria was locked up and harassed by exorcism procedures.

I am extracting the French translation of a few lines from one of the sonnets of Garcilaso de la Vega, a soldier who died young at war and wrote 40 sonnets, 3 églogues, 2 élegies and 5 songs to a Portuguese girl who was Not a beauty, and married some else and even died before him:

O doux attraits pour mon malheur trouvés

Entre vos mains, enfin, je m’abandonne óu je sais que je mourrai

Afin qu’a moi seul il soit prouvé comment sur le vaincu frappe l’épée

Que t’apaisent celles que pour toi j’ai versées (les larmes)

Quand je demeure a contempler mon état et vois le chemin óu m’ont conduit tes pas

Je mourrai, car sans fourbe je suis donné a celle qui saura me perdre et m’achever