Metastasio quotes

Metastasio was an Italian poet and one of the most celebrated librettists of the 18th century. His works played a crucial role in shaping the tradition of opera seria across Europe. He became renowned for the poetic beauty and dramatic intensity of his librettos. Here are 9 of his quotes:

The canker which the trunk conceals is revealed by the leaves, the fruit, or the flower.

Metastasio

To take away life is a power which the vilest of the earth have in common; to give it belongs to gods and kings alone.

Metastasio

The fiery lava in the hollow bosom of the earth, if it be restrained, in spite of its prison, bursts forth with greater force; then flows abroad, but, as it flows, subverts, beats down, and overthrows plains, mountains, forests, and cities.

Metastasio

Know that the slender shrub which is seen to bend, conquers when it yields to the storm.

Metastasio

That water which falls from some Alpine height is dashed, broken, and will murmur loudly, but grows limpid by its fall.

Metastasio

What will the stream become in its lengthened course, if it be so turbid at its source?

Metastasio

If our inward griefs were seen written on our brow, how many would be pitied who are now envied!

Metastasio

In the dark a glimmering light is often sufficient for the pilot to find the polar star and to fix his course. To the pilgrim often a single footstep suffices to enable him to find his way across the bewildering plain.

Metastasio