What's the Poem...?

[Juan Ramirez]

Hi...

I found a translation into Spanish of one of Thomas Moore’s poems (actually, there is a slight chance that the author is not Thomas Moore but a poet by the same last name) … The thing is I have not been able to find what the original poem was… I hope one of you Moore readers will be able to help me out… The following is a rough translation into English of some random excerpts of the Spanish poem… Sounds familiar?:

“A fleeting shadow… that’s what the world is / Illusion of human fantasy (…) There is but one eternal life beyond the feared grave (…) The splendor of glory / the flame of love, it’s all a lie / friendship, beauty are just / flowers taken to the grave / only eternity is real / what shines there will shine forever (…) Oh! Don’t you doubt it, because it is true/ only in the heavenly mansion can peace be found”

PS... I'm new here, so sorry if I posted the question in the wrong place!

[antiquary]

Welcome to the board, Juan. I think you're right: it's the Thomas Moore, the Bard of Erin. It sounds like a loose translation of this poem, from his Sacred Songs:

This world is all a fleeting show,
For man's illusion given;
The smiles of joy, the tears of woe,
Deceitful shine, deceitful flow–
There's nothing true but heaven.

And false the light on glory's plume
As fading hues of even;
And love, and hope, and beauty's bloom,
Are blossoms gathered for the tomb–
There's nothing bright but heaven.

Poor wanderers of a stormy day,
From wave to wave we're driven;
And fancy's flash, and reason's ray,
Serve but to light the troubled way–
There's nothing calm but heaven.

[Petrarch's Love]

Looks like Antiquary found it. Just wanted to say that the possible Thomas Moore confusion may be due to the fact that there actually are two famous writers named Thomas Moore. The one who wrote this poem lived 1779-1852 and was an Irish poet, born in Dublin. The other Thomas More lived 1478-1535, wrote Utopia, and was executed by Henry VIII for refusing to go along with England's break with the Roman church.

[rachel]

that is true,Hullo bright Angel, miss you,
I love them both. I have a very early edition of Utopia and it makes me laugh.

[Juan Ramirez]

Wow... thanks a lot Antiquary... It is indeed a very loose translation (actually the translator presents it as an imitation of Moore's poem). As to the two Thomases, I think the one from the XV century was actually More (one "O") but I did have a hell of a hard time to find who the poet was... especially because the translator just said "Imitation of Moor" (yes, he actually misspelled it!), without the name... The thing is that by the characteristics of the poem I associated it with the Irish XIX century poet.

[Petrarch's Love]

As to the two Thomases, I think the one from the XV century was actually More (one "O")

Quite right. How absentminded of me. I've corrected it in my post above. Cheers.